In short
For the audio you publish, have each person record their own microphone locally, through a remote recording service or a recorder on each computer, then combine the files. A notetaker keeping you and the call on separate tracks gives you a transcript for show notes.
To record a remote podcast interview on a Mac, have each person record their own voice locally and combine the files afterwards: a remote recording service does this in the browser, or you and your guest each run a recorder on your own computer. Recording the call itself is a useful backup, but the call's audio has been squeezed for the connection. Before any of it, your guest agrees to be recorded and published.
This guide covers the recording setup, the backup, getting a transcript for show notes and quotes, and the release. It is about interviews over the internet; for a guest in the same room, both of you are on the same microphone and recording an in-person meeting is closer to what you need.
How to record a remote podcast interview on a Mac
- Get the guest's agreement in writing. Before the day, send what the recording is for, where it will be published, and that it will be edited. Ask them to confirm.
- Choose how each side is recorded. A remote recording service that records each participant locally, or a recorder running on each computer.
- Send your guest a short setup note. Headphones, a quiet room, the microphone they will use, and closing apps that make notification sounds.
- Test ten minutes before. Both of you speak for thirty seconds; listen back to each track.
- Start a backup. Record the call on your Mac as well, in case a local file fails.
- Say on the recording that you are recording. "We're recording this for the show, as we agreed." It puts the agreement on the record.
- Clap once at the start. A sharp sound on every track makes lining them up in the editor quick.
- After the call, collect every file before the guest closes anything. Local recordings sometimes finish uploading after the call ends.
Why local recording sounds better
A video call is built to keep a conversation going over a connection that changes second by second. It compresses voices, drops or smears audio when the network stutters, and may apply its own noise suppression. That is the right trade for a meeting and the wrong one for a published recording.
When each person's voice is recorded on their own computer, before it goes over the connection, none of that reaches the file. You get one clean track per person, and a network hiccup in the call does not appear in the episode.
| Method | What you get | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Remote recording service | A local track per participant, uploaded after | The guest opens a link in a browser; depends on the service |
| A recorder on each computer ("double-ender") | A local track per participant | The guest has to run it and send the file |
| Recording the call on your Mac | Your mic and the call on separate tracks | The guest's voice is the call's compressed audio |
| The call app's own recorder | Usually one mixed file | Compressed; mixed voices are harder to edit |
For most shows, the first or second row is the published audio and the third is the backup, and the transcript.
Separate tracks, even for the backup
Whatever you record on your own Mac, keep your voice and your guest's apart. With separate tracks you can fix levels for each person, cut a cough without cutting the guest, and handle crosstalk. A single mixed file cannot be pulled apart again. Why separate tracks matter explains the idea in more detail.
On a Mac, your microphone is one source and the sound the Mac plays (which is where the guest's voice arrives) is another. Recording system audio on a Mac covers the ways to capture the second one. Wear headphones: on speakers, the guest's voice comes out of the speakers and into your microphone, and ends up on your track too.
The guest's agreement and release
Recording someone for publication is different from recording a meeting for notes. The guest needs to know three things: that it is recorded, that it will be published, and that it will be edited.
A short written release is common practice. It usually covers:
Guest release — <show name> — <episode>
I, <guest name>, agree that <show name> may record our conversation on
<date>, edit it, and publish it as audio, video and text (including a
transcript and quotes) in the show and in material promoting it.
I understand that the recording will be edited for length and clarity.
<anything agreed about reviewing the edit, or topics left out>
Signed: <guest> Date: <date>This is an example, not a legal document. What a release needs to say depends on where you and your guest are and on how you publish; take advice if it matters. Recording laws differ too, and some places require everyone's agreement to record a conversation at all. How to ask for consent to record has wording for asking at the start of a call.
If a guest asks for something to be cut, cut it. If they say something off the record during the call, mark the time and leave it out.
Show notes from a transcript
A transcript turns show notes from a second listen into a reading job. From it you want:
- The topics, with the time each starts. Listeners use these to jump.
- Two or three quotes for the episode page and social posts, checked against the audio.
- Every name, book, product and link mentioned, spelled correctly. Speech recognition often gets names wrong; check them with the guest.
A show-notes template:
## <Episode title>
<Two sentences on who the guest is and what the conversation covers.>
**Topics**
- 00:00 Introduction
- 04:10 <topic>
- 18:45 <topic>
**Quotes**
- "<quote>" — <guest>
**Mentioned**
- <name or link>If you publish the full transcript, correct it first and tell the guest it will be published.
How Notey fits into this
Notey is a Mac app (Apple silicon, macOS 26 or later) that records your microphone and what the Mac plays as two separate tracks, and transcribes both on the Mac. In a remote interview that means your voice on one track and the guest's on the other, and a transcript where each line is labelled You or Them, which you can rename to your guest's name for that meeting. Nothing joins the call, so your guest sees no bot; they know it is recorded because you told them.
Use it for the part it is good at: the backup, the transcript, and finding things. Notey notices calls in Zoom, Teams, Slack and FaceTime, and in Chrome, Safari, Arc and Edge when the browser uses the microphone, and asks on its floating button; nothing is saved until you press Allow. In any other app, press Start. After the interview:
- Search with ⌘K for a word or name, and play from any line's timestamp to check a quote against the audio.
- Use the whole-meeting overview, with your side above and the guest's below, to find where a topic starts.
- Export the transcript as plain text to write show notes from.
The transcript is made in the Mac's language. After an English interview, Notey reads the recording again on your Mac and keeps the words its recognisers agree on. It leaves a transcript as recorded once you have changed anything in it, including naming a speaker, and it does not change a meeting while you have it open.
For the audio you publish, use a recorder built for it: a remote recording service or a local recorder on each side. Notey is a notetaker.
Common mistakes
- No written agreement before the day.
- Only recording the call. Keep it as the backup, not the plan.
- Speakers instead of headphones. The guest's voice leaks onto your track.
- Quotes from the transcript without checking the audio. Recognisers mishear names and numbers.
- Publishing something the guest asked you to cut.
A podcast interview is one of several kinds of recorded conversation, each with its own rules; types of meetings and the notes each one needs compares them.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best way to record a remote podcast interview?
Have each person's voice recorded on their own computer, then combine the files. Local recordings avoid the compression and dropouts of the call itself. Remote recording services do this in the browser; a recorder on each side does the same by hand.
Can I record a podcast interview from a Zoom call?
Yes, and many people do, but the call's audio is compressed for the connection, so it is usually a backup or a reference rather than the published track. Check that your guest has agreed before you record.
Do I need a guest release form for a podcast?
A written agreement from the guest that you can publish and edit the recording is common practice and avoids disputes later. What it has to say depends on where you and your guest are; take advice if you are unsure.
How do I make show notes from a podcast transcript?
Read the transcript for the main topics and the time each starts, pick two or three quotes, and list every link or name mentioned. A transcript with timestamps turns this into a short reading job rather than a second listen.
Should I publish the transcript of my podcast?
Many shows do, because it helps people who cannot listen and people searching for what was said. Correct it first, especially names, and tell your guest it will be published.