Audio Processing

Podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, only accept certain audio formats in a feed. When you upload audio in a format they don't accept, PodcasterPlus converts it automatically so your episode publishes cleanly everywhere.

Which uploads are converted

• MP3 and M4A publish as-is. No conversion, no extra storage.
• WAV is converted to a high-quality MP3 (128 kbps) for publishing, and your original is kept as a lossless FLAC master.

Episodes imported from another host follow the same rule: any imported audio in a non-publishable format is converted after the import completes.

What you'll see

Conversion starts automatically after the upload finishes and usually takes a few minutes. On the episode's Media tab:

• Processing: a progress card shows the current step. You can keep editing the episode; publishing and scheduling unlock when processing completes.
• Done: the episode's audio becomes the converted MP3, and a note shows the retained original master.
• Failed: the card explains what went wrong and offers Retry processing. Your original file is untouched, so retrying never needs a re-upload. If it keeps failing, the file itself may be damaged; try re-exporting it from your editing software.

You'll also get a notification if processing fails, so you don't have to keep the page open.

The original master

When audio is converted, the original is kept as a lossless FLAC master: a compressed but bit-perfect copy of what you uploaded. It exists so your audio can be re-processed later (for example, at a different quality setting) without asking you for the file again.

Both files count toward your plan's storage allowance: the published MP3 and the master. As a guide, one hour of WAV audio becomes roughly a 60 MB MP3 plus a 350 MB master, about 0.4 GB in total, compared to 0.6 GB for the raw WAV. Removing the episode's audio removes both. See Upload Audio for the storage table.

Publishing while processing

An episode can't be published or scheduled while its audio is in a non-publishable format; the publish action explains why and points you to the Media tab. Scheduled episodes are safe too: if processing hasn't finished when the scheduled time arrives, publishing waits and completes on a later cycle once the audio is ready.

Transcription

Transcription works from the converted MP3. If Automatically transcribe new uploads is on, transcription starts by itself as soon as conversion completes, so WAV uploads get the same hands-free flow as MP3s. See Transcripts.