Recording Software SoundAdvice - Riverside Edition EP 52

Podcast SoundAdvice with Phyllis and Kelvin Nichols

Kelvin and I are sharing our recommendation for the recording software we consider one of the best. We’re using this platform and advising our clients to use it as well.

This is one of the things that we are asked about the most. For good reason. Recording good quality audio shouldn’t be hard to do, or overly expensive. There are lots of options out there and we’ve tried many of them. Clients send us files recorded in a variety of ways.

Deciding what to use depends on your podcast style and set up. Here are a few key factors to consider:

• Will you need to record multiple people (or more than 1) in multiple locations?
• Do you want an easy way to invite guests to the session?
• Is video a consideration for collaboration? Do you want to record the video?
• How often do you record and how long are your episodes?
• Cost for the platform
• Ease of use

If you are using Zoom or Squadcast or are considering using Zoom or Squadcast to record your podcast episodes, please take a few minutes to consider if either of those will do everything you need.

In addition to the research, he also talked to various platform representatives at a recent Podcast Movement Conference. That and the results from our early tests have made it easy to make our recommended platform Riverside.fm.

Here are a few reasons why we want you to check out this platform:

1. Quality Audio. Locally recorded uncompressed WAV audio for every guest.
2. Video Capabilities. Local recording of up to 4K video resolution if needed.
3. Up to 8 recorded participants. Schedule and invite up to 8 guests with one click. Guests and producers join with one click.
4. Mediaboard. You can upload audio and video files by dragging them to your media library. You can play them during the call or recording.
5. Separate Audio/Video Tracks. Each participant has a separate track for more control in post-production.
6. Audience Link. Share the recording with anyone and they can watch or call while you are recording with your guest.
7. There’s much more including producer mode and controls, streaming capabilities, and screen sharing.
8. Price. While they don’t offer a free version, they do give you free time to check out the platform and their monthly options are much less than Squadcast, especially if you want to record video.

That's a pretty good list of reasons to use Riverside.fm.

There are two things Riverside,fm can’t fix

First is a bad internet signal or internet drops when recording. If you are going to podcast, pay for the internet speed upgrade if you can and ask your guests to log in at a place where they have reliable service. Wi-Fi at Panera or other public places is just asking for trouble.

Which brings me to the second issue. Control of the ambient sound in your space. Almost all of us are recording in a home office (or closet or some other living space) or at work. It may not be possible to control everything, but do your best to minimize paper shuffling, tapping on the table, typing, squeaky chairs (guilty) and of course take care of things like silencing your phone, watch etc. for best results.

There you have it. Not only our recommendation, but we'll be moving to Riverside.fm for our podcast recordings.

We’ve created a how-to video to help you get started. It’s easy and intuitive and we save you time so use this to make set up on the new platform simple.

One last thing I forgot to mention... Riverside.fm gives you 1 free hour of recording time when you initially sign up, no credit card is required.

You can use our affiliate link: bit.ly/riversidefm

We’re going to interview one of the owners of Riverside soon – they just launched 2.0 and there are some cool new features coming. You can count on us to keep you up to date.

If you try out Riverside.fm reach out and let us know what you think. You can email us at [e-mail] or DM us on IG at soundadvicefm

We’d love to hear from you.

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