Keep conversational rhythm in mind: It’s great to be able to edit out hesitations, “umms” and coughs, but don’t take this too far. When you edit your audio, be sure to let your speech, or your conversation, breathe. Leave in the natural gaps between sentences, and leave slightly longer gaps between distinct ideas, or at the end of a section of your audio piece.

Think about transitions: Whether a sound or a music track fades in/out gradually, or appears suddenly, is a rhetorical decision that will have implications for how you tell your story. Use effects like fades and consistent reverb to keep your audio production smooth and consistent. Or use abrupt audio cues to emphasize that the scene has changed, or that we’ve moved on to a new argument.