Podcasts have become increasingly popular in recent years, with more and more people streaming and downloading them. With all kinds of genres available there's bound to be something to suit everybody’s tastes. Let's say you're thinking about starting a podcast, but what if your guests are in a different country?
The single best way to improve the overall quality of your podcast recording is to make sure you get it right at the source.
What do we mean by "the source"? We mean the actually recording process and equipment used. Recording in a studio will of course give you the best quality audio, but requires both people to be at the same location at the same time. What if you need to record a guest who's in a different country? Do you just organise a call via Zoom, Google Meets or any other traditional conferencing software?
It's super important that you got the guests that YOU want on your podcast, even if it does mean finding a remote podcast recording platform that means that you can record your guest remotely. We'll go through some of our favourites, and even give away some of our tips and tricks to getting prepared for the recording!
Riverside is a great podcast recording software, and this is actually the platform that we use everyday to record our clients.
So how does it work, and what are the key features?
Key Features
- Local audio and video recording up to 48 kHz WAV for audio and 4k resolution for video
When your internet connection is poor during a call on any other platform, the recording will be choppy and pixelated. With Riverside.fm, your recordings will always be smooth and freeze-free, thanks to local recording for all participants.
- Back up cloud recordings, which are still pretty good just for peace of mind
They even still record a high quality version of all participants, just as a fail safe and for that extra piece of mind whilst you're recording you podcast remotely!
- Ability to see and change your guests audio and video devices
Can you not hear your guest but they can hear you? Struggling to see your guest through their camera? Riverside has an excellent feature where you can actually request to change your participants device from your end. Can you see they are using wireless headphones but Riverside is showing they they've got their internal speaker selected? No worries, you can change it for them.
- Separate audio and video tracks through multi-track recording
It's really important to have the freedom to edit each participants audio and video separately to allow for the best quality remote podcast recording. Riverside actually records each person separately, allowing you to process and edit them individually.
Audio Quality
Riverside's audio quality is absolutely fantastic! It's the best on the market for high quality remote podcast recordings, and it absolutely smokes traditional conferencing platforms such as Zoom and Google Meets.
Video Quality
Riverside was actually one of the first platforms to provide both audio and video recordings. The best thing is, regardless of how good or bad your internet connection is the platform will record in 4K (as long as you or your participants have a 4K ready device)!
iOS App
Now we would always recommend using a desktop or laptop with a high quality USB microphone to really make your remote podcast recording shine. But if your guest is incredibly busy and doesn't have the time, then it does have a handle iOS app for when people are on the move!
Support Network
Riverside's customer support network is nothing short of amazing. Are Podshop has a commercial account, we have a dedicated Account Manager to check in on us and ask for any feedback. They are actually building three features we requested, which is great. Their Tech Support are now online 24/7. Yes that's right! Whatever time or day you're recording, someone should get back to you within 10 minutes if you're struggling with the platform. They have a tonne of supporting videos and documents on how to use the platform, so you should be recording your podcast in no time.
On other podcast recording softwares, if your internet connection is poor then the recording will become pixelated and ‘choppy’. This podcast recording software also provides uncompromised, crystal clear audio, meaning you can record locally uncompressed 48kHz WAV audio for each and every guest. Ensuring that your podcasts will always sound crisp and clear. Don’t believe us? Listen for yourself here.
The software also offers additional benefits such as:
- Transcriptions for your content, meaning you can transcribe your podcasts into text within seconds so you can easily find quotes.
- Accessible audience link, you can share a live recording session with anyone, meaning that they can easily call in or watch whilst you are recording with your guests live.
- Stream with your followers, you can easily livestream your podcasts to Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitch.
- Schedule and invite with just a click of a button, invite up to 8 guests when recording a session.
- Producer mode and controls, this means that you can control all of the settings to make sure the podcast is going smoothly, without being recorded.
- Their Supercharged New Riverside Editor - Video here and overview here.
- Text Overlays
AI Shownotes
Plenty of top podcasts use Riverside, for example: On Purpose with Jay Shetty, How I Built This with Guy Raz and Business Casual with Kinsey Grant.
The $15 dollar standard plan should be more than enough for most podcasters looking for an affordable remote podcast recording platform!
We use Riverside for all of our remote recordings, and if you think that this platform is right for you head over to their website here.
Squadcast is another great podcast recording software option, you can easily access your recordings, either by the app or log into your account online. Your recordings will all be there, making this a super-convenient tool! We actually used to use Squadcast as our remote podcast recording platform before we found Riverside, and only have great things to say about it.
This software also allows you to eliminate audio drift, and record crystal-clear video and audio, meaning your podcasts will be of the highest quality. The raw recorded files are always auto saved so you don’t need to worry about losing a file if anything happens, with progressive uploads occurring in the scenario of connection loss.
Auto saves and auto backups are included in all plans, so you don’t have to worry about connection issues all the time, and you won’t have to re-record sessions due to problems such as the internet or power loss.
Another great feature this software includes is the backstage feature, where participants can be off camera; particularly useful for producers, show managers, and other guests. Guests won’t need to download the software or create an account when appearing on your podcast, meaning they can concentrate on what they have been asked to do, and there is also a green room where you can adjust appearance, audio and check equipment.
It doesn't have the support or features that Riverside does, and there is some limitations with how you can share and emails links. It does looks like they have upgraded their user interface to try and match Riverside, but it doesn't quite look or feel as high quality.
It's also more expensive than Riverside, with packages starting at $20 per month. Definitely still worth it! You can check out Squadcast here.
There are some benefits to using tools such as Zoom, Google Hangouts and Microsoft Teams, the main one being cost. However, here at Podshop we always strive for high quality audio so we'd recommend steering clear of these platforms and investing in a purpose built remote podcast recording sofware, such as Riverside or Squadcast!
Key Benefits
- They are free to use, meaning if you are just starting out as a podcaster, then you don’t have to commit to any major costs and you can test the water and see how you find it
- They are simple platforms to use and for a beginner they are easy to understand
- Guests don’t need to create an account, they just simple click on the link that you send over to them
- These platforms can be used on multiple devices (phone, tablet, laptop, desktop computer) meaning most people should have some kind of access to them
However! With these platforms being created for conference calling, there are some big disadvantages to using them as podcast recording software. This includes:
- The audio recording is poor, meaning trying to get a high-quality sounding podcast out of this content is almost impossible
- The lagging in conversation can kill the authenticity and flow of the conversation - resulting in potentially diminishing your listener numbers
- Features such as producer mode or the backstage feature aren’t available
Overall, it is a personal choice on which platform to use when recording your podcast. Conference call tools like Zoom are budget and beginner friendly but will not enable you to create content that is of professional quality. If all of this seems a little confusing and you want to help with recording podcasts remotely, then check out our remote podcast recording service.
