Hindenburg Journalist
Audio editing software purpose-built for spoken-word radio journalism and podcast production.
What it is
About Hindenburg Journalist
Hindenburg Journalist is a professional audio editing application designed specifically for radio journalists, podcast producers, and documentary makers working primarily with spoken-word content. Unlike DAWs built for music (Pro Tools, Logic, Ableton), Hindenburg is optimised for interview-based production workflows: voice clips are auto-levelled to broadcast standards on import, the interface is built around a clip-based (rather than track-based) editing model, and the loudness normalisation targets standard broadcast loudness targets (EBU R128 / -16 LUFS for podcasts) automatically. It is widely used by BBC and commercial radio journalists, independent podcast producers, and audio documentary makers. Practitioners use Hindenburg to edit raw interviews and field recordings down to broadcast length — cutting out hesitations, restructuring answers, and building a narrative arc — then add music beds, actuality (location sound), and reporter links. Hindenburg's Edit Clipboard stores clips removed during editing so they can be retrieved and repositioned later, a workflow-critical feature in interview editing where a cut answer may become useful in a different part of the piece. The Story function organises interviews by project rather than file, and the built-in voice profiler applies EQ and compression tuned to spoken voice automatically. Hindenburg Pro (the full version) adds multi-track mixing, storyboard organisation, and remote recording via Hindenburg Anywhere.
What you can do with it
Capabilities
Import a raw interview recording and use auto-levelling to bring voice clips to broadcast loudness standard before editing begins.
Edit an interview by cutting between clip blocks in the timeline — removing hesitations, restructuring answers, and tightening pace — using the clip-based editing interface.
Add a music bed under a voice track, ducking the music automatically when speech is present using Hindenburg's auto-ducking feature.
Export a finished radio package or podcast episode to MP3 or WAV at the correct loudness level (EBU R128 / -16 LUFS) for broadcast or platform upload.
Use the Edit Clipboard to retrieve cut audio clips and reposition them within the piece without permanently losing material.
How to learn it
Learning Resources
Hindenburg Academy at hindenburg.com/learn — free tutorials covering the full feature set
BBC Academy podcasting and radio production guides at bbc.co.uk/academy (free)
The Podcast Host — hindenburg.com partner tutorials specifically for podcast producers at thepodcasthost.com
Radio Journalism by Paul Chantler and Peter Stewart (book) — covers the editorial principles behind audio story construction
Pro Tip
Edit to the rhythm of the words — spoken-word audio has a natural cadence, and cuts that land on the beat of a sentence feel invisible. Listen to the sentence before and after each cut in context; do not judge individual cuts in isolation.
Skills that use this tool
Roles that use this tool