Getting Started with Podli

Podli is designed to take you from raw audio files to a finished, broadcast-ready episode without touching a DAW. This guide walks through the full workflow from first upload to download.

What you'll need before you start

Podli works best with separate tracks — one audio file per speaker. Most recording setups can produce these:

• Riverside, Zencastr, Squadcast — all record separate tracks by default, usually as WAV or MP3 files
• Zoom — enable "Record separate audio files for each participant" in your recording settings
• Local recording (Audacity, GarageBand, Logic) — export each track as a separate file before uploading

If you only have a single mixed stereo file, Podli can still process it, but per-track treatment won't apply — you'll get noise removal and loudness normalisation on the combined file.

Step 1: Create an account and open the app

Head to podli.co/signup and create your free account. Once you're in, you'll land on the main editor.

Step 2: Upload your tracks

Click the upload area or drag your audio files in. You can upload multiple files at once — Podli will detect each one as a separate speaker track. Supported formats include MP3, WAV, M4A, and most common audio formats.

Once uploaded, you'll see each track listed with an auto-generated speaker label. You can rename these — "Host", "Guest 1", "Guest 2" — which makes the transcript easier to read later.

Step 3: Set your processing options

Before Podli starts processing, you can configure a few options:

• Noise removal — on by default; removes background hum, room tone, and consistent noise from every track
• Fade in / Fade out — add a gentle fade at the start and end of the episode; the duration is adjustable in seconds

When you're happy, move on to the next step.

Step 4: Add intro and outro music (optional)

This is its own step after processing options. You have two choices:

1. Browse Podli's royalty-free music library — a curated collection of tracks cleared for podcast use. Browse by mood or style and preview before committing. Your selection is saved so the same track carries across future episodes automatically, giving your show a consistent sound.
2. Upload your own music — if you have a branded theme or existing intro track, upload it directly here.

Once music is selected, Podli handles the mixing automatically. The intro plays at full volume, then fades under your voice as the episode begins. The outro fades back up at the end. The fade durations are controlled by the settings you set in Step 3 — you don't touch a fader.

If you don't want music, skip this step entirely.

Step 5: Review the transcript

This is where Podli pauses and hands control back to you. Once the AI has denoised, normalised, gated, and mixed your tracks, it runs transcription using WhisperX — a fast, accurate speech-to-text model that handles multiple speakers.

You'll see a full transcript of your episode, attributed to each speaker. From here you can:

• Delete lines or paragraphs to cut content — the audio is trimmed automatically, with smooth crossfades applied at every cut
• Correct transcription errors for accuracy (this doesn't affect the audio)
• Skip editing entirely if you're happy with the raw recording — just click through to finalise

Step 6: Finalise and download

Once you're done editing the transcript, click Finalise episode. Podli applies all your cuts, re-mixes the edited tracks, blends in your intro and outro music if set, and masters the output to -16 LUFS — the loudness standard used by Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and every major podcast platform.

The finished file downloads as AAC 256kbps — high quality, small file size, compatible with every podcast host.

What happens to your credits

Credits equal minutes of audio processed — a 60-minute episode uses 60 credits. Credits cover the full pipeline: noise removal, normalisation, gating, mixing, music blending, transcription, and mastering. If you cancel the job before finalising, the credits are returned to your account.

Tips for best results

• Use lossless or high-bitrate source files where possible. WAV is ideal; if you're using MP3, aim for 128kbps or above.
• Record in a quiet space. Podli's noise removal is effective, but it works better on moderate noise than on loud, variable noise like traffic or a fan directly behind the microphone.
• Label your speakers before processing so the transcript is immediately readable.

That's the full workflow. Most episodes are ready to download within a few minutes of uploading, and the transcript editing step rarely takes longer than 10-15 minutes even for a full-length interview.