Sounding Better vs. Sounding Professional: Know the Difference, Make the Difference

Author

Master Editor
July 29, 2025

There’s a big difference between sounding better and sounding professional, and knowing that difference can completely change how people perceive your work.

What Does “Sounding Better” Mean?

Sounding better is about improvement. You’ve recorded something, and now you want to make it cleaner, louder, clearer.

So, you run it through a few steps in your audio software—maybe some EQ, normalization, noise reduction—and it sounds better than the raw recording. This is what most people aim for in the beginning.

And for content creators, YouTubers, or casual podcasters, this is often enough.

But if you're aiming to work in voice-over, audiobooks, or professional podcasting, sounding better alone isn’t enough.

What It Takes to Sound Professional

Sounding professional goes much deeper, and it starts before you hit record.

Professional audio is clean, quiet, free from harsh reflections, and pleasant to listen to. It sounds like it was recorded in a treated studio, even if it wasn’t. Here’s what that really means:

  • Recording Environment: Your room should be free of noise and sound reflections. That means using a quiet space and adding furniture, curtains, or acoustic panels to tame echo.

  • Gear: You don’t need a $1,000 setup, but you do need something decent. A microphone over $100 and a clean audio interface or recorder will put you in a safe zone.

  • Mic Technique: Talking from the right distance and angle, and knowing how to avoid plosives and distortion, makes a big difference.

  • Audio Processing: Even great recordings need polishing. Software like Audacity or Adobe Audition can help you bring your raw recording up to professional standards—but only when used properly.

If your audio lacks a professional polish, you don’t need a magic fix—you need to identify where the problem is.

Is it the room?

The mic?

The processing?

Once you know, you can fix it. Simple as that.

💡 For example, if your audio has harsh reflections, no plugin can truly fix that. You’ll have to improve the room’s acoustics. Likewise, if your processing is weak, no magical preset will solve it—you need the right process or professional help.

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ACX Standards: Your Benchmark for Pro Quality

Whether you’re doing voice-over, audiobooks, or even high-end podcasts, a good reference point is ACX Audio Submission Requirements.

These are the quality standards required by Audible and Amazon for audiobook distribution. If you can meet those standards, your audio will sound professional, guaranteed.

If You're Using Audacity or Starting a Podcast…

I'm hosting a special live workshop this Thursday focused on podcasting with Audacity. You’ll learn:

  • How to record your podcast cleanly

  • How to edit it in a simple, repeatable way

  • How to export it in the right format

You’ll also receive a step-by-step PDF course that walks you through the process. Even if you miss the live call, you’ll get replay access.

This is useful even though you are not doing podcasts. If you use Audacity for any kind of voice work, this will help you understand the software and the full audio workflow better.

Reply to this email if you have any questions on the workshop.