How to Learn Audio Editing So You Can Do Voice-Over, Podcasts, and Audiobooks Seamlessly

Author

Master Editor
July 16, 2025

If you're like many people stepping into the world of audio — whether it's voice-over, podcasting, or audiobook narration — the editing side can feel like a giant learning curve.

It’s easy to believe that each of these requires a totally different approach, different tools, and different techniques.

That’s a logical way to think, on the surface.

But once you dive in, you’ll discover something important: the fundamentals of audio editing are surprisingly similar across all these use cases.

The way you record your voice, the order in which you apply effects, the tools you use to clean and enhance audio — they’re nearly identical.

The only real difference lies in the final export settings. And even that? It's usually just a matter of selecting a different format or number from a dropdown menu.

So the big question becomes: how do you get comfortable with audio editing? How do you build real skill — the kind that lets you edit podcasts, record clean voice-overs, or produce ACX-ready audiobooks without constantly second-guessing yourself?

The answer lies in one simple principle:
Deliberate practice.

💡 The 20-Hour Rule: The Fastest Way to Get Good at Audio Editing

You may have heard of the “10,000 Hour Rule” — the idea that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become a world-class expert in any field. There’s truth in that, especially if your goal is to become a leading figure in your industry.

But if your goal is to edit your own podcast, clean up your voice-over auditions, or produce your audiobook to a high-quality standard, you don’t need 10,000 hours.

You only need 20.

Yes, really.

This idea comes from author Josh Kaufman, and it’s backed by experience and research. You can search Google for “20-hour rule” and see it for yourself — I didn’t invent it.

What matters isn’t just time spent, but how you spend it.

👉 The magic lies in deliberate practice.

That means:

  • Not passively watching hours of YouTube videos without doing anything.

  • Not blindly copying steps from a tutorial without understanding why you're doing it.

  • But setting aside focused time to improve one small, specific skill every day.

If you spend just 1 hour per day, you'll hit 20 hours in three weeks.

Even at 30 minutes a day, you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve in a little over a month.

My YouTube videos and courses are built around this philosophy. I don’t just tell you what to do — I explain why you’re doing it.

That’s why they’ve become so popular with beginners: people don’t want to memorize steps. They want to understand audio.

And once you start applying what you learn — in small, focused sessions — the fear fades and the results begin to speak for themselves.

So if you truly want to end your struggle with audio editing, here’s my advice:
Set a goal, practice deliberately, and track your progress until you hit 20 hours.

Then… email me.

Seriously — reply to this email and tell me what happened after 20 hours of focused, deliberate effort.

I believe this is the most fruitful piece of advice I’ve ever given to my audience.

Goal-Based Learning: Why I’m Building Focused PDF Courses

Over the years, I’ve helped thousands of people through courses, consulting, and tutorials. And I’ve learned that while the core editing techniques are the same, most people don’t learn by theory. They learn by goal.

That’s why I’ve started building PDF-based courses for specific goals — like podcasting, audiobook narration, or voice-over — and tailored to specific tools like Audacity, Adobe Audition, or TwistedWave.

Each PDF walks you through:

  • How to record, process, and export

  • Which effects to use and in what order

  • How to apply settings correctly

  • And why each step matters — with clear screenshots along the way

These guides are perfect for people who already know a little and just need a clear, repeatable workflow to follow without confusion.

📢 The Most Requested Guide? Podcasts in Audacity

A few days ago, I asked my audience to vote on which guide they wanted me to build first. To my surprise, “Podcasts in Audacity” came out way ahead of the others, even above audiobooks and voice-over (which I thought would be the top choices).

So I’ve started building it — and if you preorder, you’ll get:

  • Access to the live development doc (see progress in real-time)

  • The final PDF will be delivered in just a few days

  • And a bonus live Zoom workshop this Friday, July 18 at 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET /3 PM UK

In the call, I’ll walk you through how to edit both solo and interview-style podcasts in Audacity — plus stick around for live Q&A where you can get direct answers to your podcast editing questions.

What’s Next?

Once the Podcast guide is done, I’ll start building the next PDF based on which topic gets the most pre-orders.

If your focus is voice-over or audiobooks in Audacity or Adobe Audition, now’s your chance to vote with a preorder:

To wrap it up:
If you’re tired of being stuck, overwhelmed, or not knowing how to “get good” at audio editing, the solution is clear.

Set a small goal. Practice deliberately. Track your time. Hit 20 hours.
And then?

Email me what happened. I’d love to hear your results.

You've got this — and I’m here to help.

– Akhtar
Master Editor