This article first appeared in Digital Edge, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on July 8, 2024 - July 14, 2024

In a world where screens reign supreme, the post-pandemic landscape has seen a resurgence of audio-only entertainment. As movie studios went silent during Covid-19, audio content thrived with minimal tools and small settings. Today, this timeless allure of sound is captivating audiences once more.

Podcasts have filled this gap, offering informative and entertaining shows that tap our desire for connection. This trend is evident in Malaysia, where podcast numbers have grown significantly. Deloitte’s 2023 Digital Media Trends report projected the establishment of five million podcasts globally, a number only expected to have risen in the past year. In Malaysia, Media Prima recorded 630,000 active podcast listeners on its Audio+ platform as at August last year.

With niche topics and a low barrier to entry, statistics suggest the podcast market is ripe for exploration.

For aspiring content creators, here are some low-investment artificial intelligence (AI) tools to streamline your podcast production.

https://www.descript.com.

Descript is a versatile software with AI features to simplify video editing. Features such as Eye Contact, which adjusts the eyeline of a speaker reading off cue cards and teleprompters on camera, and Translate Captions, which translates captions to increase accessibility for global audiences, enhance the overall user experience.

An interesting feature is Descript’s remote recording option that records crystal-clear podcasts and video from anywhere.

The free version offers one hour of audio transcription per month at 720p. Subscription plans range from US$12 (RM56.62) to US$40 per person per month, providing greater access to tools such as AI Speech, which removes filler words like “uh”, “uhm” and “like”.

https://aurisai.io

Auris AI provides transcription and translation services for Asian languages including Malay, Tamil and Mandarin. The free plan allows 15 minutes of audio or video uploads per month. Subscription plans range from US$5.50 for two hours to US$22 for 10 hours monthly.

Auris AI offers a 20% discount for students, teachers and staff to enhance classroom engagement. It is more inclusive of those who have special needs and allows students who converse in other languages to be included in the learning process.

https://gemini.google.com/

An AI model similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Gemini, can ease the scriptwriting process of content creation which drastically reduces manpower in terms of time and effort. Users can enter specific commands with no usage restrictions or subscription plan in place.

https://boomy.com

Boomy is an AI music generator that creates simple background music based on user preferences. The website suggests that anyone — even those without music production experience — can create music, be it for a podcast, a video or for reels on social media, where copyright regulations allow music creations to be used for commercial purposes and in podcasts that can be monetised.

The subscription plans range from US$14.99 to US$39.99 per month. There is a free tier, but songs cannot be downloaded or used for commercial purposes. Boomy’s membership plans offer a range of licences that allow creators to use their songs in many different ways without having to fill out a rights request.

https://podcastle.ai/

Priced at RM113.11 per month for its pro plan, Podcastle offers transcription for up to 25 hours of audio and text-to-speech conversion for one million characters monthly.

It features noise suppression for audio and video editing. It also has in-app AI tools like Magic Dust, which enhances audio, and Sound Removal, which detects and removes filler words. Additionally, it includes personal digital voice creation, which is useful for long-term podcasters.

https://lovo.ai/

Lovo, an AI voice generator, is ideal for storytelling podcasters needing different character voices for their narrations without hiring professional actors.

Its Pro plan costs RM113.13 per month, with a 50% discount in the first year, offering unlimited voice cloning and five hours of voice generation monthly. It supports various tones and characters for complex narratives and includes automatic subtitle and AI script generation, plus sound effects tailored to the story.

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