Finding an audio and video creation platform shouldn’t take more than a fraction of a second on the internet. But finding a reliable platform takes a little more digging.
This Riverside FM review digs in deeper to see whether the software is a good fit for you and your audience. After all, the ideal platform for your content should also work well for those who consume your content.
Roll up your sleeves and get ready to dig in.
Is Riverside.FM Any Good?
As a user of Riverside.fm, I’ve found it to be an amazing online recording studio that allows me to easily record podcasts and videos in studio quality from anywhere, using just my browser or mobile app. I’ve used it for various purposes such as video interviews, panel discussions, webinars, and internal communications.
What sets Riverside.fm apart is its local recording feature, which provides up to 4K video resolution and uncompressed 48kHz WAV audio. This means that even if my internet connection is poor, my recordings are always smooth and high-quality. Plus, the platform continuously uploads everyone’s audio and video to the cloud, so I can download the files quickly after the session ends.
Riverside.fm also provides separate audio and video tracks for each participant, which gives me greater control during post-production. Their AI-powered technology allows for instant transcriptions in over 100 languages, and the text-based audio and video editor speeds up my editing process. Additionally, I can easily create and share clips for social media directly from the platform, allowing me to repurpose my content and reach a wider audience without much extra effort.
Riverside Podcast Review – What is Riverside FM?
Riverside FM is a leading podcast and video creation platform. It makes it easy to record audio and video podcasts and interviews remotely. But more impressively, remote recordings sound and look as if they are done in the same room.
It is the first-ever video podcasting software that lets you record video tracks in 4k quality regardless of internet connection. Little wonder celebrities and brands, including Hillary Clinton, Verizon Media, and Marvel all rely on the platform for studio-quality recordings from just about anywhere in the world.
Who Is Riverside.fm For?
Beginners, indie creators, podcasters, and celebrities, and brands can all take advantage of the many easy-to-use features of Riverside FM to promote their content and connect with their audience in a new and unique way.
The platform is designed for a variety of use cases, so whether you are a podcaster or content creator, the software will work great for podcasting, webinar, virtual conferences, live shows, split-screen video, and customer testimonials.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Excellent video and audio quality: The quality of your recording has nothing to do with your internet connection. This means you can have great studio-quality audio and video recorded locally using uncompressed 48kHz WAV audio and 4K resolution video.
- Budget-friendly: With price plans starting at $7.50 per month (paid annually), Riverside FM is a steal, especially when you consider its impressive list of features. This is great for indie creators and budding podcasters. Plus, brands can choose a custom plan with the Enterprise package.
- You can go over your hours: WithRiverside FM, users are never cut off during recording even if they go above the hours on their plans. Instead, you will be contacted to discuss a more suitable plan for your needs if you consistently record more you’re your monthly limit.
- Mobile app: Record high-quality audio and HD video content using your iPhone. The iOS app turns your iPhone into a complete recording studio in your pocket.
- Live chat support: A chat widget helps you get in touch with the support team whenever you have any issues. This is typically faster and more efficient than traditional email support available with many other similar platforms.
Cons
- The free plan is good. Unfortunately, it comes behind when compared to the free version of other popular options out there. Apart from a so-so user experience with the free plan, it limits users to only 60 minutes of recording, while other platforms offer comparatively longer recording time in the free testing plans.
- The addition of a mobile app is great but it only supports iOS devices (iPhones and iPods). This cuts off users of other devices from creating, uploading, or accessing audio and video content on the go. Unsupported devices include Android (phones and mobile devices), iPads, and Surface devices. Also, the platform can be picky with browsers. Currently, it only supports the Google Chrome browser on laptops and desktops. But it is worth noting that Riverside FM is continuously working to improve, expand, and update its product.
- While the pricing plans are relatively cheaper compared to other podcasting products, it can be a bit tricky and even frustrating to cancel membership or opt-out of a recurring monthly payment.
Riverside FM Features
What exactly makes this platform outstanding? Why should you choose this software over the many other competition? This section of the Riverside FM review highlights the standout features of the product to give buying insights.
