Waveroom Virtual Recording Studio Review

Trying to figure out complicated recording software for your podcast, interview, or meeting takes far too much time. Instead, Waveroom Virtual Recording Studio lets you handle all the recording straight from your browser. There is nothing to install, and you’re free to record wherever you are. I recently tested it out for this review.

This is a sponsored article and was made possible by Waveroom. The actual contents and opinions are the sole views of the author, who maintains editorial independence even when a post is sponsored.

Overview of Features

Waveroom Virtual Recording Studio makes recording an important meeting or podcast episode as easy as pressing a record button. While there are other online tools for recording, Waveroom has several major features that set it apart from the competition.

First, recordings are performed locally to ensure that you get clear, uninterrupted recordings, even if you have a weak Internet connection. They’re then saved in the cloud for you to view or download when you’re ready. You get separate recordings for each participant.

Second, there is no monthly subscription. You only pay for what you use. And, if you buy minutes, they don’t expire until you use them all.

Finally, easily download your entire session, just the video, or just the audio. This is a great way to separate podcasts to allow people to watch the original recording or just listen to the audio.

Since it’s a virtual recording studio, there’s absolutely nothing to download. But, that doesn’t mean you have to settle for low-quality recordings.

Instead, Waveroom Virtual Recording Studio lets you record up to 1080p resolution in MP4 format with 48 kHz audio in uncompressed WAV format.

Easily record just yourself or invite others using a shared link for meetings and interviews. In the trial version, you can have yourself (host) and up to two guests. In the premium version, you can have up to four guests.

The downside is that it’s only for desktop – there is no mobile option. However, mobile support is in the works.

Getting Started

Waveroom Virtual Recording Studio is one of the simplest online services to sign up for. You don’t have to go through a bunch of setup screens. Just visit Waveroom’s website, click Get Started, and enter your desired username and password.

It’s free to start with no credit card required. Free users get their first 120 minutes free. Take as long as you want to use those minutes. Until you’ve used them up, you don’t need to upgrade unless you want higher resolution recording.

I was signed up and creating my first room in just a few minutes – no technical expertise required.

Setting Up Rooms

Rooms are where you start meetings, interviews, podcasts, or anything else you want to record. For instance, you could record a grandchild that lives hundreds of a miles away showing off the song they just learned at school. Or, if you’re a business owner, you could even ask happy customers to record testimonials. Get creative, and enjoy the results.

From the Waveroom Virtual Recording Studio dashboard, just click the plus button or the Create Room button to start a new room. Waveroom gives each room a unique name – an actual name, not just random letters and numbers.

I kind of like the names myself, but if you want to customize it to make it easier to remember the purpose of the room, just click the name and rename it.

Obviously, your recording capabilities are limited by your equipment, but you can change settings and equipment (if you have multiple webcams and mics installed) in the Devices section.

Adjust the recording settings from the Record tab. This is where you change your audio and video settings. If you just want to record audio, you have the option to turn off video recording in this tab.

What I love is that you can do a quick test record to make sure your settings are right before it’s time to actually record. After all, you don’t want to record something important, only to realize your webcam or mic wasn’t working properly.

I took about five minutes to set up my first room. After the first time, you’ll already know your settings, so it shouldn’t take more than a minute or two.

Recording in Waveroom Virtual Recording Studio

If you’re just recording yourself, press Start Meeting to enter your virtual recording room. Then, all I had to do was tap the big red Record button, and I was all set. The same button ends the recording when you’re done.

By default, a meeting starts with two panes: one for you and one with your meeting link. Use this link to invite others. Please note that people you invite don’t have to pay for Waveroom to use it or even sign up. Only the host needs to.

If you don’t want to invite others, just exit the second pane for a full-screen view.

I like the simple interface. There are a few buttons to toggle the mic and camera on/off, record and stop recording, an exit button (to end the meeting), and a help option. It really doesn’t get much easier.

Recording starts in just a few seconds once you press the button. Once I was done recording, I stopped and waited for the video to process. You can exit the meeting before this happens, but I stayed in the room until it was done.

The processing time seems to vary quite a bit. For example, a quick one minute test recording processed in under 30 seconds. A 45-second recording took several minutes to process.

As a bonus, once you exit a room, if you’ve invited others, they can stick around to chat. Nothing records at this point, but people can still hang out if they want.

Downloading Recordings

The great thing about rooms in Waveroom Virtual Recording Studio is that they organize your recordings. From your Waveroom dashboard, select the room you want, and click the download button beside the video you want to save. Save the raw video for individual users (you’ll see multiple videos for this), the raw synced video, or just the audio.

These download in the full original quality. There isn’t any extra cost for audio or video quality. It’s all included when you buy minutes.

Personally, I was thoroughly impressed with the recording quality. It was clear and looked better than when I try to download recordings from some of the major video conferencing tools.

Pricing

Waveroom Virtual Recording Studio is surprisingly affordable. For just $10, enjoy 120 minutes of recording, 1080p video, and video storage for up to one year. Free users only get one week of storage. If you need more time, just buy another $10 pack. Once again, minutes don’t expire.

Final Thoughts

Waveroom Virtual Recording Studio is a great alternative to expensive and difficult-to-use desktop recording software. Record meetings, interviews, podcasts, and more in HD quality, even with a weak Internet connection. It’s impressive that you only pay for what you use versus a pricey subscription.

It would be nice to see support for slightly larger groups. While I also wish there was a mobile version, Waveroom works incredibly well on desktop. Try it out yourself for free.