Merge podcast segments on Windows

Checklist

1. Export each edited segment with a clear name: 01-cold-open.wav, 02-intro.wav…
2. Add them and arrange the running order.
3. Trim count-ins and dead air.
4. Set each join: direct, gap or crossfade.
5. Normalize loudness if segments were recorded on different days.
6. Add the episode title, show name and cover.
7. Merge and listen to every transition.

Which join?

Join	Use it for	Watch out for
Direct	Speech cut at a natural point	Clicks if the edit is rough
Gap	New topic or sponsor break	Long gaps sound like the player stopped
Crossfade	Music beds and stings	Overlapping speech

Loudness

Studio mode runs two-pass EBU R128 normalization to a target you choose. Listen to the loudest moment afterwards. Normalization changes the audio, so it always means one encode.

Format

MP3 plays everywhere. Mono saves space for a speech-only show; use stereo when there is music or ambience. Matching source settings (for example all 48 kHz stereo) keep things predictable.

Tags

Add title, show, year and cover in Tags & cover, and enter the same details in your podcast host’s form, since some hosts ignore file tags.

What it does not do

Free Merge MP3 assembles finished segments. It does not remove background noise or mix multiple tracks; do that in an audio editor first.