My Experience of Riverside.fm in 2023
As a user of Riverside.fm, I really appreciate the variety of features that improve my workflow:
- Transcriptions: The platform quickly converts my podcasts and videos into text, making it easy for me to find highlights and quotes.
- Live streaming: While recording, I can simultaneously live stream my interview to multiple platforms, such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, LinkedIn, and custom RTMP destinations.
- Scheduling and inviting: Riverside.fm allows me to easily schedule and invite up to 8 guests with just one click. All they need to do is join via a Chrome or Edge browser, or an iOS/Android app.
- Accessible audience link: I can share the live recording session with anyone, allowing them to watch or call in while I’m recording with my guests.
- Producer mode and controls: Joining as a producer lets me watch from backstage without being recorded, while also controlling the show to ensure all settings are correct.
- Screen share recording: The platform’s screen sharing feature helps me give presentations and collaborate with team members more effectively.
These features have greatly enhanced my content creation experience, making it more streamlined and efficient.
Magic Editor For Audio and Video Recordings
The Magic Editor is probably one of the most outstanding features of Riverside FM to date. It saves you plenty of editing time by combining recording and editing into one automated process.
Instead of spending time trying to merge different content, the Magic Editor automatically stitches separate audio and video tracks together that were locally recorded. It is easy to use and takes only three clicks.
See: Best Podcast Editing Software for Mac and PC
AI Speaker View
Riverside FM is the first in the world to automate speaker view switches. This feature analyzes your videos and automatically switches whoever is currently speaking into full-screen mode. It does this just a second before they speak, and the result is nothing short of a smooth and seamless transition.
But more impressive is the AI’s ability to detect actual speaking versus unwanted interruptions. This means the AI Speaker View will not keep switching back and forth between speakers just because someone sneezed, coughed, or makes some unintentional sound. There is no switch if any of the guests or hosts do not actually speak.
Media Board
The Media Board feature allows you to skip the need to manually insert intros, outros, jingles, sounds, and theme music in post-production. In other words, it is live editing at its simplest!
You can record and play your audio and video clips directly from the online studio. You even have the option to upload your content on a live stream or add pre-recorded videos and sounds to your podcasts using the Media Board. And all of these can be accomplished with only a few mouse clicks.
Customize Background
Adding custom background to your video recordings or podcasts is pretty straightforward with Riverside FM.
Simply add your video and audio, choose from the various background options, and export your recording.
Social Streaming
This is another impressive feature that enables you to share your content on several social media platforms during a live stream. You can stream to YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Twitch, and other social media platforms all at the same time.
This provides creators a huge opportunity for promoting their podcasts on various mediums.
Live Call-in
This feature allows you to invite your listeners to call into your show live to engage with you or ask guests questions. That’s not something you find with many other platforms.
Screen Sharing
The screen sharing feature makes it very easy to collaborate with team members. It also allows you to host presentations with your audience. Simply click the screen share icon from within the recording studio and choose whether to share your entire screen, a tab, or a specific window with your team or audience.
Progressive Upload
The platform uses progressive uploads to record and transmit content more reliably. This means your audio and video recordings are uploaded in the background and even if guests are uploading remotely to the cloud, it happens in near real-time. All of this happens in lossless audio and 4K video, regardless of internet connection.
Automatic Backups Including High Video and Audio Quality
With Riverside FM, your audio and video recordings are automatically backed up so you don’t have to ever worry about losing your content.
Mobile App Support
Riverside FM has an iOS app that allows users to record both audio and video content locally and also upload the recordings from a mobile device. Riverside FM is the first to offer this type of service, making it easy for users to create studio-quality content from wherever they are on the planet!
The mobile app is available for download on the App Store for iPhone users.
Riverside.fm App Update 2023
I’ve been using the Riverside.fm mobile app for well over a year now, and I’m really impressed by the high-quality recording capabilities it offers straight from my smartphone or iPad. The app allows me to invite, record, and download high-quality audio and video recordings easily, from anywhere.
Thanks to the app, I can take full advantage of my iPhone camera and Riverside’s local recording feature without worrying about my internet connection. After I complete a recording, the locally recorded audio and full HD 1080p video files are readily available in my dashboard and can be easily downloaded to my desktop.
