In recent years virtual events, podcasts, interviews, and video production have changed. When a global pandemic brought the world to a standstill, we had to find new ways to do our work. We like to think that innovation within digital media has changed things for the better – increasing the accessibility of content while broadening the scope and reach of potential new customers. Enter Riverside.fm… our favorite software for conducting remote recording, podcast, virtual events, and remote interviews. We use Riverside.fm for video production because it offers the highest quality video and audio with immense flexibility.
In this post we’ll go over:
- What is Riverside.fm?
- How we started using Riverside and continue to use it today?
- How do we integrate Riverside.fm for Video production?
- Why do we love Riverside.fm?
What is Riverside.fm?
Riveside.fm is an online recording and production platform. It works similarly to other video call services like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Skype, allowing the user to record the call for various post production applications. The difference is that Riverside was built for the post production process. It allows the “Host” or “Producer” to record the call with the highest quality of video and audio by recording the file locally then uploading it to the cloud.
What are the different roles in Riverside?
Inside of Riverside, various participants can take on differing roles during a call:
- Hosts have the ability to monitor the session and control the session. Their audio and video does get recorded.
- Guests are participants on the call that have their audio and video recorded. Just like on a podcast, a guest is there to offer their thought and participate in the conversation but is not hosting the show or managing the production of the project.
- Producers are on the call but do not get recorded. They can start and stop recording sessions. Their audio can be heard by hosts and guests but does not get recorded during the session. This allows people in the producer role to guide the production without it interfering with the audio and video for the post production team.
- Audience members see everyone in the Studio as soon as the recording begins, like they are watching a webinar. They can also write messages in the group chat to communicate with the hosts, guests, and producers.
When using Riverside here at BCC Live, our team typically takes on the roll of Producer during a session. We’ll help manage the session and keep the hosts and guests on track. One perk for our customers & guests is that they don’t need to create an account with Riverside to join the session. Having this easy to use system for our clients streamlines our video production workflow.
Riverside’s simple but effective approach
By recording the audio and video files locally, Riverside is able to bypass the issues that come with unreliable internet on remote calls. This simple approach to remote video recording improves video and audio quality for post production video use.
Riverside also records audio or video separately. A podcast may only need to use the audio recording capabilities within the platform. When video is needed, the video quality has the ability to go up to 4K, as long as the user has equipment that can support 4K.
Riverside records files locally to ensure no artifacts or interruptions, and then uploads them to the cloud for download. Easy and amazing with absolutely no fuss.
How is Riverside as a user?
Just like any other video call platform, Riverside is easy to use. When the Producer or Host sets up the session they’ll send out invitation links. This is just like an invitation to a Teams or Skype call. The guest clicks on the link, joins the session, and is in. This simple way to enter a session is one of the many things we loved when we started using Riverside. Nobody has to learn a new workflow or program. Just schedule a call, join, record, and you’re done!
How did we find Riverside?
We got lucky. When in-person operations shut down, our business changed a lot. It seemed like the world stood still for a while before anything started to “open back up”. Events and in-person gatherings took time to begin again, and that meant the we had to change what we did.
It was during this time that BCC started to really develop our video production and broadcasting skills with projects like IRONMAN VR, Colorado Technical Association (CTA) Awards, and various national conferences. With projects like these, interviews were needed but there was one very big issue… we couldn’t meet in person to record. This is how we found Riverside.
What about Skype?
Before we found and started to use Riverside regularly, we used Skype. We used Skype through our NewTek TalkShow to record remote interviews. It worked… but it had some issues. Internet connectivity had to be stable to have a clear interview, and Skype has auto gain and noise cancellation features that we could not turn off during interviews. These things made post production difficult, sometimes requiring multiple reshoots to get a clean interview. This forced us to find a better solution. We knew there had to be something out there that was better, and there was.
How do we integrate Riverside.fm for video production?
At BCC Live, we produce podcasts, virtual events, industry conferences, human interest stories, remote recordings, and anything else you can imagine. These all require interviews, either in-person or remote. Since finding Riverside we’ve been able to incorporate remote interviews into these productions. It saves us time and is much simpler logistically — and the quality is just as good! We are able to schedule, record, edit, and release all within a matter of days – no travel required.
