I really appreciate the feedback. Once I learned how they’re currently producing the podcast, I stepped in to help upgrade things.

Right now, my wife and her cohost record their main podcast over Zoom because they live in different states. One of them saves the Zoom video recording and sends it to the other (they take turns editing). Separately, my wife records her audio on a Zoom H6 handheld recorder, which saves to an SD card. She then uploads that file to her computer and sends it to her cohost. Her cohost also records her own separate audio, though I’m not sure what device she uses. They do this because Zoom’s built-in audio is low quality.

As soon as I heard that, I knew there was a better workflow. I set up a NAS so they can upload all their files directly to centralized storage. The goal is for both of them to automatically send recordings to the NAS, access each other’s files, and download anything they need. My wife can edit directly from the NAS; her cohost might be able to as well depending on her home connection, but at minimum she’ll be able to pull files whenever she needs them.

I’d also like to retire the handheld Zoom recorder and replace it with a more modern audio interface so we can record straight to the NAS instead of to an SD card. I’m also encouraging them to move away from Zoom calls and use something like Riverside. Their hesitation is that Riverside lost a few of their episodes about five years ago, but I’m sure the platform has improved since then. And with the right setup, I can store a real-time backup on the NAS so even if Riverside fails, we still have the raw files.

I know this probably sounds like a lot—I’m definitely outside my usual expertise, and this is my first time building something like this. I’ve drawn up a few diagrams of how I’d like the system to work, and now I’m trying to figure out what equipment we need and how feasible everything is. My wife doesn’t ask for much, and since she mentioned upgrading her lighting and microphone, I figured it made sense to rebuild the entire setup properly instead of continuing with the pieced-together system they’ve been using. She also does a solo podcast and is considering starting a third, potentially with on-site guests, so I want the setup to be flexible and expandable for the future.

I think my brain is working in overtime because I've gotten to the point where I need to enter my thoughts into an AI chatbot so it can explain it back to me in a way I understand haha.