Understanding Reports

Audio Audit reports provide comprehensive analysis of your audio files. Learn how to interpret the results and use them to improve your podcast quality.

Report Overview

Each report analyses your audio against industry standards and best practices. Access reports from:

  • Dashboard under "Latest Reports" section
  • Reports page showing all your recent reports
  • Podcasts page showing all podcasts within current workspace — "Last 5 reports" are clickable
  • Direct link from processing completion email

Audio Player with Visual Markers

The interactive audio player is at the top of each report.

Player Features

  • Waveform visualisation: See audio levels throughout the episode
  • Timestamps: Check episode length and play position
  • Visual markers: Clickable indicators showing:
    • 🟢 Green markers: Chapters and sections
    • 🟡 Amber markers: Issues or warnings (swear words, unwanted noises, long silences)
  • Playback controls: Play/pause, scrubbing, back/forward 10 seconds at a time
  • Timeline scrubbing: Click anywhere on the slider to jump to that position

Using Markers

  1. Hover over markers to see descriptions
  2. Click markers to jump directly to that timestamp
  3. Use markers to quickly review flagged issues
  4. Markers correspond to items in the checks section

Understanding Your Score

The scoring system provides an at-a-glance quality assessment.

Score Breakdown

  • Format: "10/17 = 58%"
  • Passes: Green checks that meet standards
  • Warnings: Amber items needing attention
  • Visual bar: Shows pass/fail ratio

Score Interpretation

  • 75-100%: Excellent quality, minor improvements possible
  • 50-75%: Acceptable, several areas for improvement
  • Below 50%: Significant issues affecting listener experience

Industry Standard Checks

Audio Audit evaluates your audio against multiple criteria:

Technical Measurements

Bit Rate

  • Standard: 128 kbps or higher for podcasts
  • Why it matters: Affects audio quality and file size
  • Common issues: Low bit rates sound compressed

Sample Rate

  • Standard: 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz
  • Why it matters: Determines frequency response
  • Common issues: Non-standard rates cause compatibility issues

Loudness (LUFS)

  • Standard: -15 to -17 LUFS for podcasts
  • Why it matters: Consistent volume across platforms
  • Common issues: Too quiet or too loud compared to other podcasts

Noise Floor

  • Standard: Below -60 dB
  • Why it matters: Background noise affects clarity
  • Common issues: Room noise, equipment hum

Channel Balance

  • Standard: Balanced stereo or clean mono
  • Why it matters: Ensures consistent playback
  • Common issues: One channel louder than the other

Content Analysis

Silence Detection

  • Checks for silence at beginning/end
  • Flags extended silent periods
  • Helps identify editing issues

Chapter Markers

  • Detects embedded chapter information
  • Useful for long-form content
  • Improves navigation for listeners

Profanity Detection

  • Identifies potentially explicit content
  • Shows timestamps of occurrences
  • Helps with content ratings

Metadata Completeness

  • Verifies title, artist, album info
  • Checks for cover art
  • Ensures proper podcast app display

Unwanted Noises

  • Checks for sounds like coughs, sneezes, pets
  • Ensures there are no distractions for the listener

Automated Transcription

Every report includes AI-powered transcription using Whisper.

Transcription Features

  • Full text: Complete speech-to-text conversion
  • Timestamps: Clickable times to jump to audio
  • Formatting: Paragraph breaks for readability

Using Transcriptions

  1. SEO benefits: Search engines can index your content
  2. Accessibility: Makes content available to deaf/hard-of-hearing audiences
  3. Content repurposing: Create show notes or blog posts
  4. Quote extraction: Find exact quotes with timestamps

Transcription Accuracy

  • Generally 95%+ accurate for clear speech
  • May struggle with:
    • Heavy accents
    • Technical jargon
    • Multiple overlapping speakers
    • Poor audio quality

Sharing Reports

Audio Audit reports can be shared with others.

Sharing Options

  • Direct link: Copy URL to share report
  • Team members: Create an organisation and invite team members

Use Cases

  • Share with podcast editors for improvements
  • Show sponsors your quality standards
  • Collaborate with team members
  • Document quality improvements over time

Taking Action on Results

Prioritising Improvements

Critical Issues (Fix immediately):

  • Loudness outside platform standards
  • Severe channel imbalance
  • Missing essential metadata
  • Extreme noise levels

Important Issues (Fix soon):

  • Suboptimal bit rate
  • Inconsistent levels
  • Minor noise issues
  • Missing chapter markers

Nice-to-Have (Consider for future):

  • Enhanced metadata
  • Chapter markers for short episodes
  • Stereo optimisation

Common Fixes

You can find more info about a check by clicking it to expand it. From there you may also see a "More info" link that opens more help in a popup window. Our Podcasting Articles includes several tutorials for specific DAWs.

Tracking Improvements

On the Dashboard and Podcasts page you can see a graph of scores over time for each podcast in your current workspace.

Report History

  • Compare scores over time
  • Track specific measurement improvements
  • Document your quality journey

Best Practices

  1. Analyse every episode before publishing
  2. Keep a log of changes made
  3. Set quality targets (e.g., 85% minimum score)
  4. Review trends monthly

Getting Help

Understanding Specific Checks

  • Click "Learn more" links for detailed explanations
  • Check FAQs for common questions
  • Contact support for clarification

Technical Assistance

  • Report ID helps support assist you
  • Screenshots of issues speed up resolution
  • Include your workflow details when asking for help

Next Steps