How to Record Course Videos Using Riverside

Log into Riverside and click "New Studio." Give it a descriptive name — something like "Expert Interview: Dr. Patel on Sleep Science" rather than "Recording 1." Each studio gets its own shareable link and recording history. You can reuse the same studio for a series of related recordings, or create a new one for each session. I'd recommend one studio per course module or per guest, so your recording library stays organized.

Before you record, check three settings in your studio configuration. First, enable "Separate tracks" — this records each participant's audio and video as individual files, which gives you far more flexibility in editing. If your guest's audio is louder than yours, you can adjust each track independently rather than trying to fix a single mixed file.

Second, set your video quality to the highest option your plan allows (1080p on Standard, 4K on Pro). Third, enable the recording backup option if available on your plan — it saves a redundant copy in case of any upload interruption.

Click "Copy link" from your studio page and send it to your guest. They don't need a Riverside account — they just open the link in Chrome or Edge, grant camera and microphone permissions, and they're in.

Before your actual recording session, run a quick 2-minute test together. Check that both cameras and microphones are working, confirm you can hear each other clearly, and verify that the separate-tracks setting is active. This test takes almost no time and saves you from discovering a problem after you've finished an hour-long conversation.

Hit the red Record button. During the session, Riverside shows a live view of all participants, but remember — what you see on screen is the compressed live version, not the final quality. The high-resolution files are being captured locally on each person's machine.

You can share your screen during the recording if you need to walk through slides or demonstrate a tool. One practical note: ask your guest to close unnecessary browser tabs and applications. Even though the recording is local, their machine still needs processing power for both the live call and the local recording.

When you stop recording, Riverside uploads each participant's local files to the cloud. This can take a few minutes depending on session length and internet speed — don't close the browser tab until the upload is complete. Once processing is done, go to your studio's recordings section. You'll see separate audio and video files for each participant, plus a combined version. Download the individual tracks if you plan to edit in a dedicated video editor.

If you're on the Pro plan, open your recording and look for the Magic Clips feature. Riverside's AI analyzes your conversation and suggests short highlight clips — typically 30–90 seconds each. Review the suggestions and export the ones that capture a valuable teaching moment. These clips are formatted for social media (vertical or square), making them useful for course promotion without additional editing work.

Import your separate tracks into your video editor — DaVinci Resolve (free), Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro, or even Descript. Having separate tracks means you can adjust each person's audio levels independently, cut between camera angles, and remove awkward pauses without affecting the other person's audio. If you recorded a 45-minute conversation, you might edit it down to a focused 25-minute lesson that keeps only the strongest teaching moments.

One of the most effective course formats is bringing in a guest expert for a focused conversation on a specific topic. Your student gets two perspectives instead of one, and you can ask the questions your students would ask. Riverside is built for exactly this scenario — two people in different locations, each captured at full quality. If your course on nutrition includes a module on gut health, recording a 30-minute interview with a gastroenterologist through Riverside gives your students access to expertise you couldn't deliver alone.

Even though Riverside records locally by design, it's still browser-based — and browsers can crash. Run a parallel screen recording using your computer's built-in tool (QuickTime on Mac, Xbox Game Bar on Windows) as a safety net. The quality won't match Riverside's local recording, but it means you'll never lose an entire session to a browser hiccup. For a one-hour expert interview that took weeks to schedule, that insurance is worth the minimal effort.

When two people are on a single audio track, removing an "um" or a cough from one speaker is nearly impossible without also cutting the other person's audio. With separate tracks, you can mute or trim one speaker's audio independently. The editing time difference between mixed and separate tracks is significant — plan for it from the start.

If you're recording yourself walking through slides or demonstrating software with no guest involved, Riverside adds complexity without much benefit. A simpler tool like Loom (screen + camera, one click) or OBS (free, unlimited local recording) will serve you better for solo content.

Shorter recordings, fewer features, and no Magic Clips on the free tier. For regular course production, expect to pay $15–24/month depending on the features you need. That's reasonable if you're recording guest interviews regularly, but it's an unnecessary cost if you only need to record yourself.

Riverside works without installing software but requires Chrome or Edge for the best experience. Safari and Firefox have limited compatibility. Your guests will also need to use a supported browser — include that in your invitation message to avoid a "why isn't my camera working?" moment at the start of a recording session.