Welcome to SquadCast! This help center page aims to clarify the relationship between sessions and takes, provide best practices for organizing your recordings, and explain how to port your files into Descript using the Edit in Descript integration.
Sessions and takes
What is a session?
A session in SquadCast is a scheduled recording event. It is the virtual space where you and your guests come together to record your podcast.Â
What is a take?
A take is a specific recording made during a session. You can have multiple takes within a single session, allowing you to capture different segments or redo parts of your recording as needed. Each take is saved separately.
Tips for recurring sessions
When you have a recurring podcast, it’s essential to keep your sessions well-organized.
Create a consistent naming convention: Use a clear and consistent naming convention for your sessions. For example, "PodcastName_EpisodeNumber_Date" helps you quickly identify the show and date of each session.
Schedule sessions in advance: Plan your sessions ahead of time and invite guests early. This ensures everyone is on the same page and helps avoid last-minute scheduling conflicts.
Use calendar integrations: Integrate your SquadCast sessions with your calendar application.Â
Manage multiple takes in a session
Label each take: After recording, label each take with a brief description. For example, "Take1_Intro", "Take2_Interview", etc. This makes it easier to identify specific segments during editing.
Review takes immediately: After each recording, review the take to determine which ones you want to use and which you won't. This reduces confusion and keeps your files organized.
Edit in Descript integration constraints
Only recordings from the same take can be imported into Descript using the Edit in Descript option. This means you cannot directly import multiple takes from the same session into Descript.
Recommendations
Plan your takes: Try to minimize the number of takes by planning and recording your segments consecutively. This will help ensure that related content is captured in a single take.
Combine takes in Descript: Export your first take into a new project using the Edit in Descript option. If you have recorded multiple takes, you can download each additional take and manually import them into the created Descript project.
Consistent segmentation: If your content naturally divides into distinct segments (e.g., intro, main content, outro), ensure each segment is recorded in a single take whenever possible.
Real use-case examples
Example 1: Weekly Interview Podcast
If you have a weekly interview podcast:
Sessions: Schedule a session every week on the same day and time.
Takes: Record multiple takes for different segments (intro, interview, outro).
Organization: Name sessions like "Interview_Ep01_2024-06-01" and label your takes accordingly.
Editing: After all the needed takes have been recorded, download your SquadCast recordings, then manually import them into a Descript project for final editing and touch-ups. Alternatively, you can use Edit in Descript to create a new project for each segment and move forward with final editing and touch-ups.
Example 2: Daily News Update
For a daily news update podcast:
Sessions: Schedule daily sessions at a convenient time.
Takes: Record short takes for each news segment.
Organization: Name your sessions like "NewsUpdate_2024-06-01" and label each take with the news topic.
Editing: After all the needed takes have been recorded, download your SquadCast recordings, then manually import them into a Descript project for final editing and touch-ups. Alternatively, you can use Edit in Descript to create a new project for each segment and move forward with final editing and touch-ups.