Examples of how we use Riverside.fm for video production:
We have used Riverside.fm to produce numerous projects, including:
Mike Reilly’s “Find Your Finish Line Podcast”:
We use Riverside.fm to produce the “Find Your Finish Line with Mike Reilly” podcast. Riverside allows us the ability for remote recording to bring in guests from around the world to create one podcast episode. Without Riverside’s ability to conduct remote interviews, we would have to get everyone together in one room… and we all know how hard and expensive that is these days.
BCC’s Journey to Coeur d’Alene – Meet the Team videos:
Back during IRONMAN Wisconsin in 2022 our team decided to race IRONMAN Coeur d’Alene. We started to create our team and document our journey. Riverside allowed us to conduct remote interviews with our team members for our “Meet the Team” series. Without Riverside, we wouldn’t be able to capture this high-quality content as efficiently. Again, the remote recording capabilities of Riverside are beyond any other platform we have tried to date.
Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer:
Not every piece of media we create is released publicly and that’s OK! When working with the Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer Program, we produce their continuing education for coaches. Once again, we use the amazing remote recording of Riverside to conduct remote interviews to create the final video.
Most of their programming needs to be done after hours to accommodate their coaches working schedules. With Riverside’s flexibility, our team doesn’t need to be in the studio to conduct the remote recording. The interviews can be recorded from anywhere!
If you’re interested in what remote recording looks like and are a fan of supporting youth sports check out Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer! We love working with them and what they are doing to bring sports to youth in our local area.
USA Triathlon:
USA Triathlon reached out to us during 2020 to help produce the Hall of Fame Induction videos because they were unable to do their in-person awards ceremony. During this time, we were relying heavily on remote interviews through Riverside.fm for video production.
IRONMAN VR:
During 2020, we used Riverside to conduct remote interviews with remote recording for the IRONMAN VR series. Using Riverside was HUGE for us because it allowed us to innovate in a space we were familiar with during unprecedented times.
One Simple Wish:
If you haven’t heard of One Simple Wish yet, stop what you’re doing, and go check them out. You may know them from the viral Reddit post about donating gifts to underprivileged children. Reddit users were able to amass lots of donations for One Simple Wish’s mission–getting gifts to kids who otherwise wouldn’t have them.
We were fortunate enough to be able to work with this amazing organization to create videos explaining what they did, their mission, and their goals.
Check out one of the videos we made using Riverside and their remote recording capabilities here!
AIME Oral Histories:
The American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME) has been working with us for more than 3 years to produce their oral histories. This type of content suits Riverside’s remote recording and remote interview set up perfectly. We are able to schedule time to record the oral history. Our editors take it from there to create a final product.
Definitely check them out if you are interested in the histories of engineering.
Coopers Cat Commune:
We love animals here at BCC and we love working with non-profit organizations. Coopers Cat Commune is one of many customers we use Riverside for to create the perfect video.
Health Industry Distributors Association (HIDA):
HIDA is another one of our customers that does not release their videos to the public. We use Riverside for remote recording and conducting remote interviews, which then get edited into virtual sessions and presented at their virtual events throughout the year.
They love the virtual/hybrid presentation format so much that we continue to produce virtual events for them to this day! We started producing virtual events for them in 2020. HIDA worked with us to develop the perfect virtual events for them. Once in-person events resumed, HIDA determined they would continue to do some virtual events. The key to our combined success? Riverside.
How else can you use Riverside.fm for video production?
Like we said before, we use Riverside.fm for video production because it is so flexible – we use it for remote recording, remote interviews, creating unique podcast experiences, and creating unique content for virtual events.
But how else can you use Riverside.fm for video production? Let’s look at some options:
- Creating a podcast with guests anywhere in the world
- Cost effective option for remote recording
- Subverting costs of owning a brick and mortar studio
- Complete simple edits within Riverside
- Flexible scheduling – the studio is always open from anywhere you have internet
Do you have any ideas for how else you would use Riverside.fm for video production? Let us know on our socials!
Why do we love Riverside.fm for video production?
It’s simple! Using Riverside is easy and effective. Our customers & guests don’t have to worry about barriers to entry and can focus on their recording session.
When it comes to customer service, they have been stellar at troubleshooting with us in an extremely timely manner. Unlike other services….
All in all, Riverside allows us to be better and faster at what we do. We are able to deliver an excellent product on time, every time, ensuring our Productions Made Great experience!
Interested in learning more? Reach out to us on our socials, or contact us!