You don't have to be an audio engineer to create a high-quality audio product. All you need to know is how to do basic editing to polish a recording, and that's good enough for most audio products. Here are some tips for editing and polishing your audio products.
Record at high quality
The easiest way to create a high-quality product is to record it at the best quality possible. Although it's possible for a skilled audio engineer to improve a poor recording, it does take a lot of work. So it's far better if you can get it right the first time.
So choose a quiet environment, block out outside noise, use a good microphone, and speak clearly. Also do a short test run to be sure everything is working as expected.
Keep going when you make a mistake
If you make a mistake during the recording, don't stop it and start all over again. Instead, keep the recording going, pause for a few seconds, and then repeat that section. Later, when you're doing the editing, you can identify these sections (because of the long pauses) and delete the mistakes. This is much faster than starting all over again.
Use simple editing software
The world of audio editing has a language all of its own, and it's confusing and daunting if you don't have a background in it. So use simple editing software only - such as Garage Band for the Mac, or Audacity for the PC. You should only be doing basic editing only, so you don't need the fancy features of more advanced software.
Remove mistakes
Play the recording in your editing software, listen for any mistakes (which you've corrected immediately afterwards - as described earlier), and delete them. It should be easy to select and delete that precise section, and the listener won't be able to detect anything unusual in the final product.
Adjust the volume for different speakers
If one speaker is particularly soft or particularly loud, you might need to adjust their volume; otherwise, it can be frustrating for listeners who will be straining to catch one person's words. However, it's better if you detect this in the test run, and adjust the volume during the recording (for example, asking them to speak louder, or moving the microphone closer).
"Top and tail" with music
Adding a short burst of music to the start and end of your audio product makes it seem more professional.
Don't use copyright protected music, though! This means only using music you have explicit permission to use. Search Google for the phrase, "royalty free music," and you will find a number of Web sites that provide music clips that you can then use in your programs. "Royalty free" doesn't mean that the music itself is free; rather, it means you can buy it and use it without having to pay a fee (royalty) every time you use it. For example, you might use one piece of music as the "theme music" for all your products.
Of course, the other way to get music is to have somebody compose and perform it for you. That's obviously more expensive, but if it's something that you're going to use over and over again, then you might consider it a very good investment.
"Top and tail" with a professional voiceover
An alternative is to get somebody to do a professional introduction and close for your products (sometimes this is backed with music as well). For example, if you're publishing a regular podcast, you can have a standard introduction and close, which you simply add to the start and end of each episode.
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