Fixing Inconsistent Ad and Content Volume: How Audio Audit Helps Podcasters Maintain Seamless Sound Quality

As a podcaster, one of the most frustrating technical issues you might encounter is the inconsistency in volume between your podcast content and dynamically inserted ads. There’s nothing more jarring for your listeners than having to constantly adjust their volume between segments. This disruption can negatively impact their listening experience, and in some cases, it might even turn them away from your show.

If you’ve ever faced this issue, you’re not alone. Many podcasters struggle with maintaining consistent audio levels, but there’s a solution that’s making waves in the industry: Audio Audit.

On episode 18 of Podcasting Tech, host Mathew Passy sat down with Damian Moore, founder and CEO of Audio Audit, to discuss how he created a tool that tackles this very problem. Damian shared his personal journey into podcasting and how his frustrations with inconsistent volume levels led him to develop a platform that’s helping podcasters deliver a better listening experience.

🚀 How did a soon-to-be dad with paint-covered hands change podcasting forever? 🎧 Ever had to crank up the volume for one podcast, only to get blasted by the next? Here’s a thread of how that frustration 😣 led Damian Moore to create a platform that ensures podcasts are perfect. pic.twitter.com/pMkPRz72cU

— 🎙 Mathew Passy 🎙 (@MathewPassy) September 25, 2024

From Frustrations to Innovation: Damian Moore’s Journey

“One of my biggest bugbears is volume inconsistency,”

Damian explained during the interview. His passion for podcasting grew while preparing for the arrival of his first child, painting in a room with podcasts and audiobooks as his only company. But the constant volume shifts between episodes, and even within the same episode, drove him to look for a solution.

Damian realized that the problem wasn’t just in the content itself, but in the post-production process—particularly when ads were dynamically inserted. He envisioned a tool that could analyze and fix these issues before they reached the listeners, and that’s how Audio Audit was born.

Damian envisioned a solution that could preemptively detect and correct these issues, thus enhancing the listening experience by analyzing not only the podcast content but the final mixed product post-ad insertion.

How Audio Audit Works

Audio Audit is designed to ensure that your podcast is in perfect condition before it goes live. Here’s how it works:

1. Upload and Analysis: Podcasters can either upload their MP3 files directly to Audio Audit or connect their RSS feed for automatic analysis of each episode.
2. Comprehensive Audio Checks: The platform conducts detailed checks on various audio parameters, including volume levels, loudness, and excessive silences. It also detects restarted sentences and any unintentional profanity.
3. Dynamic Ad Integration: One of Audio Audit’s standout features is its ability to analyze the entire audio file, including dynamically inserted ads. By reviewing the final product, it ensures that both the content and ads flow together seamlessly, avoiding jarring transitions.
4. Actionable Insights: Audio Audit doesn’t just highlight problems—it provides clear visual cues, like waveforms, showing podcasters exactly where the issues are. This makes editing and fine-tuning much easier.
5. Automated Reports: Once your workflow is streamlined, Audio Audit can send automated reports via email for each new episode, making it easy to maintain high audio quality without manually checking every time.

Why You Should Use Audio Audit

The real value of Audio Audit lies in the peace of mind it offers. As a podcaster, you no longer have to worry about whether your episode is technically flawless before hitting publish. Even if you’re outsourcing your editing, Audio Audit serves as a quality control check to ensure everything meets high standards.

For creators looking to deliver a consistent, professional listening experience, especially in a highly competitive podcasting landscape, tools like Audio Audit are essential. It allows you to confidently publish episodes, knowing that both your content and ads are aligned in quality.