Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers

by Timothy Ferriss

Post-Production and Editing Whatever: I edited perhaps 20 of my first 30 episodes using GarageBand, despite disliking it. Why? Because I could learn it quickly, and it forced me to keep the podcast format dead simple. Fancy nonsense wasn’t possible for a Luddite like me, nor for the software, and that’s what I wanted: a positive constraint. If GarageBand appears too amateur for your first 1 to 3 episodes, I’d bet money 99% of you will quit by episode 5. Most would-be podcasters quit because they get overwhelmed with gear and editing. Much like Joe Rogan, I decided to record and publish entire conversations (minimizing post-production), not solely highlights. Keep it simple: Here are a few options my editors/engineers have used: Audacity (free), Ableton, Sound Studio, and Hindenburg. If I were to learn another piece of editing software, I would likely choose Hindenburg. Auphonic: I often use Auphonic.com to finalize and polish my podcasts after editing on the above. It’s a web-based audio post-production mastering tool, designed to help you improve the overall audio quality of your podcast. Things I Don’t Use To date, I have not used any pre-amps, mixers, or other hardware. It would marginally improve things, but I haven’t found the additional complexity, added luggage, and risk of mechanical failure worth it.