Zencastr is a modern web-based solution for high-quality audio and video podcast creation. 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.

📝 Recording in the ‘Record Audio and Video’ recording mode is described below. The overall process for the other two modes is the same, but only audio files are recorded in both the ‘Record Audio Only, Show Video’ and ‘Record Audio Only’ modes and no video feed is shown in the ‘Record Audio Only’ mode.

In this article:

Benefits of Recording in Zencastr

How Participants Are Connected in Zencastr

How Participants Are Recorded in Zencastr

How Files Upload/Complete After Recording in Zencastr

Downloading Files After Recording in Zencastr

Related Questions

Local recording also means each participant’s audio and video is backed up in their local browser storage. So if a participant experiences an issue with their internet connection while recording, such as a disconnection, what was recorded is safe.

Separate tracks, i.e. separate audio and video files, for each participant help save your time and effort in your editing process. For example, let’s say you are recording with two guests and one guest’s phone starts ringing loudly in the background while the other guest is speaking, creating a noisy distraction. With a single, combined file you couldn’t easily silence the ringing phone without also silencing the speaking guest. But with separate files, using an editing software, you can easily silence the phone ringing in the one guest’s track without silencing the speaking guest’s track.

When you and your guests meet on a Zencastr Recording Page, you are connected to one another via an encrypted VoIP call. The VoIP call allows everyone to hear and see each other.

The VoIP call is what allows participants to hear and see each other but it is not what is recorded by Zencastr. Instead, when the host starts the recording each participant’s audio and video feed is recorded locally by their computer and stored in their local browser storage.

While the recording is in progress, in the background Zencastr progressively uploads each participant’s audio and video files from their local browser storage to our servers. The upload is done progressively, i.e. in pieces, so that it doesn’t disrupt the VoIP call and also so that participants have a shorter wait time after the recording is finished.

When the host stops the recording, each participant’s files finish uploading to our servers. Each participant should keep the Recording Page open until they each individually see a confirmation popup that their files have finished uploading.

The host sees this confirmation pop-up when their files have finished uploading:

Guests each see this confirmation pop-up when their files have finished uploading:

The host’s Recording Page will show that a guest’s files have finished uploading when on the guest’s track all files turn solid gray with download arrows:

When participants’ files finish uploading, they are available for the host to download from the Recording Page and/or run through Zencastr Produce.

On average, it takes just a few seconds to a few minutes after the recording is stopped for a participant’s files to finish uploading provided the participant’s computer and internet speed meet the system requirements. The exact time depends on the participant's internet upload speed, the recording length, and the file type.

See these instructions for ‘Error: Unfinalized track’ or these instructions for file stuck at '99% uploaded'.

See these instructions for recovering internet-quality backups.