My Top 10 Podcasting Tools

This app has a friendly look to it that reminds you of apps like iMovie. This makes it easy to figure out and use with little extra guidance. Using this app I can record audio as many times as I need, arrange it on a timeline, and easily export my creations to a variety of formats or other programs. The most exciting part about this program is that not only can you record sounds that you make, but you can play with a great variety of instruments, riffs, beats, and loops to make custom tracks, be they simple jingles or an entire piece of music. Garageband even contains guitar and piano lessons! There is a project option specifically for creating podcasts, but you can play around in the other project options to build your creation as well. Once I started exploring this program, I wanted to play around making tunes all day!

This is a great program for recording, editing and exporting audio. If you just want to record your voice or a sound and export it, it is easy to figure out how to accomplish that with Audacity. You can record as many tracks as you want and export them in a great variety of formats. The program does have many other features, but I think it can be a bit more difficult to figure out how they work for the average user, and requires a bit more guidance. The program doesn't look as flashy as Garageband, nor does it offer the same fun sound tool options to play with, but it is good at what it does do.

You may find this an odd choice for a podcasting app list if your podcast is audio only, because it is primarily a video editing program. However, Final Cut Pro's timeline structure is similar to that of iMovie and Garageband, and allows for mixing audio tracks. I feel the need to include this program because of it's easy-to-use audio mixing tools, most notably the audio transition tools that I haven't yet found on any of the other programs. Until such time that I do discover these very valuable options in programs like GarageBand, Final Cut Pro will remain an essential part of my podcast creation tool kit. There are a few drawbacks, such as it's pickiness about audio formats. The program does not support as many audio formats in its import/export feature, requiring some audio files to be converted first before use.

Here's an app that is ideal for "social radio". You can upload the podcasts that you have created to your Spreaker account to share them with other users, or even broadcast live on your channel. Some people prefer to perform their program live, others prefer to edit and upload. Spreaker accommodates both. You also maintain a channel similar to other social sites like Google+ and YouTube, and you can customize your channel with your personal selection of content from other users. Spreaker's strength is the live broadcast, so if you want to create a podcast to upload later expect to do so with a different program.

Audioboo is another great way to create and share podcasts. It is easy to sign up for, easy to use, and ideal for using with a mobile device. However, it only allows for simple podcast recording with a limit of five minutes. If you want to share quick five-minute audio clips, this may be the right app for you, but it won't do you much good if you hope to create and edit more elaborate podcasts of longer duration. On the plus side, you do have the option of uploading pre-made podcast projects to Audioboo

This is another social radio app that allows you to easily record your own program to share with the web. As it is a radio app, it's strength lies in live show recording. Users can run the show using an ordinary telephone and a computer. The live "performance" can support up to five listeners at a time, including guests that can call in to participate in the show. The show is then archived, saved as an mp3, and posted on BlogTalkRadio. You can also make your program available on other sites. Great for live broadcasting, not as useful for those who want to edit podcasts to upload later.

Sound Cloud is a platform for sharing sound creations. Where that is music, speech, or something different, Sound Cloud allows you to record audio with your mobile device to share directly on your account, or use a selection of third-party editing tools to work with the audio first. Sound Cloud's strength is in its network of audio sharing, where it is easy to find artists you want to listen to.

Vokle adds a different element to the live broadcasting scene. Using this app, users can host live events, but can also be joined by co-hosts from the audience. Audience members listening in can not only be heard on the show, they can also share video content. The recorded event can then be shared on other sites.

PodOMatic allows you to easily record and publish podcasts on its site, harnessing the video tools and microphone of your computer or mobile device. This is convenient and easy to use but it does not offer editing tools for those who prefer to have some more control over their podcast. You can, however, upload your podcast creations made with other programs to share with PodOMatic.

This editor is intended for use with a video project. It is great at adjusting audio to fix errors and ensure that the audio matches up with the video content. However, Soundtrack Pro allows you to use it as a standalone audio editor as well. You can record audio tracks and arrange them any way you want on the timeline, trimming and adjusting levels as you please. You can then export your creations to share or use with other programs like Final Cut Pro. The interface is similar to Final Cut and fairly easy to use. One inconvenient thing about it is that, like Final Cut Pro, it is rather expensive.