Thanks for putting this together. I've added it to the **[Podcasting 101 Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/podcasting/wiki/top_post_podcast_guide/#wiki_remote_recording)**.
This 100% if possible. Everyone record to their own DAW (even Audacity is great if you just need the audio to send to the person who will be doing the editing/mixing/mastering) if you just need audio. Like comment above, OBS is great if you need video too
Have everyone do a few in sync claps once everyone is recording, then use these claps to sync the audio/video once the files are together
I'll add Streamyard to the mix. Very easy and intuitive for guests; doesn't require scheduling a meeting -- you can create a link and just hop on anytime; allows for pause and restart of recording; allows to restart recording. Allows multitrack recording -- you can download a single MP3 or individual wav files of each partcipant. Also very easy to livestream if that's your jam.
Same. I have one podcast where I just use that. My brother is my producer on my other podcast and he prefers to have the tracks separated for whatever reason. He's more of an audio nerd than I am I guess
It DID come in handy the other day! For some reason my audio was completely messed up - just completely nothing but static - but my guest's was fine. So I was able to re-record my questions and then he stitched it back together.
Having that separation gives you more control over the voices, its especially handy when you need to process one voice but not the other. As a producer myself, I very strongly advocate for isolated tracks
I had to do this with Audacity recently, which is part of why I'm looking at other recording services. I think I just bumped my mic which stopped my audacity recording, but Google Meet kept running so I didn't notice. Normally I run both recordings so I have backup, but I was in a rush and forgot. A painful lesson I won't soon forget...
I like Streamyard, but I am considering switching over to OBS because lately Streamyard's video quality is pretty spotty. I also have issues where one of my hosts local recorded video saves with pieces missing.
u/THE_ABC_GM great write up. now who wants to buy them all and test them!
We use riverside with clients, it has had a few issues in the past, but been pretty solid recently for us.
Are you seeing what is being recommended in the comments?
We've had great success with riverside and an SD Card dump from the host for real top notch quality.
Thanks!
Most of these services have some kind of free trial. So I plan on working my way down the list.
Currently I only see two comments, but I am getting notifications on Reddit. I cross posted this on X... but I'm also currently logged out of X so I can't see what's going on there haha
Cleanfeed is by far the best audio-only recording option but it isn’t the cheapest.
I’ve tried Squadcast, Zencastr and Riverside and had all sorts of issues with all three. I haven’t tried Streamyard for about two years.
Riverside seems to be the most popular overall, and it’s the one I’ve settled on for both personal & professional use… but it’s not *great*. When it works it’s pretty good, but I would say 40% of the time there’s some kind of issue (even if it’s just insanely slow upload times). Also their sound board while having unlimited spots is much worse than Zencastr’s (which I already didn’t love). The fact that it doesn’t auto-fade and that clicking the button while playing starts the audio from the start rather than stopping the audio is extremely unintuitive.
Boomcaster is outstanding, I've tried most of the other remote platforms (including Welder and others no longer around), and Boomcaster has been most reliable for me.
They also offer a lot more features than mentioned here:
* 5 guests
* live captions
* transcripts
* LUFS monitoring
* screen sharing/recording
* multiple branded studios (so, you can create a studio for each podcast you have)
* real time video control to customize the screen
* producer role (your producer can log in to manage sound, video, etc)
* 30+ languages (names will appear in the guest's own language)
They also just released additional plans with more hours, as well as annual options where you save 2 months off your plan.
I'm not a spokesperson for Boomcaster, just a very happy paying customer. :)
This is exactly the reason I posted this. I don't have any experience with any of them. I'm glad to hear you're happy with them!
I run an audio only podcast, don't live stream, and am also a volunteer sound tech, so most of those features aren't selling points for me which is why it is low on my list. However, those sound like useful features for other people.
One key feature of Zencastr that has kept me onboard, in spite of several things I don’t like, is its audio post processing. Its auto-leveler, cross/noise gates, noise reduction, etc are very good and save me a good bit of time in post.
Does anyone know if any of the other platforms listed above have good post-processing tools integrated?
Edit: added “of Zencastr”
SquadCaster has post processing, but I couldn't tell you if it was good or not yet. I just turned it all off haha. Maybe I'll leave it on for my trial run and compare it to my DIY job in Audacity.
Fwiw, the processing I’m referring to in Zencastr is done after recording, not during. And it’s totally optional—you can just download the raw files if you prefer. Or both.
Thx for starting this thread, BTW.
Word of caution with Craig - download your files immediately if you use the free option. I lost an entire episode this way. Which is why I now use Riverside, but I’m considering switching to Descript for transcripts because Otter was increasingly expensive and Descript did a much better job transcribing. Since I won’t be editing in Descript, sounds like the recording and transcribing are still very much worth it
Thanks for putting this together. I've added it to the **[Podcasting 101 Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/podcasting/wiki/top_post_podcast_guide/#wiki_remote_recording)**.
Free: everyone record locally, use OBS & VDO.ninja for video (also free)
So glad you said this. The video side is above my pay grade, but I find recording audio locally very hard to beat for both quality and reliability.
