Podcasts are in their prime, and with thousands of us diving into our favorite listening experiences daily, many of us are looking to set up our own shows.
Now, if you’re taking your podcast seriously, you’re going to need more than your phone mic to get started.
Listeners take their listening experience seriously. They want the best audio quality in their podcasts – and as a creator, you also deserve an easy ride. Quality equipment and software can be a game-changer, but where do you start?
We’re here to walk you through two podcasting platform giants: Zencastr and Ringr. We’ll run you through their key specs, their biggest pros, and those pesky cons that might get in the way.
Ready? Let’s dive in.
- All-In-One Podcasting Platform
- Record, Edit, Distribute and Monetize
- 4K Recording & 48k WAV Audio Quality
What Is Zencastr?
Never heard of Zencastr?
Zencastr is a completely web-based recording platform, and it’s designed to provide creators and businesses with powerful tools to record their podcasts and produce superb audio quality, professional-sounding audio, and video.
As a web-based solution, you’ll be able to capture all of your audio and video through your web browser. All audio is recorded in 16-bit 44.1L WAV, giving you great-sounding audio every time.
Zencastr even uses its own VoIP (Voice over IP), which means you won’t have to worry about screen capturing your audio from external apps such as Skype.
If you want to mix separate tracks into one file, you can use Zencastr’s automatic post-production to do it.
ALSO SEE: Zencastr Alternative
The platform also boasts integrations with DropBox and Google Drive to make it easy to record, condense, and save your files.
Zencastr is the ideal solution for creators looking to guest record a remote podcast in exceptionally high quality (also see, ‘How To Use Zencastr‘).
So, if you don’t have a studio to rent, you can still access great-sounding solutions for your show.
There are many things to love about Zencastr podcast recording software, but here are some of this web-based platform’s key features:
- Chat Capabilities: You can use the built-in chat features to communicate with your guests during the podcast without disrupting the audio recording.
- One Track Features: Each guest will be recorded onto their own separate track, which simplifies the editing process.
- Web-Based: Because it’s web-based, you won’t have to download any specific apps to run Zencastr. It can be accessed by anyone, anywhere.
- Long Podcast Recording Time: Zencastr can confidently record up to three hours of content at a time.
- No Complicated Onboarding: All your guests need to do is click an email link, and they’ll be ready to join the podcast.
- Built-in VoIP: You can voice chat with your guests through the system without needing to use external apps like Zoom.
- Unlimited recording for audio and video in their paid plans.
- All-In-One Podcasting Platform
- Record, Edit, Distribute and Monetize
- 4K Recording & 48k WAV Audio Quality
What Is Ringr?
Ringr is currently available as a desktop plugin, an app, and it can be used on Firefox or Chrome directly from your desktop.
This service provides a great solution for creators needing to do remote interviews or co-host remotely while producing high-quality audio (also see, ‘How To Record A Podcast Remotely‘).
The onboarding process is pretty simple – just invite your guests to a call on desktop or mobile, hit record, and start talking.
Once you’re done with your session, stop the recording, and the app will sync each recording and upload it to the cloud so that you can edit it later.
You can record with up to four people in total (this would be one host and up to three guests).
Ringr offers three payment plans. On the basic option, your audio will be recorded in MP3.
However, if you choose to go up to the premium or enterprise options, you can benefit from OGG, FLAC, and other additional formats.
Here are some of the key features of Ringr:
- Conference Calling
- Auto Export to FTP, FTPS, and SFTP
- Start talking before you start recording
- Available as an app, desktop app, or can be used from your web browser
- Records podcast episodes mainly in MP3, but other formats can be accessed on additional plans
- Records separate audio files
Zencastr: The Pros And Cons
If you’re torn between the two, let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons of Zencastr to help you make your choice.
Pros
- A web-based platform that can be used for recording remote podcasts by anyone, from anywhere
- Plenty of recording time
- Chat with your guests during the podcast without interrupting the recording, thanks to VoIP
- WAV recording is a step above most MP3 formats, giving you better sound quality recordings
- Unlimited audio and video recordings in paid plans
- Superb quality video recordings
Cons
- You can’t edit your audio recordings with Zencastr, so you’ll need external software to do this.
- Connecting to mobile devices can be challenging. This may not appeal to all hosts recording remotely.
- There are no HD video recording features, which means you’ll have to talk to your guests without seeing them.
- Need a fast and stable internet connection
Ringr: The Pros And Cons
Ringr and Zencastr both have some great features for hosts and guests alike, but what makes them different?
Pros
- Available on most platforms, including web, desktop apps, and mobile apps.
- Onboarding is easy; you’ll just need an email link to get your guests started.
- Web-based recordings are in MP3, and you can get separate audio tracks for each of your guests.
- You can record audio up to three guests at a time.
Cons
- Ringr will only record in MP3 format on the basic plan. You’ll need to pay more for other formats.
- Ringr doesn’t have its own audio editing suite.
- Lacks some important features, such as VoIP and internal chat.
How Do They Compare?
Although Ringr can still produce some great quality audio, we’ll be honest; it’s pretty basic when compared to Zencastr.
Zencastr boasts advanced features such as VoIP, recordings in WAV format, and built-in chat capabilities, and video recording – all of which Ringr doesn’t seem to offer.
If these things aren’t important to you (perhaps if you’re a novice podcaster), we’d recommend Ringr as a good starting point.
However, if you’re ready to take advantage of more features, especially if you’re recording your own podcast more often, Zencastr gives you slightly more power at your fingertips.
Note: both platforms don’t feature their own editing suites, so you’ll have to do this with external software.
The Bottom Line
Choosing the right recording software or platform is one of the most important decisions you’ll make as a budding podcaster.
These two competitors have their own set of pros and cons. However, we’d seriously recommend using Zencastr if you’re a more seasoned podcaster or a host who’s recording more frequently.
