How to Use Riverside: Complete & Easy Beginner Tutorial for Podcast Recording
Want to learn how to use Riverside to record podcasts, interviews, videos, and remote conversations with professional quality? This complete beginner tutorial will walk you through the full Riverside workflow step by step.
Riverside is one of the most popular online recording platforms for creators, podcasters, YouTubers, educators, and businesses. If you are wondering how to use Riverside for podcast recording, this guide will help you understand the dashboard, projects, studio setup, guest invites, device checks, layouts, recording, editing, and sharing.
In this guide, we will show you exactly how to use Riverside from the first dashboard screen to creating a project, inviting guests, checking your camera and microphone, entering the studio, recording your episode, and preparing your content for editing and publishing.
If you are new to podcast recording, Riverside can make the process much easier because everything is handled inside a clean browser-based studio.
To make this Riverside tutorial easier to follow, we have curated this helpful beginner walkthrough from Emma's Productivity Lab on YouTube. Watch it below to see the full Riverside workflow in action:
Video Tutorial curated from Emma's Productivity Lab on YouTube.
Try Riverside StudioHow to Use Riverside: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide
Riverside is built to make professional remote recording simple. Whether you are recording a solo podcast, a guest interview, a YouTube video, a webinar, or a branded content session, the basic workflow is easy to understand once you know where everything is located.
This how to use Riverside guide is especially useful for beginners who want to record high-quality podcast episodes, remote interviews, video podcasts, and online conversations without building a complicated studio setup.
Step 1: Create Your Riverside Account and Open the Dashboard
The first step in learning how to use Riverside is creating your account and opening the main dashboard. After logging in, you will see the core navigation areas such as Home, Projects, Planner, and Hosting.
The dashboard is where your recordings, projects, studio sessions, and editing workflow begin. For beginners, the most important area is the project section, because this is where your podcast episodes and video recordings will be organized.
Step 2: Understand the Main Riverside Options
From the dashboard, Riverside gives you several ways to create content. You can start a recording, edit existing content, go live, schedule a session, or upload media files. This makes Riverside more than just a recording tool — it can also become a central workspace for your podcast and video production process.
Record
Start a new recording session for podcasts, interviews, remote guests, YouTube videos, and professional conversations.
Edit
Open your recorded content and prepare it for publishing, trimming, sharing, or repurposing into smaller clips.
Go Live
Use Riverside for live sessions when you want to broadcast or present content in real time.
Upload
Upload existing audio or video files into Riverside and continue your editing or content workflow from there.
Step 3: Create a New Project
To keep your content organized, create a new project before recording. A project can represent one podcast, one client, one video series, one interview campaign, or one content category.
For example, if you are starting a podcast, you can create a project for that podcast and keep every episode inside the same workspace. This makes it easier to find your recordings later, especially when you begin producing content regularly.
Step 4: Start a New Recording Session
Once your project is ready, choose the recording option. Riverside will guide you into the studio setup process. This is where you prepare your session before actually joining the recording room.
If your goal is to understand how to use Riverside properly, do not rush this part. Set up your project, check your recording type, and make sure the session is prepared before inviting guests.
Step 5: Invite Guests to Record
If you are recording with another person, use the invite option to copy and share your guest link. Your guest can join the Riverside studio from their browser without needing a complicated technical setup.
This is especially useful for remote podcasts, online interviews, coaching sessions, business conversations, and creator collaborations. You can send the invite link to your guest before the recording and they can join when the session begins.
Step 6: Allow Camera and Microphone Permissions
Before entering the studio, Riverside will ask for access to your camera and microphone. Make sure you allow these permissions in your browser. Without camera and microphone access, Riverside cannot capture your video or audio properly.
For the best experience, use a good microphone, check your webcam framing, and record in a quiet room. Even though Riverside is designed to make recording easier, your microphone quality and room sound still matter a lot.
Step 7: Complete the Device Check
One of the most important beginner steps in any how to use Riverside workflow is the device check. Riverside lets you confirm your camera, microphone, and speakers before you join the studio.
- Camera: Choose the correct webcam or camera source.
- Microphone: Select the microphone you want Riverside to record.
- Speakers: Confirm where you want to hear your guest or playback audio.
- Preview: Check how your video looks before entering the session.
