Last updated: 2026-01-12

For most social media managers in the US, StreamYard is the most practical podcast recording studio because it’s browser-based, social-first, and built for repurposing your shows into clips. If you specifically need 4K recording plus uncompressed 48kHz WAV with AI-heavy transcription and clipping, a tool like Riverside can also be part of your stack.

Summary

• StreamYard focuses on easy, reliable recording and live production that feeds social content, not complex editing.
• You get local multi-track recording, uncompressed 48kHz WAV audio, and 4K local video files for post-production on StreamYard. (StreamYard)
• Riverside leans into 4K recording, 48kHz WAV, and AI tools like transcription and Magic Clips for post-production and repurposing. (Riverside)
• For most social media managers, pairing StreamYard with a dedicated editor and a podcast host creates a cleaner, more flexible workflow than all‑in‑one suites.

What do social media managers actually need from podcast recording software?

When you’re responsible for growth on TikTok, Reels, YouTube, and LinkedIn, the recording itself is only step one. The real job is turning conversations into a steady stream of on-brand content.

In practice, that means your podcast recording setup should give you:

• High-quality, reliable audio and video you can trust in post.
• A frictionless way for guests to join—no installs, no tech drama.
• Automatic recording so nothing gets lost in the chaos of a live show.
• Strong visual controls and branding so clips look on-brand out of the gate.
• Simple, in-app ways to pull clips and moments for social.

StreamYard is built around this social-first workflow: you record or go live in a browser studio, capture high-quality local files from each participant, and then turn those sessions into clips and campaigns. (StreamYard)

How does StreamYard make recording and guests easier?

Imagine you’re hosting a weekly interview show with busy founders. Your nightmare scenario is spending 20 minutes at the start of every call helping people install software.

With StreamYard, guests join from a link in their browser. They don’t need to create an account or download an app, which removes a major point of friction and no‑show risk. (StreamYard)

A few details that matter day to day:

• Browser-based studio: You run everything from Chrome or similar. No heavy desktop software to manage.
• Guest links: Share a unique link; guests land directly in your studio.
• Up to 10 people on paid plans: Enough for panels, internal roundtables, or multi-guest shows. (StreamYard)
• Built-in audio refinements: Echo cancellation and background noise removal help keep remote audio listenable without extra plugins. (StreamYard)

For a social media manager juggling multiple campaigns, this reduces prep time and tech support, letting you focus on content and distribution instead of troubleshooting.

How good is the audio and video quality for podcasts and clips?

Both StreamYard and Riverside are capable of producing professional-quality recordings. For most social feeds, the practical differences come down to workflow and what you’re publishing, not just technical specs.

On StreamYard:

• Local multi-track recording captures separate audio and video files per participant directly on their device, so internet hiccups don’t ruin the master. (StreamYard)
• 4K local recordings let you create high-fidelity masters suitable for serious editing and reframing.
• You can work with uncompressed 48kHz WAV audio per participant, which is more than enough for podcast platforms and social video.
• Color presets and grading controls help you dial in a consistent, on-brand look before you ever hit export.

Riverside, as another option, emphasizes specs as well: it supports local 4K video and uncompressed 48kHz WAV audio with separate tracks per participant. (Riverside) For many social media managers, the outcome is similar in practice—clean audio, sharp video—so the more important question is how quickly you can turn those files into posts.

How does recording fit into a social-first workflow?

The best podcast recording setup for a social media manager is the one that feeds your content calendar with minimal friction.

On StreamYard, the workflow lines up cleanly with how social content gets made:

1. Plan a live show or recording session around the questions and segments you know will become clips.
2. Record with local multi-track on so each guest and the host are captured separately.
3. Use AI Clips to surface standout moments quickly based on prompts or themes you care about.
4. Export those clips and finish any deep edits in your preferred NLE (Premiere Pro, Final Cut, Descript, etc.).

We intentionally keep editing lightweight in-app. StreamYard’s AI Clips are built for speed—finding moments, spinning up short-form pieces, and helping you move from “long conversation” to “publishable asset” quickly. For frame-level editing, complex audio mastering, or branded motion graphics, dedicated editing tools are still the right place to finish the work.

