Remote recording software - Why Riverside.fm reigns supreme
In an era where podcasts are not only heard but also seen, the demand for high-quality remote recording has surged. When your guests can't be physically present, how can you ensure your podcast maintains its audio and visual appeal? The answer lies in the world of remote recording software. Today, we're shining a spotlight on a standout choice: Riverside.fm. This platform has evolved into the frontrunner in the race to deliver exceptional audio and video quality and we’re going to break down why it’s winning right now.
Why Riverside.fm Takes the Cake
The allure of Riverside.fm stems from its ability to seamlessly integrate impeccable video and audio quality. No longer must podcasters sacrifice one for the other. The platform facilitates recordings at up to 4K resolution, complete with a frame rate and bit rate ratio that ensures unparalleled clarity and precision. The other remote recording options that we have used, don’t offer quality as good as this. They may say they can record 4K, but variable frame rate issues and super low bit rates leave them eating Riverside’s dust.
Like all the other remote recording platforms, Riverside.fm makes it super simple for guests to join you on your show. They require nothing more than a provided link to join your recording session, without the hassle of additional software downloads. This user-friendly approach extends to various setups, from sophisticated microphone configurations to quick smartphone connects.
Crafting Excellence in Remote Recording
While Riverside.fm serves as an exceptional tool, a few key considerations can elevate your remote recording experience even further. Prioritize a stable internet connection to prevent disruptions during recording. Encourage your guests to utilize headphones and microphones, enhancing the audio quality of the conversation. For those who are committed to a polished end result, investing in appropriate lighting and setup arrangements can make a substantial difference. While Riverside.fm offers onboard editing capabilities, exporting your tracks for more detailed post-production edits on a more robust software (such as Descript, Adobe Audition, Pro Tools etc) ensures that every aspect of your content meets the highest standards.
Exploring Riverside.fm's Additional Features
Riverside.fm isn't solely a remote recording platform; it's a comprehensive toolkit for podcasters seeking to deliver higher-quality content. From live streaming options to the ability to invite producers, guests, and even audience members into your recording sessions, the platform empowers you to expand your podcasting horizons. For those looking to generate engaging snippets, Riverside.fm provides the means to export these clips, but we don’t really rate this as a great part of their software offering. We find it to be a bit clunky to use and we create more customised snippets for our clients in-house.
Conclusion
In an evolving podcasting landscape, remote recording has emerged as a pivotal tool. Riverside.fm stands out as a wonderful choice due to it’s high audio and video quality. While competition will most certainly become more fierce as technology advances, Riverside.fm's accessibility, video excellence, and innovative features position it as our remote recording option of choice for podcasters.
Feel free to explore the video version of this episode on our YouTube channel, offering an in-depth look at the platform. Should you require further guidance or personalised assistance, don't hesitate to reach out or schedule a video setup consult.
Transcript:
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[00:00:00] Hello and welcome back to Pump Up Your Pod with me, Brianna. I hope you are having a absolutely glorious day. I have been a little bit unwell lately, which has been a real pain in the bottom and it has taken me a little bit longer than expected to actually get over it. My nose is still a little bit cloggy, so if I sound a little bit different, that is why.
[00:00:25] But let's soldier on any way. I hope you had a really solid week last week and you felt like you have been enjoying life and if you haven't been enjoying life, Then maybe it's time to shake something up. Today
[00:00:38] I'm doing an episode that is my recommendations for remote recording, So when you are wanting to do a recording of someone and they're not with you in your house or in the studio with you, they're not physically in your presence, then you need to have a really high quality recording option to do that remote recording.
[00:00:57] And preferably something that has a high quality video option as well. Because the way of the world these days, the way of the industry, video is absolutely making a massive difference in the listenership, the consumption of your podcast. And so if you don't have a video element, uh, although it is nice to sometimes just not have the.
[00:01:20] constraints of video on you, having to have your lights and your makeup and all the things, you know, if you want to do all of that, then sometimes it's just, it's a bit of a pain in the ass to do video. And I understand that. And in fact, this particular recording is audio only For me, I've actually already recorded a video version of this. Which goes through the setup and what the actual look of the remote recording is like. So once you've listened to this, if you want to actually check out what it looks like, then I would recommend going and visit YouTube. There'll be a link in the show notes so that you can engage with the actual look of the platform.
[00:01:59] Let me not [00:02:00] beat around the bush any longer. My recommendation for the best quality remote recording software is using Riverside. Riverside. fm. we are affiliated with them as in we have an affiliate link that you can use. I want to just say that straight up front so that you're not thinking that I'm trying to swindle you out of something.
[00:02:22] Because We have tried so many remote recording options for people and our clients use different ones as well. and I have found Riverside to be the absolute highest quality output. subscription isn't a huge amount. I think it starts at maybe US 15 or something. You can do a free version, but you do have some limitations in the video space there. but the thing that's good about Riverside is that you can record up to 4K with a really good frame rate, bit rate ratio. It's not perfect, but it's It is absolutely the front runner from what we've seen here at Bamby Media.
[00:03:00] It's also really easy to use. Your guest doesn't have to download anything. They don't have to download any particular software or anything. You can just set up the studio, provide them with a link, and then they join you in that studio. They can even join from their phone if they're working somewhere else or they're out and about, Although I do recommend that they have a bit of a setup, meaning if they can have a microphone, they should use it. If they have headphones, they should absolutely use the headphones. And same with you. If you have the lights and all the things, just make sure everything's set up correctly, so that you get the absolute possible highest quality result from that remote recording.
