Thousands of new podcasts are published on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and several other platforms every year. A great podcast can be recorded solo, with a friend, or even with a group of friends using various types of equipment.
But how do you record with multiple guests when you're several miles apart? SquadCast makes it easy to do just that.
What Is SquadCast?
SquadCast is a platform that allows you and up to three guests to record a podcast from anywhere in the world. This is helpful for when you don't have all of the expensive equipment needed to record a podcast with multiple people in-person. SquadCast is also helpful when your guests are long distances away, and getting together in-person isn't feasible.
Squadcast gives you a seven-day free trial and has paid options starting as low as $10 per month, making it a cheap and simple solution to remotely record a podcast with friends. It's also one of the easiest software of its kind to use.
How to Use SquadCast
SquadCast works almost like Zoom. You, the host, must schedule a meeting at a specific time, send each guest a link to join a voice call, and record from there. SquadCast even stores each of your recordings separately, so there's no need for each of your guests to separately upload them to file-sharing sites.
Getting Started With SquadCast
When you first join SquadCast, you will be taken to the Recording Sessions page. Here, you will notice a Reusable Session, which is helpful if you have lots of different guests wanting to schedule a time with you to record.
Since the Reusable Session uses the same guest link every time you record, it's perfect for putting it on your online appointment scheduling service, such as Calendly, or even on your email newsletter.
Under this, you will see a Past Sessions button, which allows you to view and download recordings from a previous session.
Creating a Session
To create a session, simply click the Add Session button in the bottom right.
This will pull up several different options. First, you'll want to type in the name of the session. This can be whatever you want it to be, but the easiest thing to do is to name it "Podcast Name Episode 1," and add any other details that may be helpful for your guests.
You'll also want to add the date and time you are recording. This helps keep everyone in the recording session on time. It's also a great way to keep yourself organized if you have several different episodes being recorded in a given week.
SquadCast also lets you enter each guest's email, which will include all of the above information, as well as the guest link to join the session when it's time to record.
Recording a Session
When it's time to start recording, just click Start Session under the session you created, and it will bring you to the Green Room. This is where you will record the session when everyone arrives. To the left side of the screen, you will see a few things:
- Your Display Name, which you can change.
- The option to choose your Default Microphone and Speakers/Headphones.
- The ability to turn on your Webcam if you want to see your guest while recording.
- Your Network Quality, which can affect your recording quality if you have a poor connection.
- The Echo Cancellation setting. Headphones are strongly recommended if you are recording a podcast. If any of your guests forget them, or there is some sort of echo in a guest's room, this setting will help remedy the echoes, making post-production a little bit easier.
To the very right, you will see a few green dots. This is where you can see your mic levels as you're talking, so you can adjust your mic's gain before you begin recording.
It will also continue to display as you are recording, which is helpful to see if you're talking too loudly or too quietly. The dots will change color the louder you are, letting you visualize your speaking volume.
Once everyone has joined your session, you can hit the red Record button. Each guest's audio will begin recording and will be backed up to your SquadCast account.
Accessing Your Recordings
To gain access to these recordings, click the carrot icon in the top right of the relevant session, and you will see every single recording from that session. If someone accidentally backed out of their browser while recording, SquadCast will automatically create a second audio file as soon as they return. This will not affect anyone else's audio recordings.
You have the option to download each audio file individually, which is great for when you need to edit one person's audio separately from another. You also have the option to mix several recordings together, which makes post-production much easier, since all audio recordings will be perfectly synced together.
To mix audio recordings together, click each recording that you want to be mixed, then click the Mix Audio button below. SquadCast will then download a separate mixed audio file for you that won't affect any of the other recordings.
If you find an issue with one person's audio after the fact, you can go back into SquadCast and individually download that recording instead.
Get Ready to Record Your Podcast
Now that you know how to use SquadCast, it's time to start recording a podcast. Grab a microphone, schedule a session with some friends, and have fun. Although there's a lot more to know than just recording, SquadCast provides an easy way to start your first online creative endeavor.
