How to Record a Remote Podcast Online

By now, especially with the whirlwind of 2020 and the past year, most people are familiar with what the internet offers in the way of audio-visual communication. Even grandma, grandpa, and great Aunt Mildred know how to talk with the grandchildren over applications like Zoom and Facetime. You can also use this type of technology to record remote podcasts online. “How?” you ask…by using VoIP applications. VoIP applications allow you to record remote podcasts online.

VoIP, What Is It?

In its simplest form VoIP is, Voice over Internet Protocol. I know it sounds all formal, but it’s just fancy lingo for connecting with people over the internet through any number of applications available. Think Zoom, But in this case, we’re going to be talking about VoIP applications specifically designed for recording podcasting.

Why Zoom Sucks for Recording Remote Podcasts

While most everyone has used Zoom, we don’t recommend it for podcasting. This is because the technology embedded in Zoom compresses it’s audio and video files. It’s fine for touching base for work related matters, but Zoom’s audio and video quality are less than desirable for releasing a professional sounding and looking podcast.

If Not Zoom, Then What Do I Use?

In this post, we’re going to be talking about the 3 best websites for recording remote podcasts. They are Squadcast.fm, Riverside.fm and Zencastr. These providers built VoIP technology specifically created for podcasting. All three are capable of recording high-fidelity audio files and HD video because of the use of “local recordings”. Local recordings are audio/video files that are stored locally on each person’s computer and synced together. We’ll be outlining the features of each of these providers.

Benefits of Recording a Remote Podcast Online

The biggest reason for recording remotely would be if the people involved in the podcast are in a different location than you. Say you are interviewing a particular band and they are on tour. First off, that sounds like fun. Good for you. Secondly, this method would work well for your needs and the band’s needs. Getting HD audio remotely? That’s a no-brainer. Using these online recording applications can ease the constraints of distance, and scheduling. You can 100% get access to better guests, quicker by recording remotely. By sending an email with the information to your guest, they can easily join you for a recording session as easily as picking up a phone to have a conversation with great Aunt Mildred.

Been trying to reach your favorite influencer or CEO that lives across the country? No problem, you can now link up remotely and record studio quality audio and video. It’s never been easier. And, if done correctly, your listeners may think your guest is sitting right next to you and not in their basement in Milwaukee while you are in your kush studio in sunny San Diego. Choosing the best remote podcast recording service is an important decision that requires careful research. We’ve decided to outline what seem to be the 3 best places to record remote interviews.

** We reviewed these online recording services independently, but we may receive a small commission if you sign up through our links. **

SquadCast

If you decide not to wait, or you know your recordings are going to be over the free 40 minutes of Zoom, SquadCast.fm comes highly recommended. Squadcast opens in your browser, so you don’t have to download an external app, which is awesome! SquadCast also offers multitrack recording like Zoom, but they do not compress their audio. They offer several plans to fit your recording needs as you talk to, or interview, in real time. Afterward you can download your session as a WAV or MP3 for editing.

Squadcast also offers a few extras as well, like auto saving. Never worry if you have a system failure, or get booted for one of those mysterious reasons. Squadcast will have your recording saved in the cloud so you can pick right back up where you lost contact. They also offer a nifty little space called “the Green Room”. A great way to talk to your guest pre-interview, as well as test the sound of the recording, one of our handy suggestions whenever it comes to recording

Riverside.fm

Similar to Squadcast, Riverside.fm records locally via a Google Chrome Browser. When your internet connection is poor during a session on any other platform the recording will be choppy and pixelated. With Riverside, you’ll always have smooth recordings because it takes advantage of local hosting. This ensures uninterrupted, high-quality Wav files and HD video from everyone involved in the conversation! Also, your sessions are automatically saved in the cloud when you stop recording, so if your computer crashes or reloads while a session is underway it’ll be there for easy access.

Riverside.fm also has a “producer mode”. In producer mode, the producer of the show can be fully present/active in the interview, but their audio/video file doesn’t get recorded. This free’s up recording space in your monthly plan. The producer also gets to play the role of recording engineer. They’re able to adjust microphone levels, decide when to start and stop the recording and have access to each participant’s echo cancellation.

Zencastr

Zencastr is a great place to record remote podcasts online. Zencastr records a lossless 16-bit 48k WAV audio track per guest, regardless of internet connection (local recording) with no time limits. This means you can get your message heard even if the interviewee does not have reliable Internet access. To connect with guests you simply send them a link to your virtual recording studio and BOOM! they’re in. Another cool feature is you can leave footnotes at various timecodes throughout the recording. This is extremely helpful for marking edit points or highlighting snippets that you want to use for social media promotion.

In Conclusion

Recording a podcast online has never been easier. Because of their lossless audio files, Riverside.fm, Squadcast and Zencastr currently hold the throne as the best places to record podcasts online. Please don’t rely on Zoom for your podcast. If you take one thing away from this article, it’s that Zoom = Trash for podcasting. If you enjoyed this article and want more information about how we help podcasters produce high-quality recordings without breaking their budgets, stop by our website today!

Stay Tuned!

There is one more method of recording to be discussed in our next blog post, before we finish up our second podcasting pillar, with a discussion on interviews. You can find all the recording methods in The Four Pillars of Podcasting. Thanks for following along with this blog so far. The hope is that the information already given here, and in future posts, will give you the firm foundation to create the best podcast you can to get your information out to listeners and grow that group of fans who truly enjoy the wisdom, words, and wonderful insight you have to offer, to infinity and…nope, wrong cartoon. George Jetson would be so disappointed. Want to learn more about recording remotely, or have general podcast questions. We’re here to help. Sign up to our weekly newsletter to get access to this information.