Zencastr is an end-to-end podcast creation platform that makes it easy for creators to record, edit, launch, and host podcasts.
When you record on Zencastr you get separate tracks (i.e. separate audio and video files) for each participant that are ideal for your post-production process. This guide is an overview of the key steps to record your podcast. To learn more, click the links for detailed explanations of each topic.
The steps below are for the computer browser. The ‘Record Audio and Video’ recording mode is shown below. The overall steps for the other two modes are the same, but with a few differences in the hardware access required, the display shown, and whether video (MOV) files are recorded.
In this article:
Before You Start - Needed Hardware and Software
Required
❗️ Both hosts and guests need to access Zencastr as described below for a smooth experience and high-quality final recording.
Access Zencastr from a laptop or desktop computer that meets the minimum requirements.
Open Zencastr in a supported internet browser, not in incognito or private mode.
Check your internet speed to make sure your download and upload speeds are at least 5 Mbps, preferably 10 Mbps+.
Use headphones while recording to prevent echo on the call.
Optional
Use an external microphone instead of your computer’s internal microphone.
If you are on a paid plan, connect a Dropbox or Google Drive account.
1. Creating a Session
Log into your Zencastr account.
On your Dashboard, click the Sessions tab on the left sidebar menu.
Click the Create New Recording Session button at the top left.
Enter the session name.
Select the primary language for the recording.
Select a recording mode.
Click Create.
Result: The session is created and you are taken to your Recording Page.
2. Inviting Guests
From the Recording Page, click Invite.
Type the name and email address of each person (guest) you want to invite to the recording.
Click Send Invites and an email will be sent to each guest with the link to the recording page and instructions.
OR
Copy the invite link and send it to your guests in your own email.
3. Joining the Call
At the scheduled recording time, or a little before:
Log into Zencastr and from the Sessions tab, first click the name of the session from your 'My Sessions' list and then click the Join Session button to go to the Recording Page.
You may be asked to enable your audio in your web browser.
Guests click the link they were sent and are taken to a green room to confirm their name and audio and video settings.
As guests enter the Recording Page, their names appear in individual user tracks below the video preview tiles.
4. Checking Settings
Once everyone has joined:
Check that everyone can hear and see each other.
Check that you and your guests have your preferred headphones, microphones, and cameras selected.
To change any audio or video settings, in the Recording Page:
You click Call Settings.
Guests each click Call Settings.
5. Starting the Recording
Click Start Recording. A 3-second countdown appears and then the recording starts.
📝 Once the recording is started, you can click the Pause button if you need to give instructions to guests, if someone needs to step away for a moment, etc. When everyone is ready to start recording again, click Start Recording.
6. Ending the Recording
Click Stop to stop the recording.
You and each guest keep the Recording Page open until you each see a pop-up confirming that the files have uploaded.
After the confirmation pop-up displays for each guest, they can individually close the Recording Page on their computers or you click Hang Up Call to end the call for all guests.
⚠️ If anyone closes the Zencastr tab, their web browser, and/or their computer before seeing the confirmation pop-up, it risks interrupting their files uploading and your ability to download their files.
7. Downloading Audio and Video Files
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.
After Recording - What’s Next?
Click Preview to enhance and combine your separate recorded audio and video files into a polished mixed file using Zencastr Editing or use another editing software.
Create and publish a new episode to your podcast if you are hosting it on Zencastr. You can also submit your final file(s) to a podcast hosting provider.