Recording in person while sharing devices

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Riverside is designed for remote recording, but you can also use it to record participants in the same room.

We recommend recording with multiple computers or devices, one for each participant. If that's not possible, follow the guidelines below for recording in person when sharing devices, like a single audio interface or computer.

IMPORTANT:
If multiple people join the Studio using one device and the same audio and camera input, such as sitting side-by-side in front of a laptop, their audio and video is saved as one track.

Example Cases

  1. Two participants use one laptop to join the Studio. They connect two microphones to an audio interface that combines both of the mics' signals into one feed and sends the audio to one laptop. They record audio only and it is saved to a single High Quality Track.
    Crop_Recording_in-person__interface_with_audio_only_copy.jpeg
  2. Two participants use two laptops to join the Studio. They record audio and video. They connect two microphones to an audio interface. The interface combines both of the mics' signals into one feed and sends the audio to one laptop. Each laptop records a High Quality video track of each participant, but only the laptop connected to the audio interface records a High Quality audio track with both participants' voices.
    Please note: For longer recording sessions, we recommend recording an additional audio track on the computer that is not connected to the interface. In this case, use local software (Quicktime, OBS, etc.) to create an audio scratch track on the computer that can help synchronize the video tracks.
    IRL_audio-interface_audio-and-video.png

  3. Two participants use one iPad to join the Studio. They sit in front of the camera and use the device's built-in microphone and speakers. They record audio and video, which is saved to a single High Quality Track.

Recommendations

  • Enable Echo Cancellation on the device with the participants in the same room.
  • Lower the audio input sensitivity (gain) on each person's mic or computer to reduce feedback.
  • Perform a test recording and listen to it to check for audio feedback.
  • Participants should mute their microphones when they're not speaking.
    • On a computer, hold Spacebar to temporarily unmute.
  • If possible, have another person outside the room and join as an unrecorded Producer to monitor the volume levels.
  • If using multiple mics, place the participants facing each other or with some physical distance separating them.
  • To hear the remote participant/s but not hear the other in-person participants through your headphones, you may need to: remove the headphones, turn on echo cancelation, and play the audio output from only one computer’s speakers.
  • If using a computer intended only to record video (as in example 2, above), you may want to also record an audio 'scratch' track with its built-in microphone to align the video track's timing.
    • During the live call, turn this comptuer's mic on, but use the Studio's sidebar fader to eliminate the audio output from the computer to 0.
    • After you import the high-quality MP4 video track to editing software, use the file's audio to better align it with the other video tracks, and then remove or mute its audio.
  • To use multiple microphones, connect them to the computer through a USB multi-channel audio interface and use channels 1 and 2, which can be recognized by the browser.
  • In the Studio, other remote participants can expand the in-person participants' video frame to keep them visible.
    • The video frames in the Studio change size and are sometimes cropped to accommodate more remote participants on screen.

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