To record a podcast remotely with a guest, get each person captured on their own device, on their own track, and line those tracks up in your editor afterward. A plain recorded video call will get you an episode, but one person's bad Wi-Fi then sits inside your final file forever. If you record on each person's side, the connection stops mattering for quality.
What are your options for remote recording?
There are three common setups, and they trade effort against quality.
| Setup | How it works | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded video call | You record on Zoom or a similar app | First episodes, a nervous guest, a backup | Audio is compressed for the call |
| Browser recording studio | The guest clicks a link, and the tool records each person on their own device and uploads it | Most interview shows | Uploads need time to finish before the guest leaves |
| Manual double-ender | Each person records themselves and sends you the file | Free setups, audio nerds | You're depending on your guest to press record |
Double-ender recording is the old name for the idea behind the last two. Each side records itself while you talk on a normal call. Browser tools such as Riverside and Zencastr do this without asking the guest to run anything themselves. Our tools page lists some options for recording and editing.
If your show is under ten episodes old, start with whatever gets your guests through the door. A guest will forgive slightly worse audio much faster than a confusing setup.
How do you set up a remote recording step by step?
- Pick one tool and learn it alone. Record a test with a friend, then open the files in your editor before you ever use it with a guest.
- Send instructions a day or two ahead. Include the link, the time with a time zone, and what to bring. Our list of what a podcast guest needs can be pasted straight into that email.
- Join 10 to 15 minutes early. Use the time to check their microphone, their picture and their mood.
- Do a short test. Record 20 seconds, then play it back or check the levels. This catches the wrong microphone, which is the most common problem.
- Get consent on the recording. Say what you're recording and how you'll use it, and get a yes.
- Record. Leave a few seconds of silence at the top, then talk.
- Wait for uploads before anyone leaves. With browser tools, closing the tab early can cost you part of a file. Say so at the end, and stay on until it's done.
- Check the files that day. Open each track and listen to a minute from the start and from the end, while you can still ask for anything that's missing.
Which settings actually matter?
Most of the sound comes from the mic and the room, so don't spend hours on settings. A few are worth checking once.
- Separate tracks. If you can only change one setting, change this one. Separate tracks let you fix a cough, a door slam or someone talking over someone else. On Zoom, turn on the option to record a separate audio file for each participant.
- Original sound. Call apps clean up audio by cutting background noise, and on a good mic that cleanup can make voices sound thin. Zoom has an original sound option if your setup is already quiet.
- Sample rate. 48 kHz is common for video and 44.1 kHz for audio. Pick one and keep it the same through editing.
- Video resolution. 1080p is enough for nearly every show, and 4K makes files far larger. Think about whether your guest's laptop and upload speed can handle it.
How do you get good sound from a guest you can't see?
You can't control their gear, but you can control what you ask of them. Ask for headphones first, because they stop echo, and Wistia's producers call them non-negotiable for host and guest. Next, ask for a quiet room with soft things in it. A bedroom beats a kitchen, and a closet full of clothes is better than most offices. Tell them to turn off notifications, close other apps and plug in the laptop.
Then listen during the test. If a guest is on a laptop microphone, a pair of wired earbuds with a mic may sound better. If you hear a fan, ask whether it can be switched off. If they sound far away, ask them to move closer to the microphone. Be realistic about this, because a local recording on a poor laptop mic won't sound much better than a call recording. The microphone comes first.
Some shows mail a simple USB microphone to important guests. It's a nice touch for a long interview, but it's more work, and most shows don't need it.
What can go wrong, and how do you plan for it?
Sooner or later something will fail on a recording day, so set up a fallback, which costs nothing. Here are the usual problems.
- The guest's browser blocks the mic or camera. Have them reload and allow access, or switch to Chrome. Keep your call app ready as a second choice.
- A company laptop blocks the tool. Corporate guests often can't run anything new. Ask them to use a personal device or a phone, or fall back to the call app they use at work.
- The call drops. With local recording you'll usually keep both sides, and you just need to rejoin and carry on. Pause and restart the sentence so the edit is easy.
- A file is missing or cut short. This is why you keep a backup. Run a second recording on your end. You can use your own call recording or a recorder on your own mic.
- The tracks drift out of sync. It happens on long recordings. A clap at the start and end gives you a marker to line up in your editor.
How should you think about the guest's experience?
Your guest gave you an hour and has nothing invested in your tech. The best setup is usually the one they forget about. One link, no download, and a clear message about what happens when they click it. If you ask a busy founder to install software and export a WAV file, you may get one reply and no recording.
Remember that good booking starts before the recording. Finding the right guest and setting a clear time will do more for your show than a better sample rate. If you're deciding whether to record remotely at all, read remote or in person next, and if you're still looking for people to interview, start at find podcast guests.