For comparison, Riverside also offers AI-powered tools for transcription, captioning, and clip creation from your recordings. (Riverside) This can be useful if you want more of those tools under one roof, but many teams prefer the flexibility of combining StreamYard with their existing editors and social scheduling platforms.

Can I auto-generate social clips from podcast recordings?

Yes. This is one of the most practical reasons US social media managers lean into StreamYard.

With AI Clips in StreamYard, you can:

• Prompt for specific topics, guests, or moments.
• Quickly generate highlight clips suited for TikTok, Shorts, or Reels.
• Make simple adjustments in-app—trimming, reframing, or tweaking aspect ratios—before exporting for final polish.

The intent is leverage, not replacement. AI handles the “find the good stuff” part, while you still control brand voice, final edits, and packaging.

If you want an alternative, Riverside’s Magic Clips feature also generates short-form content from full sessions using AI. (Riverside) The trade-off is deciding whether you want more tools inside one recording app, or a lean recording studio like StreamYard paired with your existing editing ecosystem.

Recording remote guests with browser-only workflows

Remote guests are standard now, and for social media managers, their availability is often more important than their tech skills.

StreamYard keeps the guest experience extremely simple:

• Guests click a link, grant mic/camera permissions in the browser, and they’re in.
• There’s no requirement to download software or create an account. (StreamYard)
• On your side, you can manage layouts, branding, overlays, and screen shares live while the recording or stream runs.

Riverside also supports browser-based and app-based guest joins, with local recording that uploads in the background. (Riverside) That upload step is helpful for quality but can introduce extra waiting time, especially on slower connections. Many social teams prefer the simplicity of running everything in the browser with StreamYard and then working from the local and cloud files it creates.

Plans required for 4K video and 48kHz WAV audio

If you’re planning a premium-looking video podcast for YouTube plus shorts for other platforms, 4K and high-quality audio can matter.

On StreamYard, you can capture 4K local recordings and uncompressed 48kHz WAV audio per participant as part of your recording workflow, then downscale or crop for social as needed. (StreamYard) Paid plans remove most of the constraints around local recording hours, which is important if you’re running multiple shows or long-form interviews. (StreamYard)

Riverside also supports up to 4K video and 48kHz audio for each participant, but its multi-track hours are capped per month by plan—2 hours on the free tier, 5 on Standard, and 15 on Pro. (Riverside) If you’re recording frequently or handling long episodes, those caps can become something you have to manage.

For many social media managers, the combination of StreamYard’s quality, generous recording approach on paid plans, and straightforward pricing (including promotional rates for new US customers and a 7‑day free trial) offers a smoother runway to scale production.

Participant limits for multi-guest podcast recordings

Multi-guest episodes and panel shows are gold for social because they generate more perspectives and more quotable moments.

On StreamYard:

• You can record with up to 10 people in a single studio on paid plans, which comfortably covers most panels, AMAs, and customer roundtables. (StreamYard)
• The free plan supports you plus 5 additional guests, which is often enough to pilot a format before scaling up. (StreamYard)

Riverside supports up to 8 participants in a recording, which is also workable for many shows. (Riverside) If you’re planning Town Hall-style events, larger roundtables, or live community shows that also double as podcast content, the extra headroom on StreamYard can be useful.

What we recommend

• Default choice for social media managers: Use StreamYard as your primary podcast recording and live studio, especially if your main goal is feeding social channels with reliable, on-brand content.
• When to add another tool: Consider incorporating Riverside if you heavily rely on AI transcription/captioning inside the recording tool itself or have very specific 4K/48kHz requirements tied to that platform.
• How to build your stack: Pair StreamYard with a dedicated editor (for deep cuts) and a podcast hosting platform (for RSS and distribution) rather than relying on any single all‑in‑one.
• Next step: Start piloting your show format in StreamYard with a few guests, then refine your clip workflow and tooling once you see what kind of content resonates most on your channels.