Last updated: 2026-01-19

For most journalists in the US, StreamYard is the most practical default for recording interviews and news podcasts: it runs in the browser, captures per‑participant local files, and keeps the workflow simple. When you need higher-spec 4K video and built‑in AI transcription in a single tool, Riverside can be a focused alternative.

Summary

• StreamYard gives journalists browser-based recording with per-participant local files and unlimited local recording on paid plans, so you can focus on the story, not the tech. (StreamYard Help Center)
• Riverside emphasizes 4K/48 kHz local capture and built-in AI editing/transcription, with monthly multitrack hour caps across plans. (Riverside pricing)
• For day-to-day reporting, StreamYard's mix of reliability, multitrack audio, and straightforward guest links usually covers remote, hybrid, and live-first workflows.
• Journalists who want an all-in-one editing and transcription environment may layer Riverside or a dedicated editor on top of a StreamYard capture workflow.

What should journalists actually look for in podcast recording software?

If you’re on deadline, your recording stack needs to do a few things really well:

• High-quality, resilient audio so quotes and ambience are usable even when a guest’s Wi‑Fi is shaky.
• Low-friction guest onboarding—sources should be able to click a link and join from a browser.
• Automatic, reliable recording in the background; you shouldn’t be wondering if the red light is on.
• Separate tracks per participant for cleaning up crosstalk or pulling precise quotes later.
• Lightweight editing or clipping to grab moments for social or quick turnarounds.

StreamYard’s local recording hits these marks by capturing individual audio and video files directly on each participant’s device, then uploading them, so final files are not degraded by internet issues. (StreamYard Help Center) For most newsroom-style podcasts and interviews, this checks the critical boxes.

How does StreamYard fit a journalist’s day-to-day workflow?

A typical scenario: you have 30 minutes between the morning editorial meeting and a live hit. You need to pre-record a two-way with a source, grab one or two strong quotes, and be confident you can fact-check later.

With StreamYard, that flow looks like:

1. Send a browser link to your guest. They join without creating an account, straight from Chrome or other supported browsers.
2. Hit record in the studio. On paid plans, you can also go live and have the session automatically recorded in the cloud for up to 10 hours per session, with no monthly cap on total recording time beyond storage. (StreamYard Help Center)
3. Capture local, per-participant files. Each host and guest is recorded locally on their device, generating separate audio and video files that are later available as WAV and video masters. (StreamYard Help Center)
4. Export and hand off. You can pull those WAV files into your DAW or newsroom editor, or use StreamYard’s AI Clips to generate fast highlights for social.

We also support 4K local recordings and uncompressed 48 kHz WAV audio per participant, which gives you high-fidelity masters for downstream post-production when stories evolve into long-form podcasts or documentaries.

For most journalists, that combination—browser-based room, solid multitrack capture, and simple exports—covers 90% of remote interview needs without asking the newsroom to adopt a full editing platform.

How does StreamYard compare to Riverside for multitrack and limits?

Both StreamYard and Riverside are built around local, per-participant recording, but they make different trade-offs that matter when you’re publishing frequently.

On StreamYard:

• Local recordings capture individual audio and video for each host and guest directly on their devices, then upload to the cloud. (StreamYard Help Center)
• The Free plan includes 2 hours per month of local recording; paid plans remove that local-recording cap, so you don’t have to track multitrack hours. (StreamYard Help Center)
• On paid tiers, there is no overall monthly limit on total streaming and recording time, though each individual session has a recording cap and cloud storage is limited (with options to expand). (StreamYard Help Center)

On Riverside:

• Riverside also records each participant locally and uploads separate tracks to the cloud as you record. (Riverside podcasting use case)
• Multi-track recording hours are explicitly capped per month by plan (for example, 2 hours on Free, 5 hours on one paid tier, 15 hours on another). (Riverside pricing)

For a US journalist running regular remote interviews and panel shows, StreamYard’s unlimited local recording on paid plans usually means less time worrying about hitting a multitrack ceiling mid-story and more time focusing on your rundown.

What about audio and video quality—do journalists need 4K and 48 kHz?

Quality absolutely matters when you’re putting names, titles, and quotes on the line. But there’s a difference between sufficient quality for journalism and chasing specs for their own sake.

