Many podcasts involve guests who are in another city or another country. Simply recording the video call is the quickest solution, but almost always the worst: call audio is compressed, subject to dropouts and mixes all voices into a single track. With a few technical measures you can get a result very close to an in-person recording.
Why the call isn't enough
Video conferencing platforms are designed for real-time communication, not for recording. To keep things smooth they:
- heavily compress audio and adapt quality to the network;
- apply aggressive noise suppression and echo cancellation, which can "eat" syllables;
- drop packets on unstable networks, producing gaps or robotic voices;
- often record a single mixed track, making it impossible to fix voices separately.
Separate tracks: the bare minimum
The first improvement is having each participant on a separate track. That way you can:
- adjust each person's level;
- EQ and compress each voice specifically;
- cut one person's noises, coughs or interruptions without touching the others;
- remove overlaps.
Many podcast recording tools and some meeting platforms offer this option: it has to be enabled before you start.
The double-ender
The most reliable technique is called a double-ender: each participant records their own voice locally, on their own device, while the call is used only to talk to each other. At the end, the local files are collected and edited together.
Advantages:
- each track's quality does not depend on the network;
- call dropouts don't end up in the recording;
- each file is uncompressed or minimally compressed.
There are web services that automate the process: they record locally in each participant's browser and upload the files progressively. Alternatively, each guest can record with an application on their computer or with a portable recorder.
Preparing the guest
Quality depends a lot on the person at the other end. Before the session it is worth sending simple instructions:
- Headphones are a must, wired if possible: they stop the others' voices coming out of the speakers and back into the microphone.
- Microphone close by: even a headset with a mic is better than a laptop's built-in microphone half a meter away.
- Small, furnished room, away from windows and streets. A bedroom with wardrobes and curtains often works better than an empty office.
- Notifications off on computer and phone.
- Wired connection, if possible, and other applications closed.
- Enough disk space and battery for the local recording.
Synchronization
With a double-ender the tracks start at slightly different moments and need aligning. The simplest method is a shared cue at the start: everyone claps together, counting to three. During editing you align the peaks of the clap.
On long recordings drift can appear: the clocks of different devices are never identical, and after an hour the tracks may be off by a fraction of a second. Two solutions:
- repeat the clap at the end, measure the offset and slightly stretch or shorten one track with the DAW's time-stretching tool;
- use a service that handles synchronization automatically.
Plan B
Every remote recording needs a backup copy. Record the call as well, with separate tracks if possible. If a guest's local file gets corrupted or lost, the call track, though lower in quality, saves the episode.
Recommended workflow
1. Technical test with the guest a few days before
2. Written instructions sent in advance
3. Start everyone's local recording + call recording
4. Opening clap
5. Interview
6. Closing clap
7. Collect files and check them before saying goodbye
The last step is the most neglected. In my work I always ask the guest to send the file, or confirm the upload is complete, while we are still on the call: discovering a missing file the next day is much harder to sort out.
In short
- Video call audio is compressed and unstable: it is not suitable as the main recording.
- Separate tracks let you fix each voice independently.
- A double-ender records each participant locally, eliminating network problems.
- Headphones, a close microphone and a furnished room are the key instructions for guests.
- A clap synchronizes the tracks; the call recording is the plan B.