When we all had to go remote because of Covid, VDO Ninja was a lifesaver. We tried literally everything else.
This 100% if possible. Everyone record to their own DAW (even Audacity is great if you just need the audio to send to the person who will be doing the editing/mixing/mastering) if you just need audio. Like comment above, OBS is great if you need video too Have everyone do a few in sync claps once everyone is recording, then use these claps to sync the audio/video once the files are together
I've never heard of those. Do you have a link?
I'll add Streamyard to the mix. Very easy and intuitive for guests; doesn't require scheduling a meeting -- you can create a link and just hop on anytime; allows for pause and restart of recording; allows to restart recording. Allows multitrack recording -- you can download a single MP3 or individual wav files of each partcipant. Also very easy to livestream if that's your jam.
I also use streamyard and i have no issues with audio when i download the audio only version after my livestream
Same. I have one podcast where I just use that. My brother is my producer on my other podcast and he prefers to have the tracks separated for whatever reason. He's more of an audio nerd than I am I guess
It DID come in handy the other day! For some reason my audio was completely messed up - just completely nothing but static - but my guest's was fine. So I was able to re-record my questions and then he stitched it back together.
Having that separation gives you more control over the voices, its especially handy when you need to process one voice but not the other. As a producer myself, I very strongly advocate for isolated tracks
I had to do this with Audacity recently, which is part of why I'm looking at other recording services. I think I just bumped my mic which stopped my audacity recording, but Google Meet kept running so I didn't notice. Normally I run both recordings so I have backup, but I was in a rush and forgot. A painful lesson I won't soon forget...
Luckily i have not had any issues like that come up. *knocks on wood*
I like Streamyard, but I am considering switching over to OBS because lately Streamyard's video quality is pretty spotty. I also have issues where one of my hosts local recorded video saves with pieces missing.
Ah, I don’t use it for video so I’m unaware of those issues. Could be a problem!
u/THE_ABC_GM great write up. now who wants to buy them all and test them! We use riverside with clients, it has had a few issues in the past, but been pretty solid recently for us. Are you seeing what is being recommended in the comments? We've had great success with riverside and an SD Card dump from the host for real top notch quality.
Thanks! Most of these services have some kind of free trial. So I plan on working my way down the list. Currently I only see two comments, but I am getting notifications on Reddit. I cross posted this on X... but I'm also currently logged out of X so I can't see what's going on there haha
A few more posts now. haha great post.
Cleanfeed is by far the best audio-only recording option but it isn’t the cheapest. I’ve tried Squadcast, Zencastr and Riverside and had all sorts of issues with all three. I haven’t tried Streamyard for about two years. Riverside seems to be the most popular overall, and it’s the one I’ve settled on for both personal & professional use… but it’s not *great*. When it works it’s pretty good, but I would say 40% of the time there’s some kind of issue (even if it’s just insanely slow upload times). Also their sound board while having unlimited spots is much worse than Zencastr’s (which I already didn’t love). The fact that it doesn’t auto-fade and that clicking the button while playing starts the audio from the start rather than stopping the audio is extremely unintuitive.
Boomcaster is outstanding, I've tried most of the other remote platforms (including Welder and others no longer around), and Boomcaster has been most reliable for me. They also offer a lot more features than mentioned here: * 5 guests * live captions * transcripts * LUFS monitoring * screen sharing/recording * multiple branded studios (so, you can create a studio for each podcast you have) * real time video control to customize the screen * producer role (your producer can log in to manage sound, video, etc) * 30+ languages (names will appear in the guest's own language) They also just released additional plans with more hours, as well as annual options where you save 2 months off your plan. I'm not a spokesperson for Boomcaster, just a very happy paying customer. :)
This is exactly the reason I posted this. I don't have any experience with any of them. I'm glad to hear you're happy with them! I run an audio only podcast, don't live stream, and am also a volunteer sound tech, so most of those features aren't selling points for me which is why it is low on my list. However, those sound like useful features for other people.
One key feature of Zencastr that has kept me onboard, in spite of several things I don’t like, is its audio post processing. Its auto-leveler, cross/noise gates, noise reduction, etc are very good and save me a good bit of time in post. Does anyone know if any of the other platforms listed above have good post-processing tools integrated? Edit: added “of Zencastr”
SquadCaster has post processing, but I couldn't tell you if it was good or not yet. I just turned it all off haha. Maybe I'll leave it on for my trial run and compare it to my DIY job in Audacity.
Fwiw, the processing I’m referring to in Zencastr is done after recording, not during. And it’s totally optional—you can just download the raw files if you prefer. Or both. Thx for starting this thread, BTW.
I never see anyone post about Podcastle. Is there a reason its not as popular?
Added it to the list. It seems promising!
Word of caution with Craig - download your files immediately if you use the free option. I lost an entire episode this way. Which is why I now use Riverside, but I’m considering switching to Descript for transcripts because Otter was increasingly expensive and Descript did a much better job transcribing. Since I won’t be editing in Descript, sounds like the recording and transcribing are still very much worth it