audio-recorder-voice
Use case · podcasting

Recording a podcast

Record your side of a podcast, a solo episode, or a guest's local track. Uncompressed output means your editor has the full signal to work with rather than a compressed approximation.

00:00 Ready Level

Ready. Press Record and allow microphone access when your browser asks.

The workflow this fits

This is a single-track local recorder. It fits three podcast jobs well and one badly.

Format and levels

Record WAV. You will be running the audio through levelling, EQ and possibly noise reduction, and every one of those steps works better on uncompressed source. Encode to MP3 once, at the end, when you export the finished episode.

Set your level with the volume meter before you start. Aim for the meter to sit in the blue with amber peaks. Podcast audio is usually mastered to around −16 LUFS for stereo or −19 LUFS mono, but that is a post-production target — at capture, all that matters is a clean signal that never clips.

Double-ender technique

  1. Both parties open this page and press Record before the conversation starts.
  2. One person claps once, clearly, at the top. This gives both tracks a shared transient to align against.
  3. Have the conversation over whatever call platform you like — audio quality there does not matter, since it is only for monitoring.
  4. Both press Stop and download their WAV.
  5. In your editor, line up the two claps. The tracks will stay in sync from there.

One warning: clock drift. Two devices recording for an hour can drift by a fraction of a second, which is audible on a long episode. Most editors have a stretch tool to correct it, and checking sync at the end as well as the start tells you whether you need it.

File sizes to plan for

Table: Episode length, WAV per track, Published MP3
Episode lengthWAV per trackPublished MP3
30 minutes159 MB29 MB
45 minutes238 MB43 MB
60 minutes318 MB58 MB

Download as you go for long sessions rather than holding an hour of uncompressed audio in browser memory.

More in use cases

See all use cases — the right recording setup depends on the job: what you are capturing, and where the file goes afterwards.

Questions

Can I record both sides of an interview here?

Not into separate tracks — this records one microphone. For two-sided interviews, use the double-ender method where each person records locally, or a dedicated remote recording platform that captures per-participant tracks.

Should I record WAV or MP3 for a podcast?

WAV. You will process the audio afterwards and every editing step works better on uncompressed source. Export to MP3 once, at the end.

Is browser audio good enough to publish?

The browser is not the limiting factor — your microphone and your room are. A decent USB microphone in a quiet room recorded here sounds better than an expensive microphone in a reverberant one.

How do I sync two double-ended tracks?

Clap once at the start. The transient is unmistakable in both waveforms and lines up in seconds. Check the end too, in case clock drift needs correcting.

What about clock drift on long recordings?

Two devices can drift slightly over an hour. If the tracks align at the start but not the end, use your editor's time-stretch tool to correct the difference — most handle it in one step.

Can my guest use this without any setup?

Yes, which is the main reason to use it for guest tracks. Send the link; they press Record, then Download, then email you the file. No install and no account.