Riverside: HD Podcast and Video
Category - Podcast Recording and HostingRiverside: HD Podcast and Video Reviews and Product Details
Founded by two brothers in 2020, Riverside skyrocketed and quickly gained popularity among novice and experienced podcasters. The main feature that attracts podcasters to Riverside is their promise to produce podcasts and video interviews that would look and sound like they were recorded in a studio. The results like that are possible with 4K video resolution, clear audio files and AI-powered editing.
What separates Riverside from many other podcast recording and hosting software is complete control over post-production audio and video files. You can download separate tracks for each host and guest and edit them separately.
Since Riverside is a browser-based platform, all editing and recording can be done without needing to download or install additional software. If you invite guests to your show, they can easily join it by clicking a link or joining via their phone through the Riverside app. (Later files would be auto uploaded to a dashboard.) Speaking of files, Riverside records both video and audio files locally on participants’ devices (for peace of mind in case of internet disruptions), where all you would have to ask your guests is to make sure they have a proper source of lighting to brighten up their face and a stable connection.
Riverside also continuously uploads both host’s and guest’s audio and video in the cloud, which makes downloading files for editing quick and easy.
Some of the key features of Riverside are pristine MP4 video (up to 4K resolution) and WAV or MP3 (up to 16-bit depth and 48kHz) recordings that can turn even an ordinary living room into a studio. It allows you to host up to nine guests and assign a producer to control behind the scenes.
However, high-quality recording is not the only hallmark of Riverside. Live streaming to all major social media platforms, whenever you want to engage with your audience, is another way to answer their questions and build a community of active listeners around your show.
Our favourite feature is AI-generated transcripts: podcast show notes (for all guests), automatic captions, text-to-speech, and instant Magic Clips for Instagram Reels, TikTok or YouTube shorts. The AI-driven editor also makes it easy to trim recordings, customize both video and audio versions of a podcast with layouts, backgrounds and overlays, and add background music.
Finally, for some additional cost, you can access a built-in teleprompter for keeping track of a script while recording (think of all those cuts you would have to make because of forgetting to say something important or stuttering when you start feeling nervous.)
Features
- Performance and Audience Analytics
- Distribution Management
- Audio Recording
- Video Recording
- Data Storage Management
- Multi-Channel Distribution
- Social Sharing
- AI-Driven Editing
- Hosting
- Audio transcript
- Social Media Clips
Riverside: HD Podcast and Video pricing
-
Free
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Standard
$15/monthLearn more -
Pro
$24/monthLearn more -
Business
Provided upon requestLearn more
Riverside: HD Podcast and Video reviews
What our experts say:
Pros:
Riverside was the first software I tested, and, pleasantly surprised with the features it had to offer, continued to use it for a few weeks (even recorded a trial podcast). The software is a complete package of everything I would need to record (very important because several podcast software I tested required a separate source for recording audio), edit (AI-powered), and distribute a podcast.
Besides, the layout is straightforward, and a novice like myself felt comfortable navigating my way through recording and editing tools. And, as a connoisseur of all-things-aesthetics, I appreciated Riverside’s dashboard and overall layout: sophisticated and minimal, which makes creating within it a more enjoyable process.
Since Riverside is browser-based (macOS and Windows) you do not need to download an additional app for recording. However, I found that unless you have a high-quality camera on your PC, an iPhone camera worked much better for me. Plus, when using the Riverside mobile app, you have the freedom to record whenever you are and even on the go.
Another feature I especially enjoyed is the layout choices. You can switch between two guests on the screen (play around with colours of the background and frames), a speaker-only screen, or display all guests at once while enlarging an image of a speaker.
At the same time, the video and audio editors are packed with automated tools, making the whole process less tedious and much more efficient. “With text-based editing, you’ll get an AI transcription of your recording in the editor. Any text you delete or adjust is reflected in the editing timeline. Alternatively, try our easy-to-navigate colour-coded timeline,” as another user of Riverside noted.
Other tools include audio enhancement, dynamic captions, music intros and outros, and text overlays.
Cons:
While I found it convenient to connect and record via the Riverside mobile app, it might be an issue with some of your guests. Also, keep in mind that Riverside does not work when accessed through Safari. You and your guests will need an updated version of Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome.
That is not something I experienced (maybe just once) consistently while testing Riverside. However, a few users noted that they had several issues with Riverside after using it for about a year. “One of the biggest issues I had was that it would add odd sounds to my files upon export that could not be resolved,” as per one of those users.
About the author
Maria Kossman