The Riverside.fm app has truly expanded my recording capabilities, making it convenient and accessible to create high-quality content on the go.
Riverside.fm Pricing
The pricing plans for this software are comparatively more affordable than many popular products with similar features. The four-tier subscription plans are offered on both monthly and yearly (billed annually) payment basis.
The plans include:
- Basic: $9 per month or $7.50 per month when billed annually. This plan allows you to record up to two hours of studio-quality audio and video per month with separate audio and video tracks.
- Standard: $19 per month or $15 per month when billed annually. You get five hours of recording time per month with this option. Plus, you can live stream to YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter and accept live call-ins during your show.
- Pro: $29 per month or $24 per month when billed annually. In addition to everything that the Standard plan offers, this option gives you automatic transcriptions and lets you record studio-quality audio and videos for up to 15 hours every month.
- Enterprise: This is a custom plan with all the features of the Pro plan and more. For custom pricing details, you will have to contact Riverside FM by filling the Enterprise contact form.
The major difference with the plans is the length of audio and video you can record each month. For most people, the Standard plan will work just fine but you can always upgrade or downgrade your subscription at any time from your dashboard.
But you don’t have to pay right away if you’re unsure of the plan to choose or if you want to get a feel of Riverside FM before going all in. There is a free plan that allows you to test the features with up to 60 minutes of free recording.
Customer Support
Users can reach Riverside FM through live chat for tech support, feature request, subscription and billing issues, and general product questions. However, getting a response from the chatbot can take up to a few hours.
In addition to this, the website has an advice and answers page that provides solutions to most of the common issues users might likely encounter. These answers are provided in many articles grouped into:
- Troubleshooting
- FAQ
- Dashboard
- Green Room
- Streaming
- Studio
- Subscription and billing
Overall, users have a love-hate relationship when it comes to Riverside FM’s customer support services. While many users praise the service to high heavens, citing responsiveness, helpfulness, attentiveness, and quick problem resolution, others are simply unhappy with the customer support, citing the exact opposite.
Riverside.fm Alternatives
There are several alternatives to Riverside.fm for recording podcasts and video interviews. Some popular options include:
Best Podcast Interview Software
Zencastr: Zencastr is a web-based platform that allows users to record high-quality audio for podcasts with multiple guests. It provides separate audio tracks for each participant and offers post-production tools for mixing and editing.
Riverside.FM Vs Zencastr
SquadCast: SquadCast is another online platform focused on podcast recording. It offers local audio recording for each participant, separate audio tracks, and a user-friendly interface.
See Riverside.fm Vs SquadCast for more.
Cleanfeed: Cleanfeed is an audio-only platform that enables users to record, edit, and mix live audio. It is particularly popular among podcasters and radio broadcasters for its high-quality audio and real-time collaboration features.
Zoom: Although primarily a video conferencing tool, Zoom can also be used to record audio and video interviews. It does not provide local recording like Riverside.fm but is suitable for those looking for a simple solution for recording interviews or podcasts.
Microsoft Teams: Microsoft Teams is another video conferencing platform that can be used for recording audio and video content. It offers integrated file storage, screen sharing, and real-time collaboration but may not provide the same level of audio and video quality as Riverside.fm.
Is Riverside FM better than Zoom?
Comparing Riverside.fm and Zoom, it can be concluded that Riverside.fm offers superior audio and video recording quality, while Zoom is primarily focused on video conferencing and real-time communication. Therefore, Riverside.fm might be a better choice for content creators and podcasters, whereas Zoom is more suitable for general communication and online meetings.
Conclusion – Riverside Podcast Review
Big media names, including Marvel, Spotify, and Disney, as well as renowned personalities like Hillary Clinton and Guy Raz, all use Riverside FM. That’s more than enough social proof and saying quite a lot about the platform’s reliability.
There are a few downsides, of course, but Riverside FM has consistently set the pace when it comes to dishing out new and improved features. So, if you’re in the market for a leading podcast and video creation platform that is well ahead of the curve, you know where to look.
