Be Heard | Riverside Recording Guide

RIVERSIDE RECORDING

Equipment

Here's what you'll need to get started recording using Riverside.

1. Blue Yeti X Microphone (Approx £159 UK, $179 US)

The Yeti X is capable of incredible results at a very affordable price point. Easy to use and the multiple recording patterns make it extremely diverse. If you have another microphone already then we may be able to use that - contact me to check.

2. Pop Shield (Approx £8 UK, $10 US)

A pop shield eliminates bass pops on plosive sounds. For such an inexpensive piece of equipment it really is valuable. Any pop shield will do the same job so there's no need to spend a fortune.

3. Computer

The microphone will need to connect to a computer via USB, so a computer of some sort will berequired. This could be a desktop / laptop, Mac / PC.

4. Headphones (Approx £35 UK, $35 US)

Any pair of headphones or earphones will do. For best results, use a pair of "closed back" headphones such as the ones linked above as these do not leak sound. See here to understand why headphones are so important.

Make sure these steps are taken care of before the day of recording.

Before the Interview

1. Set up a Riverside account

If you haven't already you will need to create a Riverside account. Sign up using the link below to support Be Heard!

Full disclosure: I am an affiliate of Riverside and receive a small commission for each sign up. However I would not recommend it if I didn't genuinely believe it to be the best option for podcasters.

2. Familiarise Yourself

After signing up, Riverside will walk you through the basic functionality of the website. It's quite intuitive but well worth taking a bit of time to familiarise yourself with the interface. How it works, how to start meetings etc.

3. Test Run

I would recommend doing a test recording in Riverside and sending it to me to check before diving into the real thing. This way I can check everything is set up correctly in preparation for your full interview.

4. Prepare your guest

To get the best audio possible from your guest I recommend sending them my guest checklist in advance of the recording.

Starting the Interview

You're about to start recording! Go through these steps before kicking off.

1. Get set up

Allow yourself some time before the interview to get yourself comfortable and set up. If you haven't already done a mic test with me then I highly recommend doing that before going any further.

Plug the microphone into the computer via the USB cable and position the pop shield in front of it so that you are speaking through it. Plug the headphones into your computer.

2. Sign in to Riverside

You are now ready to join your Riverside session. If you have any trouble creating or joining sessions don't hesitate to ask me and I can help.

When joining the session ensure that your audio input is set to the correct mic, and the audio output is set to your headphones.

3. Check your guest setup

When your guest joins, take some time to check that they are set up correctly before diving in to the interview. Make sure you can hear them clearly, that they are wearing headphones etc.

4. Run through my checklist

Make sure to go through my host checklist before every recording to make sure you are good to go. This checklist addresses all of the most common podcasting mistakes!

5. Start recording

You are now good to go! When you are ready you can click record and commence the interview.

6. Marking Mistakes

If you make a mistake during recording, don't worry. Just mark the mistake using the pause and clap technique. This means you must pause in silence for at least 10 seconds, then clap your hands once. This will be a signal to me that there is something that needs editing and I will take care of it.

7. Finishing the session

After the interview is finished you can end the recording. The audio files may take a few minutes to render, after that you can download them and send them to me for production!