Why great audio is a form of respect

Treat your listeners’ time (and ears) with care.

Last updated: June 19, 2025

Author: Megan Schmidt, Writer & podcast producer

Whether you’re a seasoned podcaster or just hitting record for the first time, one lesson stands out: if your content doesn’t sound intentional, your audience won’t stick around.

We sat down with sound design expert and Twenty Thousand Hertz host Dallas Taylor to talk about why audio quality matters, and why delivering clean, clear sound is more than a technical flex. It’s a gesture of respect.

Below are five takeaways from that conversation that explain how thoughtful sound builds trust, keeps attention, and helps your message truly land.

1. Quality is empathy

Good audio isn’t just about sounding polished. It’s about caring enough to make your content easy to listen to.

Dallas summed it up like this:

“Quality is fundamentally thoughtful processing, and then finally editing. Editing is the ultimate in respect for the audience and respect for their time.”

When you remove distractions, level out awkward spikes, and clean up the noise floor, you're telling your audience: I respect your ears and your time.

In short, quality isn’t an afterthought: it’s a form of empathy.

2. Sound makes the first impression

Before your audience hears what you’re saying, they’re already reacting to how it sounds.

Much like bad lighting in a video, bad audio creates an instant disconnect. But when it’s good? It becomes almost invisible.

“The second something is high quality, it becomes transparent,” Dallas said. “You can hear so much nuance in the way someone is performing.”

Strong sonic cues and sound design can set the tone for everything that follows. That’s why investing in your audio setup (even just a little) pays off in trust and long-term listenership.

3. Editing is love (and respect)

Let’s be real: no one’s first take is perfect. But the magic happens in post.

Smart editing isn’t just about trimming dead air or cutting filler words. It’s about crafting flow, shaping meaning, and making sure every moment has purpose.

“Editing is the ultimate in respect for the audience,” Dallas reminds us.

PRO TIP: If you do have charming bloopers or tangents, save them for bonus content. Your main show deserves your sharpest edit.

4. Clear audio = clearer voices

When audio is clean, your ideas have space to breathe. Listeners can actually hear subtle tones, pauses, emotions; all the things that get lost in muddy sound.

“High-quality audio democratizes people’s voices,” Dallas says.

In other words: the better your audio, the more powerfully your ideas land. Whether you're an expert, a storyteller, or someone just finding your voice, clarity makes your message more accessible to everyone.

5. We’re in a sound quality renaissance

Once upon a time, TV dinners were fine. Now people obsess over fermentation and pasta water ratios. Dallas thinks sound is on the same path.

“Sound appreciation is still in its infancy culturally,” he says. But that’s changing.

As audiences get used to better audio—from TikToks to TED Talks—they’re developing a taste for it. That means the bar is rising, and thoughtful creators will be the ones shaping the culture of what “good” sounds like.

TL;DR: Great sound matters

Clear, intentional audio is a sign of respect. Not just for your audience, but for your message.

Want to sound your best? Tools like Enhance Speech and Adobe Podcast Studio make it easier than ever to clean up your audio and edit with speed. Think of it as the final polish your audience deserves—and a way to make your content stick.

About the author: Writer, comedian, podcast producer: Megan loves stories that stick, told sometimes with words, sometimes with waveforms, always with heart.