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How to record a remote podcast guest on a Mac

Tested on macOS 26.4.1 (Tahoe), Apple M3 Max, 3 Sept 2026. Updated 2026-09-03.

You can record a remote podcast guest on a Mac two ways. A double-ender service such as Riverside or Zencastr records each person locally, in separate tracks, unaffected by the connection. Capturing the call's audio on your Mac records the guest as the call codec delivered them, and does not include your own mic. Do both: the local capture is the backup. Zencastr's free plan records 48 kHz WAV.

What is a double-ender and why does it sound better?

A double-ender records each participant on their own machine, then uploads those local files. The guest's voice never crosses the internet as a live stream on its way to the recording, so packet loss, echo cancellation and the call codec never touch it. Riverside describes its recording as "Capture up to 4K video and uncompressed audio in separate tracks, unaffected by internet connection."

What the current free plans give, from the pricing pages on 3 September 2026:

The trade-offs: the guest must open a link in a supported browser, allow camera and mic, and stay on the page until the upload finishes. A guest who closes the tab early loses the tail of their track. Files are 16-bit or 24-bit WAV depending on plan and settings; that is why a 45-minute guest track can be several hundred megabytes and the upload takes time on a slow connection. Guests who are not technical sometimes prefer a plain Zoom link, which is where the second method comes in.

How do I record the call audio on my Mac instead?

If the guest joins on Zoom, Meet, FaceTime or a phone bridge, the sound of their voice is playback on your Mac, and a system audio recorder captures it. Tested with AirCheck on macOS 26.4.1:

  1. Choose System Audio. Grant Screen Recording once under System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen & System Audio Recording. Nothing is installed; this is Apple's ScreenCaptureKit.
  2. Export as WAV 24-bit for a take you will edit, or MP3 320 for a backup.
  3. Press record before the guest connects, so the intro is not lost. Put on headphones; otherwise the guest's voice leaks into your own mic track.
  4. Stop after the goodbye. The file is in ~/Music/AirCheck.

Two facts about this file. It contains the guest as the call app delivered them, so the quality ceiling is the call codec, not the guest's mic. And it does not contain you: your voice never plays through your speakers, so it is absent from the capture. Record your own mic in the same moment with QuickTime (File > New Audio Recording, Maximum) or GarageBand. That gives you two local files to align on a clap, which is the same separate-track result a double-ender produces, at the guest's call quality. Details of the two-take method are in recording both sides of a call on a Mac, and for Zoom specifically in recording Zoom audio on a Mac.

How do I record a backup so a failed upload does not lose the episode?

Every remote recording should run twice. The double-ender is the master; a local capture of the call on your Mac is the backup that exists even if the guest's upload never finishes. The cost of the backup is one extra app and a few hundred megabytes.

  1. Open the double-ender studio in the browser and start it as usual.
  2. Start a system audio recorder on the Mac at the same time. The backup contains the guest's voice as you heard it, which is good enough to rescue a lost segment or an entire episode.
  3. Start a mic recorder for your own voice as well, unless the double-ender's local track for you is reliable. QuickTime or AirCheck's mic source both work; AirCheck records one source per take, so a second instance is not an option, use QuickTime for the second file.
  4. After the session, check the double-ender's tracks first. Only reach for the backup when something is missing.

Sizes for a 60-minute guest, from the measured rates in the AirCheck library: 990 MB at 24-bit 48 kHz, 660 MB at 16-bit 48 kHz, 144 MB as MP3 320. For a backup, MP3 320 is enough. If the audio stalls mid session, for example because the guest's audio route changed, AirCheck's watchdog restarts capture into the same file after 5 seconds without audio, so the backup stays one continuous take. The same setup covers a co-host who joins every episode remotely; the general podcast workflow is in how to record a podcast on a Mac.

Which should I use for my show?

Decide by the guest, not by the software.

Editing is the same afterwards: import the tracks into GarageBand, Logic or Audacity, align on the clap, level each voice separately, export MP3. Transcripts for show notes come from MacWhisper's free tier, which labels speakers, or from the double-ender's own transcription where the plan includes it. The transcript workflow is in how to transcribe audio on a Mac.

Capture up to 4K video and uncompressed audio in separate tracks, unaffected by internet connection.

Riverside, product page

Recording a remote podcast guest from a Mac: double-ender vs local call capture

MethodGuest audio quality ceilingSeparate track for guestIncludes your micSurvives guest's bad connectionFree tier
Riversidelocal recording, 44.1 kHz on Free, 48 kHz on Proyesyes (own local track)yes2 hours, 720p, watermark; Pro $24/month annual
Zencastrlocal recording, 48 kHz WAVyesyes (own local track)yes48 kHz WAV, 6 participants (from pricing page)
Zoom local recording (you host)call codecdepends on Zoom settingsyesnoincluded with Zoom
AirCheck System Audio capturecall codecyes (guest only)no, second take neededno$39 one-off, no tier
AirCheck capture plus QuickTime mic takecall codec for guest, 24-bit for youyes (two files)yesno$39 plus free

Plan details quoted from riverside.com/pricing and zencastr.com/pricing on 3 September 2026; check before relying on them.

Where AirCheck fits

AirCheck ($39, macOS 14 or newer) is the backup recorder and the fallback for guests who will only join a plain call: it captures the call's playback through ScreenCaptureKit with no driver, exports WAV 24-bit or MP3 320, and keeps one continuous take if the audio stalls. It is not a double-ender and it records one source per take, so it does not replace Riverside or Zencastr for a guest with a good mic, and your own voice needs QuickTime or a second AirCheck take.

When you do not need it: If every guest is comfortable opening a browser studio, a double-ender alone gives better guest audio than any capture on your Mac. If you host on Zoom and only need a usable backup, Zoom's local recording is free.

AirCheck records what your Mac plays, or any input, to one file. $39 once.

Buy AirCheck for $39

macOS 14 or newer. One-off payment. Fourteen-day refund, no questions asked.

Questions people ask

Does a double-ender need a good internet connection?

Not for quality. Each side records locally, so the file is clean even if the live call stutters. It needs a connection to upload afterwards; the guest should stay on the page until the upload completes.

Can I record a remote guest with QuickTime?

Only your own side. QuickTime's audio recording lists microphones, and the guest's voice is playback, not a microphone. Use a system audio recorder for the guest, or a double-ender for both.

Why does the guest sound worse in my call capture than in their own local file?

Because the capture records what the call app delivered after compression and echo cancellation. A double-ender records the guest before any of that. The difference is most audible in music and in room tone, less in plain speech.

How big are the files from a remote session?

A 60-minute guest at 24-bit 48 kHz is 990 MB; at 16-bit 48 kHz 660 MB; as MP3 320 144 MB. Double-ender uploads are the WAV sizes, which is why guests should stay connected until the upload finishes.

Sources

Hannes Hennerbichler builds AirCheck and records his own DJ sets with it through a Focusrite Scarlett 8i6. Every step on this page was run on the macOS version stated above. Drafted with AI assistance, checked and edited by the author. About