DeChaff User Guide

DeChaff prepares sermon recordings for podcast distribution. Work through five steps — Load, Trim, Info, Chapters, Output — then click Process. The app cleans the audio, normalises loudness, encodes to MP3, and adds chapter markers with ID3 tags automatically.

The five steps

Step 1 — Load

Drop an audio file onto the drop zone, or click Choose File…

Supported formats: WAV, MP3, M4A, AIFF, FLAC, CAF.

Once the file loads, DeChaff reads the waveform and shows the duration. Click Next to continue. You can also drop a file directly onto any step — the app will load it and take you to Step 2.

Step 2 — Trim

The waveform shows the full recording. Two orange handles mark the trim-in (start) and trim-out (end) — only audio between them is processed. Use this to cut mic noise before the service starts and dead air at the end.

Setting trim points

• Drag the orange handles directly on the waveform.
• Or move the playhead and press I to set the in point, O to set the out point.
• Or click Set In / Set Out in the toolbar to snap to the current playhead position.

Playback

• Click anywhere on the waveform to jump to that position.
• Press Space to play/pause.

Zooming in for precision

• Scroll vertically on the trackpad to zoom in — the waveform shows higher detail as you zoom.
• Scroll horizontally to pan when zoomed in.
• A scrollbar appears below the waveform when zoomed; drag it to pan.

Step 3 — Info

These fields are embedded in the MP3 as ID3 tags and used to build the output filename.

Output filename is built automatically:

YYYY-MM-DD Sermon Title, Bible Reading | Preacher | Series.mp3

If no tags are filled in, the file is named <original>_dechaff.mp3.

Step 4 — Chapters

Chapters appear as markers on the waveform and as a navigable chapter list in podcast apps.

Adding chapters

• Play or scrub to the moment you want to mark, then click + Add Chapter.
• The first chapter is placed at the very start of the trimmed recording and pre-labelled Bible Reading (using the text from the Info field if filled in).
• The second chapter defaults to 2 minutes in and is pre-labelled Sermon.
• Further chapters are placed at the current playhead position.

Editing chapters

• Drag a chapter marker on the waveform to reposition it.
• Click the time field in the list and type a time directly (m:ss or h:mm:ss).
• Click the title field to rename a chapter.
• Click the − button to delete a chapter.

Chapter times are in output time — relative to the trim-in point. A chapter at 0:00 plays at the very start of the trimmed recording regardless of where the trim-in handle sits on the original file.

Step 5 — Output

Review the processing options and click Process when ready.

Audio Processing

Output Format

Extras

After processing

When processing finishes, the done screen shows:

• The output filename with a Reveal in Finder button
• The transcript (if transcription was enabled), with a Copy button

To process another file, click Process Another or drop a new file onto the window.

Tips

• Trim precisely — zoom into the waveform at the start and end to place handles exactly, or use the I/O keys while playing back.
• Shorten silences — the default 1.0 s works well for most sermons. Too short and the delivery can feel rushed; too long and pauses drag.
• Chapter timing — if you're unsure where a section starts, play the recording and press + Add Chapter at the right moment. You can always drag the marker afterwards to fine-tune it.
• Preacher and Series are remembered between sessions — you only need to update them when they change.
• Artwork is also remembered between sessions. Set it once and it will be embedded in every recording until you change it.

Podcast page posting format

• Embed youtube video
  • Audio object
  • Embed tab
    • Upload MP3
      • Title: Sermon Title, Reading Reference
      • Author/Artist: Preacher
    • Podcasting tab
      • Title: Sermon Title, Reading Reference | Preacher
      • *Subtitle: *Series
      • Summary:
        • <h2>Title</h2>
        • <p>Preacher: Preacher</p>
        • <p>Date: DD/MM/YYYY</p>
        • <p>Series: Series</p>
        • <p>Reading: Reading Ref</p>
        • <p>Description</p>
      • Episode Duration: Duration of mp3
      • Description