Descript adds Overdub, automated editing, and more

• Descript, an “audio word processor”, has added Overdub for Descript Pro users - a tool that synthesizes your own voice, allowing you to make small edits or even full podcasts without recording. The system, which lets you edit podcasts as if it was a Word document, has improved removal of, you know, like, kind of filler words, and a revised set of subscription plans. There’s a free seven day trial.

  • Does it sound any good? To train it with your voice, you read a short legal disclaimer, then as much of The Wizard of Oz as you can. We read ten minutes of that, and after four hours we were ready to use the synthesised voice to record the start today’s Podnews podcast, if you want a listen. (It works great for small edits.)

• What are the top 100 most popular podcast names? Anyone can call their podcast anything: but there are a surprising amount of podcasts all called the same thing, it turns out.

• Entale’s iOS app has had an overhaul. It now showcases movies and TV shows you mention in podcasts, has a new player design, a new discover screen, and works faster.

• Brooklyn’s Gilded Audio, with UnionDocs, has announced 2020's Signal to Noise award, which offers a production grant. The award “celebrates creative work that synthesizes audio documentary and experimental sound design”. You’ve until the end of August to apply.

  
  Aug 26 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

• Australian commercial network Nova Entertainment is looking for a Head of Podcasts & Digital Content. The little words “sponsorship visas welcomed” in this ad might help you make the move to the other side of the world.

  
  Aug 26 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

• Dixo, the 15 year-old Spanish-language podcast network, has partnered with Acast for distribution and advertising.

• Podopolo is “the first ever interactive and gamified podcast network”, according to its founder.

• Libsyn has a new FTP server.

• Podcast network Headgum, which also owns the Gumball marketplace, has received investment from Union Square Ventures. Details weren’t announced; HotPod says the investment was $2m.

• There’s a free podcast event today: RAIN’s Global Podcast Leadership Summit from 11am Eastern. Our Editor is moderating a session about analytics and targeting.

• Podhero’s listener-support platform has paused subscriptions, according to an email to podcasters, promising “big changes” that are “better for podcasters and listeners”.

• Fancy a group session? Spotify now lets you listen to a favourite podcast with up to five friends at the same time.

• Podsquad have announced custom apps for podcasters, for iPhone and Android. Here’s one to take a look at: payment is via Patreon.

  
  Aug 26 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

• CES in January will be a virtual event.

• After Podnews reported a bug, Headliner have found and fixed a part of its production process to correctly add its useragent, thus helping podcasters everywhere. It appears that ffmpeg really wants the -user_agent flag first in the list of arguments, by the way. Podcast hosts will notice less generic Lavf/58 useragents in site logs as a result: we’re grateful to the company.

Tips and tricks

• Does a decent microphone make a difference? What difference does a microphone make? asks Martin Franklin.
• Timber Media tells the story of how Jack Rhysider made Darknet Diaries.
• How (and why) to use binaural audio (Dan Blank & Sound Cartel)

Podcast News - with The John Bartolo Show

In The John Bartolo Show Cody Stamann is a UFC fighter currently ranked #9 in the world. He recently had an emotional victory in UFC 250 while losing his brother at the same time. Listen now

David Tennant Does A Podcast With… returns for a second series, promising “guests that rarely do interviews but always have interesting stories to share”. Guests for this new season include Tim Minchin, Dame Judi Dench, and Brian Cox.

Hold My Bread has the unlikely combination of stand-up comedians and investing in the stock market. Focusing on personal finance, it “offers solid advice and insight for listeners who are relatively new to investing, while being hilarious and entertaining along the way”.

Storynotes, from podcast network Stabl, talks to world-class audio producers sharing exclusive material. “We play it, then ask questions”.