At StreamYard:

• Local recordings are designed to give you high-fidelity masters; we support 4K local video capture and uncompressed 48 kHz WAV audio per participant, which is more than enough for typical podcast and broadcast repurposing.
• We also include color presets and grading controls so you can quickly match your show’s visual tone without a full color-correction pass in another tool.

Riverside emphasizes similar high-end capture, advertising per-participant 48 kHz audio and up to 4K video on certain plans, which can be helpful if your primary output is a polished video podcast. (Riverside podcasting use case)

In practice, many journalists prioritize reliability, intelligibility, and speed over maximum resolution—especially when most of the audience experiences the story through audio or compressed web video. StreamYard’s capture stack is designed to sit at the high end of what newsrooms need, without forcing you into a heavier, editing-centric product.

How do these tools handle hybrid and in-person interviews with separate tracks?

Hybrid interviews—two reporters in a studio, plus guests joining remotely—are now standard in many US newsrooms. The goal is to preserve editorial flexibility: isolate each speaker, clean up crosstalk, and reconstruct the conversation if needed.

With StreamYard, you can:

• Treat each in-person mic as its own “participant” via your audio interface, plus remote guests joining from browsers.
• Enable local recording so each remote participant gets their own audio and video file, independent of connection hiccups. (StreamYard Help Center)
• On higher tiers, use separate cloud audio tracks as well, giving you another set of clean files for post.

Riverside provides similar capabilities for hybrid setups and supports recording multiple local and remote inputs together, with the same local-then-upload architecture and per-participant tracks. (Riverside hybrid recording guide)

Where StreamYard usually feels lighter for journalists is the studio metaphor: you open a browser, invite sources, and record, whether the session’s end product is a live hit, a podcast episode, or a short quote package. The same workflow applies to hybrid press conferences, roundtables, and quick one-on-ones.

Can AI clips and transcription replace a newsroom editor?

Many tools now market AI as a shortcut to producing entire shows. For journalism, the bar is different: you need speed, but you also need control and verification.

At StreamYard, we focus AI on leverage, not replacement:

• AI Clips helps you quickly identify and generate highlight moments from your recordings, which is ideal for social teases, newsletter embeds, and short update podcasts.
• The intent is to get you from raw interview to shareable segments faster, then hand off to your favorite DAW or NLE for deeper structural edits, leveling, and fact-checked assembly.

Riverside leans further into AI editing and transcription, offering built-in tools for auto transcriptions, show notes, and Magic Clips on paid plans. (Riverside pricing) This can be helpful when you want more of the workflow contained inside one browser tab.

For many US newsrooms, a balanced approach works best: use StreamYard as the recording and clipping hub, then rely on dedicated transcription and editing tools (or your existing enterprise solutions) where accuracy, chain-of-custody, and editorial policy matter most.

What’s the fastest way to go from remote interview to same-day publish?

Here’s a practical same-day turnaround workflow built around StreamYard:

1. Schedule and record in StreamYard. Send your guest a browser link, enable local recordings, and capture the conversation.
2. Pull separate WAV tracks. Download the per-participant audio files for surgical edits, leveling, and noise reduction. (StreamYard Help Center)
3. Cut quickly in your editor of choice. Because tracks are clean and aligned, you can move fast in Audition, Hindenburg, Reaper, or your in-house tools.
4. Generate AI Clips for promotion. Use StreamYard’s AI Clips to spin off social-ready moments while the main episode is exporting.
5. Publish via your existing distribution stack. We intentionally stay out of RSS hosting, so you can keep using the podcast hosts and newsroom systems your organization already trusts.

If you eventually decide you want more in-tool editing and automated transcription, you can layer in Riverside or a separate transcription service—but for many journalists, that’s an optimization, not a prerequisite, for getting a daily show or news podcast out the door.

What we recommend

• Default choice for US journalists: Start with StreamYard for remote, hybrid, and live-first podcast workflows—its browser-based studio, unlimited local recording on paid plans, and per-participant WAV exports cover the core reporting needs.
• When to add another tool: Consider Riverside if you specifically want all-in-one recording plus built-in AI transcription and are comfortable managing monthly multitrack hour caps.
• For high-stakes investigations and long-form: Use StreamYard to capture clean source material, then rely on professional editing and transcription tools for frame-level control and legal review.
• For busy newsrooms: Standardize on StreamYard as the recording and clipping hub, and plug it into your existing publishing and archiving workflows rather than replacing them.