Recording masters storage is the secure, cloud-based storage location of your recording files on your Zencastr recording pages. Each Zencastr plan comes with different amounts of storage. On March 18, 2023, previously published recording storage limits on legacy free plans went into effect.
In this article:
What is Recording Masters Storage?
Recording masters storage is the secure, cloud-based storage location for recording files on Zencastr recording pages. After you stop a recording and each participant's files finish uploading to our servers, they become available for you to download from the recording page. How long they are stored and downloadable from the recording page depends on your plan.
The Hobbyist plan stores recording files for up to 31 days after a recording is done.
The legacy Creator+ plan stores recording files for up to 90 days after a recording is done.
All paid plans offer unlimited recording storage and all files are downloadable at any time, regardless of how long ago a recording was done.
What are the best practices for downloading files?
It is recommended that users on all plans download and check all files for a recording as soon as they finish uploading to the recording page. This helps ensure that the files have fully uploaded and there are no stuck uploads or unfinalized tracks.
For users on the Hobbyist and Creator+ plans, this is a particularly good practice given that recording storage is limited on these plans.
To download your audio and video files after a recording:
On the Recording Page, you will see an ↓ MP3 button in each user track (and also a
↓ MOV button if you recorded video (and a ↓ WAV button if you have a paid plan).Click a button, and a popup displays the file(s) of that type.
Click the file you want in the popup, and it downloads to your computer.
Repeat for each user’s files.
OR
Download a zip file that contains all participants' files from the Sessions tab, by clicking the name of the session from your 'My Sessions' list and then clicking the 3-dot menu next to the Recording name.
How are the recording storage limits calculated on free plans?
The recording storage limits on the Hobbyist and Creator+ plans are calculated on a rolling basis from the date of the recording.
On the Hobbyist Plan, you can download files from a recording page up to 31 days after the recording date. For example, if you recorded on March 1, 2023, you can download those files up until April 1, 2023.
On the Creator+ Plan, you can download files from a recording page up to 90 days after the recording date. For example, if you recorded on March 1, 2023, you can download those files up until May 30, 2023.
What happens to files beyond the recording storage limit on free plans? Are they deleted?
Recordings older than 31 days for the Hobbyist plan or 90 days for the Creator+ plan are automatically archived, with their associated files transferred to archival storage. While these recordings and files are not deleted, they remain inaccessible while on the Hobbyist or Creator+ plans due to their archived status.
How can I download files that are beyond the recording storage limit on free plans?
On the Hobbyist plan, you will need to upgrade to a paid plan to be able to unarchive recordings older than 31 days and download their files.
On the Creator+ plan, you will need to upgrade to a paid plan to be able to unarchive recordings older than 90 days and download their files.
Upon upgrading to a paid plan, you gain the ability to unarchive recordings from any date and download files. Additionally, your recordings will no longer be automatically archived, thanks to the unlimited recording storage feature included in these plans.
Do recording storage limits also apply to postproduction files?
No, recording storage limits only apply to the recording files, i.e. the separate MP3 and MOV files for each participant. If you are using Editing to enhance and mix your files, the postproduction files, i.e. the combined audio and video files, are stored indefinitely and can be downloaded from the postproductions list within the session at any time.
Do recording storage limits also apply to podcast episodes?
No, recording storage limits only apply to the recording files, i.e. the separate MP3 and MOV files for each participant. If you are hosting your podcast with Zencastr, there is unlimited storage for episodes that you publish to your podcast.