[00:03:36] It's important to feel like it's something that's easy for you to use and it's easy for the guest to use as well. We have had a few people saying that there's a little bit of glitching that goes on, that sometimes things are, you know, freezing and that, so you still have to be aware of what your bandwidth is for your internet, how fast you can record.
[00:03:58] You also still need to be aware of [00:04:00] where you're recording. Are you in a bit of a bunker? Are you likely to have dropouts?
[00:04:05] And so some of them are your responsibility, and some of it is the failings of software every now and again. So we do see that sometimes, but not enough for me to think that there is actually any real problem with Riverside. And it is absolutely the one that I recommend to people.
[00:04:24] So if it's something that you're looking at doing, having remote recordings, and especially if you're wanting to include video. I would say, don't bother looking elsewhere. We've done the hard work, we've done the research for you, and Riverside is absolutely the best one from a subscription point of view for you to use for your podcast.
[00:04:44] This is at the time of recording, you know, things can always change. There will always be competitors that come into the market. But know that we've tried tested it and it is great. The other thing that's cool about Riverside, not that we particularly use it, but if you are a DIYer, you may, uh, is that you can actually just export out snippets as well.
[00:05:04] So you can set up a snippet, the Riverside will automatically put you both. Like you and the guest in the frame, it'll set it up. You can remove the, Riverside watermarks and things like that. You can change some colors and, make changes that feel a little bit more aligned to your brand. and you can have them come straight out of Riverside as well.
[00:05:22] So if it's something that you're looking at doing a bit of snippetizing, then Riverside does do that. We have found that it's quite clunky to edit within Riverside, although, you know, they do have that editing option there now, but to us, it doesn't make sense for us to spend time in Riverside For an inferior editing experience.
[00:05:43] So what we do is we export out the individual tracks as the constant frame rate movie, like the MP4s. And then we will take those for each guest because it records both of them, like as separate tracks. We will take those tracks and then [00:06:00] we will input them into our. Editing software, and then we will give it the really high quality polish and the very detailed, editing that we do for our clients and for our own shows as well here at Bamby media.
[00:06:14] That's what I would recommend. If you have any sort of editing skills or you're looking to get some, then I would say use an editing software, not try and edit within Riverside cause it is clunky and a bit of a pain in the ass. If I'm being. really honest about that. Riverside are really dedicated as well to just doing more, you know, making more advancements.
[00:06:37] They're really good on their feedback, their customer service, and things as well. I've had really good interactions with them there, And that's always a plus. You want to feel like you're being heard and listened to when you're using software, especially something that you're paying for as well.
[00:06:53] There is also the option on Riverside to invite people as guests and also invite producers and also. Audience members to Riverside. So if you set up a studio and you want to do like a live recording and you want to have, you know, your private members or people that are personally, you know, you've got like a, a VIP access kind of experience, then you can invite people into your Riverside session As audience members, and I believe there is a cap on that. I can't remember what it is, to experience that recording as it happens live and have it kind of gatekeeped. You know, so it's not live to YouTube or live to wherever it's just for those special people in the room with you. And I think that's kind of a fun experience that gives it that little bit of extra value for people that maybe are your super fans or your VIPs and things of that nature as well.
[00:07:46] You can also live stream to lots of different platforms in Riverside as well. There's a live streaming option that you can do and make those sort of changes as well. And you can update your audio settings [00:08:00] and your video settings to get all the way to 4K as I mentioned, depending on the plan that you're on there as well.
[00:08:08] that's my recommendation. I would absolutely say that Riverside is my favorite at this point, and we've been using them now for quite a few years. We do have a bit of a look at Squadcast over on a different video that the integration that has happened with Squadcast and Descript, the collaboration there. Squadcast, I think they're a wonderful
[00:08:30] wonderful bunch of people and if you're not relying on video, squadcast is absolutely a great option, but The video is not up to scratch, does not compete with Riverside. at this time.
[00:08:43] If you have any questions about remote recording, you need some advice or you need some help with your setup, you can absolutely reach out to us and you can do that via the contact page on our site.
[00:08:54] You'll see from that contact page as well that you can also book in for a video consult. So we have a bunch of different consults, but the video setup consult is an interesting one where you can send us a little video of your setup. And you're just really not sure what to buy or how to set up your room.
[00:09:12] And so from there, we look at your setup. We look at the dimensions of the room. We look at what you have in there, and then we send you a bit of a list and say, okay, if you're wanting to really uplevel your podcast. Then here's the gear that we recommend you purchase, knowing your budget. If we have a little bit of an idea of budget, here's the gear that we recommend you purchase.
[00:09:31] Once you've done that, then you book a consult in, and then you get on a, uh, Zoom meeting with us and we actually help you set it all up, which has really been valuable for clients of ours as well when they're first setting up their equipment. And so I would recommend checking that out at some point.
[00:09:50] I hope you've enjoyed this episode. I've been thoroughly enjoying doing this content for you again. I've just had more space in my life and in my business to actually [00:10:00] provide this content for you. So I'm going to keep it up and thank you so much for listening.
