The most crucial aspect of any podcast is getting the audio right, yet it’s something that so many new podcasters struggle with when they begin.
With so many options out there, few platforms are explicitly made for high-quality podcasts. That’s until Zencastr showed up on the scene.
How do you use Zencastr? As a podcast recording platform, Zencastr helps you create high-fidelity and quality audio for your series, whether audio, video, or both.
The software must be downloaded onto your device and the device of your guests, giving you a separate audio track for each speaker once the recording is done.
If you’re ready to take your podcast to the next level and need a professional sound, Zencastr doesn’t have a lot of competition in this arena.
This beginner’s guide will walk you through everything, including what it is, the benefits it offers, and how you can put it to work for your podcast.
What is Zencastr?
Zencastr is an audio recording software explicitly designed for podcasters, giving you all the tools you need to capture high-fidelity audio from the comfort of your home.
The recording studio is accessed on your browser by a unique URL created for the recording, and the link is sent to anyone you want to invite to speak.
This program lets you connect with other guests or co-hosts to record your show but records each speaker separately with quality audio so that you can splice them together and edit them in post-production.
If you’re not comfortable tinkering with the audio files, Zencastr has tools that automatically splice them together for you, so there’s even less effort required.
Along with this handy tool, many others work seamlessly in the background and record to deliver exceptional audio for the finished piece.
Zencastr has effects like volume leveling and hum reduction, which is perfect for people who aren’t comfortable taking these tasks on themselves.
How to Use Zencastr
To get an idea of how easy Zencastr is to use, we’ll lay out the steps required to create your first podcast recording. This is all you’ll need to do to get yourself an account with Zencastr and start making your first audio file:
- Sign up for a free Zencastr account using your personal information.
- Head to the dashboard of your profile and select the ‘Create New Recording’ button at the top of the page.
- From here, you’ll be taken to the new recording page, so select “Create New Epsidoe” and give a title to your show.
- Agree to provide the website microphone access if this notification pops up on your computer.
- Press record when you’re ready to start speaking, and if you want to add a guest, select the ‘Invite’ button. This will send a link to your co-hosts so they can join in on the recording, but it will create a separate audio track for each person.
- Once you’re finished, press ‘Stop Recording,’ and the call will remain connected, but the recording will be done. End the phone call when you’re ready.
- Zencastr will send the local audio tracks to your computer to be saved there, and you can download the audio of your other guests if you’re the host.
- Head to the Automatic Postproduction tab, play with whatever settings you wish to, and then download the finished product.
- Upload the file to your podcast publishing platform and let them do the rest.
Zencastr Benefits
There are loads of reasons why podcasters look to platforms like Zencastr to take care of their audio recordings. Here are just some of the most popular ones that can make a massive difference for your podcast:
Single track per speaker
The biggest issue with most VOIP podcast recording platforms is that the finished audio is compiled on a single track. You won’t be able to edit the speakers separately, so if one of you has inferior audio, it’ll ruin the whole show.
Zencastr creates a single audio file for each speaker that you can edit separately and then splice together once they’re perfected.
Cool features
There are a handful of features that helps Zencastr stand out, including live chat with other speakers, cloud drive integration, automatic backup, and a unique guest interface for visitors to your show.
The software was designed to make the user experience as easy as possible, even if you’re new to this type of platform.
Free plan available
Unlike other podcast software that charges you to use it, Zencastr is available for free.
There are some limitations on what the free plan offers but for most hobbyists and intermediate podcasters; you’ll find a whole host of features that can instantly improve the audio quality of your show.
As you start making money from your podcast, you can upgrade to the Pro plan for just $20 a month and experience much more.
Automatic editing and post-production
If you’re unsure of your editing skills, there are loads of automatic post-production tools you can employ with Zencastr.
Once you’ve finished the recording, check out the live sound editing and studio that lets you apply a range of filters and fixes, giving you a polished finished product to publish. However, you’ll need to be signed up to their Pro plan to use the best of these.
Built-in VOIP
Rather than relying on a third-party program for VOIP calls and then having to record them separately for your podcast, you can do it all through Zencastr.
If you’re not ready to record, you can still make VOIP calls anywhere in the world with the program and then start recording audio at the press of a button when you’re in the middle of a call.
High-quality audio
All recordings done through Zencastr are done in lossless 16 Bit 44.1k WAV, making them some of the best in the industry.
Even after you’re done editing them in post-production, they’ll still be of fantastic quality, and at the same standard you’d expect a professional studio to record in.
Some Downsides of Zencastr
As with any piece of software, there are some issues that you might encounter with Zencastr that could put you off. These are a few of the minor downsides that customers have noted while recording their podcast with it:
- You need quality headphones to make Zencastr work, so make sure they’re over-ear and plugged in. Phone earphones and Bluetooth connections aren’t ideal as they can interfere with the audio signal, so be mindful of that.
- Zencastr only works on desktop computers and laptops, so you won’t be able to use it on your smartphone or tablet. Any other speakers or co-hosts will have to access it via a URL on their computer.
- For the best results, Zencastr should only be used with Google Chrome, as some issues have been reported with Safari and Firefox.
- All files on Zencastr are recorded locally, which means you need to clear enough space on your computer to store them when they’re done.
Plans and Pricing
As one of the better-quality audio recording platforms, it comes as a surprise to many that Zencast has a substantial free offering.
At last look, the platform had two different plans for customers to utilize: the free Hobbyist plan and the $20 a month Professional plan, depending on your needs.
The free plan is their most popular because of its exceptional value. It gives users access to the software and the ability to host up to two guests with unlimited audio recordings, high-quality MP3 audio, and a trial of 1080p video recordings.
When you’re brand new to podcasting, this is more than enough to create a stellar-sounding show.
For those who want to take their podcast to another level, the Professional plan is also a good bang for your buck, and it comes with a 14-day free trial to test it all out.
The $20 per month fee lets you host more than five guests plus everything on the free plan, unlimited video recordings, a live editing soundboard, unlimited transcriptions, and up to 10 hours of audio and video mixing a month.
With these tools, you’ll have everything you need to create studio-quality audio for your podcast.
Superior Audio For Your Series
The quality of audio that your podcast delivers says a lot about how successful it will be, so you want to make sure you have this element right.
Whether it’s Zencastr or another high-fidelity podcast audio software, it’s worth investing in something that will take your sound to the next level.
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