Audio editing: what to know

What the job involves, what changes the price, and what to ask a pro.

What audio editing is

An audio editor cleans up recordings by removing noise, trimming mistakes, balancing levels and assembling clips into a smooth final track. The editor works with the recordings you already have, so the result sounds clear and unhurried.

Signs you need it

  • You have a recording with mistakes, long pauses or false starts that need cutting.
  • Your interview or meeting recording has background noise, such as a fan, traffic or a room echo.
  • The volume jumps between speakers, and listeners have to keep adjusting.
  • You have several clips from different sessions that need to be joined into one track.
  • You want a clean final track for a podcast, a presentation or a video.
  • You have recorded a voice-over and need the mistakes removed and the pacing tightened.

What the pro does

  • Listens to the full recording and notes the sections to keep, cut or repair.
  • Removes noise and clicks, and reduces background sounds without making the speech unnatural.
  • Trims mistakes, repeated words and long pauses, keeping the pacing natural.
  • Balances the levels so each speaker and each clip sits at a similar volume.
  • Assembles the clips into the final track and exports it in the format you need.

What changes the price

Every job is different, so we do not publish prices. These are the things that move the quote up or down.

  • Length of the recording and the number of clips.
  • Condition of the recording, such as noise, echo or uneven levels.
  • Amount of editing, from light trimming to full rebuilding of the track.
  • Number of speakers and how much they overlap.
  • Number of review rounds.
  • Turnaround time for the delivery date.

What a written quote should spell out

  • The length of the recording and the number of clips.
  • The clean-up and editing level included.
  • The number of review rounds and the final format.
  • Whether a project file is delivered.
  • Who owns the final file and any project file.

Questions to ask before you hire

  • What is the condition of the recording, and what problems do you see?
  • How much trimming will you do, and will you keep natural pauses?
  • Can you show a before and after of an edit like mine?
  • How do you handle overlapping speakers?
  • What format and level should the final track be in?
  • Will you keep the project file so I can make changes later?

Red flags

  • Makes the speech sound robotic by removing every breath and pause.
  • Says a poor recording can be fixed completely without hearing it first.
  • Cuts content without checking with you about what should stay.
  • Will not show before and after examples of its work.
  • Asks for full payment before the editing level is agreed.

What you can do yourself

You can trim obvious mistakes and silence in a free or built-in audio editor, and use a simple noise reduction setting on a short clip to test the result. Hire an audio editor when the recording is long, when the noise is hard to remove, or when the final track must sound clean and consistent for publication.

Licenses and permits

Audio editing is not commonly licensed, so a license is usually not required for this work. Check with your state or local licensing agency about business rules that apply to you, and ask the editor for a before and after sample of a recording like yours as proof of skill.

Audio editing questions

How much editing is too much?

Editing that removes every pause and breath makes speech sound unnatural. Ask the editor to keep the natural rhythm of the speaker and to cut only what distracts or repeats.

Can all background noise be removed?

Not completely in every case. Noise can often be reduced a great deal, but some recordings are too noisy to repair fully. The editor should tell you early if that is the case.

Will I get the project file?

Ask whether the editor will deliver it. A project file lets you or another editor make changes later, so put the delivery of the file in the agreement.

Pro reviewers

Pros who offer audio editing remotely can improve this guide, like Wikipedia. We check every edit before it goes live. Every approved edit is credited in the edit history and on the pro's profile.

Edit history

How guide reviews work

How it works

  1. 1. Describe the job

    Pick the service, add your ZIP and a sentence about what is going on.

  2. 2. Pick the pros you want

    See screened pros who serve your ZIP and choose who you want to hear from.

  3. 3. They reach out

    They contact you the way you chose: phone, email or in-app messages.

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