Always run a quick camera and microphone check before recording. A bad microphone selection or muted browser permission can ruin an otherwise perfect podcast session.
Step 8: Join the Riverside Studio
After your device check is complete, join the studio. This is the main recording room where you can see yourself, manage your guests, adjust settings, control layouts, use media, and start the recording.
The studio layout is designed to feel simple even for beginners. You can see the people in the session, manage the recording controls, and access additional tools from the side panels.
Step 9: Adjust Audio Settings and Echo Cancellation
Audio quality is extremely important for podcasts and interviews. Inside Riverside, check your audio settings before recording. If you are not using headphones, echo cancellation can help reduce unwanted feedback.
However, for the cleanest podcast sound, we still recommend using headphones and a dedicated microphone whenever possible. This helps avoid echo, room noise, and speaker bleed.
Step 10: Manage Guests with the People Panel
The People Panel helps you manage everyone inside the studio. This is where you can see who has joined, monitor participants, and keep control over your recording session.
If you are hosting interviews, this feature is useful because you can focus on the conversation while still keeping an eye on your guest’s connection, presence, and studio status.
Step 11: Change Layouts for a Better Visual Recording
Riverside allows you to change how participants appear on screen. You can use different layouts depending on whether you are recording a solo video, a two-person interview, a panel conversation, or a screen-share style presentation.
Choosing the right layout can make your final video look more polished and professional, especially if you plan to publish the recording on YouTube, your website, or social media.
Step 12: Use the Media Board
The Media Board is a helpful tool for adding media during your recording. You can use it for music, images, video clips, intros, outros, sound effects, or branded content elements.
This is useful if you want your podcast or video show to feel more professional without editing every single element later. For example, you can prepare an intro video or branded asset and use it during the session.
Step 13: Start Recording
Once your guests are ready, your camera and microphone are working, and your layout looks correct, click the recording button to begin. Riverside will start capturing your session.
When people search for how to use Riverside, this is usually the main part they care about: getting into the studio and recording without technical confusion. Keep your notes ready, speak clearly, and avoid changing too many settings while the session is running.
Step 14: Finish the Recording and Save Your Session
When your podcast or video session is complete, stop the recording and allow Riverside to finish processing and saving the files. Your recording will be stored inside your project, where you can access it later.
This is one of the reasons Riverside is useful for creators who produce content regularly: your projects, recordings, and post-production workflow stay organized in one place.
Step 15: Edit, Share, and Repurpose Your Recording
After recording, you can open your session for editing and sharing. Riverside is designed not only for recording but also for turning your content into publishable assets.
You can prepare your full podcast episode, create shorter clips, review your recording, and export content for platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Reels, LinkedIn, or your website.
Riverside is not just for podcasters. It can be used for video interviews, YouTube content, business webinars, online courses, client testimonials, expert conversations, and social media content. If your content includes remote guests or high-quality spoken video, Riverside is one of the easiest tools to start with.
How to Use Riverside: Beginner Workflow at a Glance
| Step | What You Do | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Create a project | Keeps your podcast or video sessions organized |
| 2 | Start a recording | Opens the studio workflow |
| 3 | Invite guests | Makes remote interviews simple |
| 4 | Check devices | Prevents camera and microphone problems |
| 5 | Join the studio | Gives you access to recording controls |
| 6 | Record and edit | Turns your session into publishable content |
Who Should Use Riverside?
Podcasters
Riverside is ideal for recording solo shows, guest interviews, remote podcasts, and video podcast episodes.
YouTubers
Creators can use Riverside to record high-quality interviews, reaction discussions, tutorials, and talking-head videos.
Businesses
Teams can record webinars, client interviews, internal training, expert sessions, and marketing videos.
Coaches & Educators
Riverside works well for online lessons, coaching calls, course content, and professional video conversations.
Final Thoughts
Learning how to use Riverside is one of the best first steps if you want to create professional podcast recordings, remote interviews, and high-quality video content without building a complicated studio setup.
From creating a project and inviting guests to checking your devices, entering the studio, recording, editing, and sharing your content, Riverside gives beginners a simple but powerful workflow.
If you are starting a podcast, building a YouTube channel, recording interviews, or creating video content for your brand, this how to use Riverside tutorial gives you the basic foundation you need before your first recording.
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