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What is Riverside.fm?
The New Best Podcast Recording Platform?
It is also In addition, it is more difficult to answer the question “What is the best podcast recording platform in 2022?”
Competition in the podcast recording space has intensified and there are more contenders for the top spot than ever 🤜 🤛.
It's a big issue for podcasters.
However, this makes it more difficult and difficult to choose which podcast recording service is best for you.
For me, there is no doubt that one of the platforms that deserves to be at the top of the list is Riverside.fm.
It's one of the few podcast recording platforms that does Practically All well.
Creators have taken the time to understand what podcasters want — and they're responding to it.
Riverside is a clean, reliable, and high-quality service that provides everything you need (+ a little bit more) to produce a podcast that looks and looks good in 2021.
In this article on Riverside.fm, I'm going to give you an overview of how Riverside works and why I consider it to be one of the best podcast recording services of the moment.
You don't want to read the entire review and only want the highlights?
Riverside Users
It might not tell you anything, but there are plenty of big brands that use Riverside.fm for their podcasts — Spotify, Disney, Microsoft, and Shopify, to name just a few.
Hilary Clinton even gave them a boost 🤷🏻♂️ And yes, Gary Vaynerchuk and Mark Zuckerberg are recording live on Riverside above.
The reason I think it's important is that big brands — especially big tech companies — have huge budgets for this stuff and they only want to use the best.
The fact that Spotify uses Riverside even though it has its own podcast recording platform (Anchor) speaks for itself.
Features
Let's take a closer look at the main features of Riverside.fm.
I'm not going to cover everything here, but in my opinion, these are the things that make Riverside great.
1. Sound quality
Riverside allows you to record uncompressed, crystal-clear audio (WAV 48kHz, if that sounds familiar) from your browser.
You Can Hear an Example of the Riverside audio quality here.
That's pretty impressive for a remote podcast recording service.
There are a few podcast recording platforms (SquadCast, Zencastr) that can record with the same quality (or similar quality), but I haven't found anything better yet.
2. 4K video recording
Here's an example of what recording in the Zoom cloud looks like with a poor internet connection compared to recording video locally in Riverside.
Riverside.fm's video recording function will suffice for some to say “Sign me up!”
While other podcast recording services are rushing to offer a video recording feature, Riverside.fm has done so discreetly.
And it's not just a timid effort to add a video function to a service that prioritizes audio.
It's a high quality 4K video, which is pretty much the best when it comes to online video recording.
And by some miracle, they found a way to stream 4K video without requiring a lightning-fast Internet connection. This miracle is called “local registration” and, although I don't quite understand how it works, it works Quite Simply.
However, as a small caveat, The Video quality depends on the quality of your webcam (and that of your guest).
If you want to release your podcast in video format in 2021 and don't want to break the bank for a multi-camera setup, then Riverside is probably your best option.
Update: Riverside also allows you to download separate audio and video tracks for each participant so you can have total control over post-production.
3. Reliability
I had a few bad experiences with another platform where connections were being recorded. There was even one time when I lost an entire hour of recording 🤦🏻.
I have not had any problems with Riverside.
I think it comes down to two things:
1. Progressive download
That means your audio and video files are uploaded in the background and in real time. You don't need to wait until you're done and press “Stop” for files to be uploaded. Therefore, if your WiFi goes down or if your computer crashes, most of your recordings will be saved automatically.
2. Local Recording
Your audio and video files are saved locally, that is, on your computer (and that of your guests), rather than in the cloud. This method is generally much more reliable than recording in the cloud.
I have heard that some people have had problems, but I recommend that youTry Riverside for yourself To see if it works well for you.
4. Screen sharing
Screen sharing has become an important tool for business meetings on Zoom and other video calling platforms. But it can also help improve podcast recordings.
Imagine talking to a co-host or a guest about something they didn't see and instead of trying to describe it to them, you could share it with them in real time 🤯.
It's as if you had your own experience “Yo, Jamie, pull that up for me” to At your fingertips (Joe Rogan fans will know what I'm talking about).
Currently, what you share on your screen isn't captured in the video recording, but hopefully Riverside is working on that.
5. Live call
This feature allows you to let listeners “call” a live recording, like an old-fashioned radio show.
You can simply send a link to your audience, who will be asked to enter their name and ask a question or leave a comment.
You always have the power to approve or decline reminders.
I think it's an exciting way to engage with listeners and create a loyal audience of real fans.
6. Streaming to social networks
We all know that most podcast audiences live on social media.
What if you could reach them directly by broadcasting your podcast live on the world's biggest social platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Twitch?
