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GUIDE 13 OF 27How to record a podcast remotely
Three ways to record guests in other places, from browser studios to a double-ender, with a guest checklist and fixes for common problems.
Most podcast interviews now happen with the guest somewhere else. The trick to sounding good is simple to state: record each person’s audio on their own device, as close to their own microphone as possible, rather than recording the compressed sound of a video call. Here are the three main ways to do that, from easiest to most robust, and how to avoid the usual problems.
Why a normal video call sounds bad on a podcast
Video-call apps squeeze audio to keep the conversation smooth on weak connections. They cut out frequencies, gate quiet sounds, and garble speech when bandwidth drops. If you just record the call, those glitches are baked into your episode and can’t be fixed in editing. The solutions below all record a clean local copy of each voice instead.
Three ways to record a podcast remotely
| Browser recording studio | Video call with separate tracks | Double-ender | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it works | Everyone joins a link in a browser; each person’s audio (and video) is recorded on their own computer and uploaded | A meeting app records each participant to a separate file | Everyone records themselves locally with their own software; you talk over any call app |
| Quality | High: local recording, unaffected by connection glitches | Medium: separate tracks, but still the call’s compressed audio | Highest: each file is a full-quality local recording |
| Ease for guests | Very easy: click a link | Easy: they already know the app | Harder: guests must record and send a file |
| Cost | Free tiers exist; paid plans for more hours or video | Often included in a plan you have | Free |
| Examples | Riverside, Zencastr, Descript’s recording feature (formerly SquadCast), Cleanfeed (audio only) | Zoom’s “record a separate audio file for each participant” option for local recordings | Audacity, GarageBand, a phone’s voice memo app |
Features and free-tier limits change often, so check each service’s current plans. For most new shows, a browser studio is the best balance; keep the double-ender as your backup.
Method 1: a browser recording studio, step by step
- Create a session and send the guest the link at least a day ahead, with the checklist below.
- Ask the guest to use Chrome or Edge on a laptop or desktop, plugged into power, with other apps closed. Phones and tablets work on some services but are less reliable.
- Check inputs together before you hit record. Make sure the guest has picked their real microphone, not the laptop’s built-in one or a webcam mic.
- Record, and keep the window open at the end until the upload finishes on every side. Closing the tab early is the most common way to lose a guest’s high-quality track.
- Download separate tracks for each person (WAV if offered) and edit them as a multitrack in Audacity. See trimming and editing in Audacity.
Method 2: a video call with separate tracks
If your guest won’t use anything new, a meeting app can still give you separate files. In Zoom, for example, enable local recording and the option to record a separate audio file for each participant before the call. Turn on the setting that keeps original sound for musicians (the wording varies) to reduce processing, and ask everyone to wear headphones. Expect better results than a single mixed recording, but not as clean as methods 1 and 3.
Method 3: the double-ender
- Talk over any call (phone, video app). The call is only for hearing each other; it isn’t the recording.
- Each person records themselves locally in Audacity, GarageBand or a voice memo app, using their own microphone. Ask for WAV, or the highest quality the app offers.
- Everyone claps once on a count of three at the start. The clap’s spike on each file makes them easy to line up.
- Optionally record the call too as a backup and a sync reference.
- The guest sends their file via a file-sharing link. Long recordings are large, so avoid email.
- Line up the tracks on the clap in your editor. Over a long recording, separate devices can drift slightly; if the voices slowly fall out of sync, split the track at a pause and nudge it back.
Professional shows sometimes book a “tape sync”: a local producer records the guest in person while the host interviews them remotely. It’s the double-ender, done for the guest.
The checklist to send your guest
- Find a small, quiet room with soft furnishings: a bedroom is better than a kitchen.
- Wear wired headphones or earbuds, so the host’s voice doesn’t leak into your mic.
- If you have a USB microphone, use it; if not, a wired headset mic beats a laptop mic.
- Use a laptop or desktop on power, ideally on a wired connection or close to the Wi-Fi router.
- Close other apps and turn on Do Not Disturb, on your phone too.
- Stay a hand’s width from the mic and keep that distance.
- Join ten minutes early so we can check the sound.
Common problems and fixes
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Echo of the host on the guest’s track | Guest is using speakers | Headphones for everyone, every time |
| Guest sounds distant and roomy | Laptop or webcam mic selected; big echoey room | Check the input before recording; move to a smaller, softer room |
| Talking over each other | Call delay | Pause a beat before answering; use visual cues on video; edit gaps later |
| Guest track missing or cut short | Tab closed before upload finished | Wait for “upload complete” on every side; keep a backup recording |
| Robotic or garbled patches | Recording the call instead of local audio | Use a local recording method; replace bad patches from the backup if you have one |
| Tracks drift out of sync | Different devices’ clocks | Split at a pause and realign; keep sessions under an hour or two |
Questions people ask
Can I record a remote podcast for free?
Yes. A double-ender costs nothing, and several browser studios have free plans with limits on hours or quality.
Do I need to tell my guest I’m recording?
Always. Get clear consent at the start of the recording, and agree how the episode will be used. In many places recording someone without consent is illegal.
Should I record video too?
If you plan to publish clips or full episodes on video platforms, yes; browser studios record both. If not, audio only keeps file sizes and bandwidth demands down.
Next: find free intro music you can legally use, or learn to edit in Audacity.