Riverside allows you to do that.
I think that is an essential point. If you're managing a podcast that doesn't require a lot of post-production, it's a great way to bring your show directly to your listeners.
Social platforms love live-streaming right now and I'm sure the algorithms will reward you handsomely.
Riverside live streaming is very easy to set up using the “Settings” button at the bottom left of the studio screen.
7. Reception of several guests
While most podcast recording platforms limit you to one or two guests, Riverside allows you to record up to seven (1 host+7 guests).
It's incredibly generous. I can't think of a podcast that needs that many people, but it's good to know that you can organize a podcast party if you want to.
8. Creating Clips
We all know that repurposing is key to getting the most out of your podcast content.
Clips by Riverside makes it very easy for you to reuse your content. You don't need to download all of your files, spend hours editing them, and use half a dozen different free online tools to create stylish social media clips for your audience.
Now you can do it all from Riverside with just a few clicks.
That tells me that Riverside clearly understands what podcasters want. Seriously, it's great.
9. iOS app
It may seem incredible in 2022, but there have been several times when I wanted to record a podcast episode with someone, but that person did not have (or was not nearby) a laptop or computer.
“Can you call me?” They asked. But I didn't have the tools to do that while maintaining reasonable audio quality.
The Riverside iOS app allows you to connect with your guests via their smartphone (as long as they have an iPhone, I presume). This gives you greater flexibility. Imagine hosting a sports podcast and being able to connect with a player or coach minutes after a match, live from the stadium.
It seems the founders are making good use of their $9.5 million in Series A funding.
Interface
The Riverside.fm dashboard.
I created a new account to show you the basics of how Riverside looks, feels, and works.
Note: Due to regular Riverside updates, the journey and user interface may be*marginallly* different today. But it will still give you an idea of what's inside.
This is the main Riverside dashboard when you first log in. It's clean and simple. You're not overwhelmed with options. In fact, there's only one option: New Podcast.
When you click on “New Podcast,” this is what you'll see.
You can enter an episode name and choose which features you want to use, including:
- Live call
- Record audio tracks
- Record Video Tracks
You're then taken to the “green room,” so to speak, where you can type in your name, see what you look like on camera, and select your input and output (microphone and headphone).
If you haven't invited any guests to a recording yet, you can do so in the next step in the “Inviting Attendees” section.
You can email invited guests (and audience members if using the live call feature) or copy a link to invite them to the show. All you need to do is arrange the check-in time in advance.
The studio space. When guests sign up, they'll appear here.
Once everyone has shown up for the podcast episode, simply click “Start Recording” and off you go.
When you're done recording, you should wait a minute or two for the audio and video to finish uploading. Then, you can find your audio and video files from the main dashboard.
Where you download your audio and video files.
You can choose to download separate local tracks (definitely the best option) or compound internet recordings, which are single files with all tracks mixed together.
As you can see in this basic overview, Riverside.fm is simple and easy to use to record a podcast in audio and video formats.
Pricing
The prices shown here are those of an annual payment.
So how much is it going to cost you?
Riverside offers three basic plans. They've recently dropped their prices, making Riverside.fm one of the most (if not) the most remote podcasting platforms The most) affordable in 2022.
As things stand, I think it offers the best value for money.
I think the “Standard” package is good enough for most podcasts, but if you want an integrated transcription service and maximum recording time, you should go for the “Pro” plan.
You can save up to 21% by choosing an annual plan instead of a monthly plan.
Basic - $9/month ($7.50/m paid annually)
- Record 2 hours per month of audio and video
- Separation of Audio and Video Tracks
- Twitter/YouTube/Facebook Live Stream
- Accept Live Calls
Standard - $19/month ($15/m paid annually)
- Record 5 hours/month of audio and video
- Separation of Audio and Video Tracks
- Twitter/YouTube/Facebook Live Stream
- Accept Live Calls
Pro - $29/month ($24/m paid annually)
- Record 20 hours/month of audio and video
- Separation of Audio and Video Tracks
- Twitter/YouTube/Facebook Live Stream
- Accept Live Calls
- Including transcripts
Final Verdict
If you are looking for a podcast software or a Webinar software, you'll find everything you need and more with Riverside.fm.
I can't ask for anything more from a podcast recording platform.
To summarize, with Riverside.fm, you will have.. :
- Studio audio quality
- 4K video (depending on webcam capabilities)
- Reliable connection (progressive download and local recording)
- Screen sharing
- Call from the Live Audience
- Live social streaming
- Clips by Riverside for content reuse
- iOS app
- Up to 7 people
- Affordable prices
