Get the most from your Zoom recordings by configuring it to record the best video feed(s) to suit your needs. Depending on your desired finished production, this guide provides various Zoom settings and configurations to streamline your editing process in Descript.

• Using a single camera view
• Using multiple camera views
• Recording multi-track audio
• Recommendations for Advanced cloud recording settings

Using a single combined video track

This is ideal if you prefer a simple, straightforward production where a single combined video track is used throughout. It minimizes the need for switching between different camera feeds or visuals and allows for easy editing without the complexity of managing multiple video feeds.

What this means in terms of editing

This is the simplest path in terms of editing. You only have one video feed to choose from, and it will be selected (and displayed on the canvas in Descript) by default.

Besides adding additional visual layers on top of your video, like graphics, scene transitions, intros/outros, etc, you’re ready to focus on script-based edits. Some of the most common edits for video podcasts and conversations include: Remove Filler Words, Shorten Word Gaps, and Edit for Clarity. Learn more about these, and a wide range of other Underlord editing features here.

Using multiple camera views

If you want more flexibility in your video production, such as switching between gallery view, active speaker, and shared screen, this option is ideal. Zoom’s cloud recordings allow you to capture multiple video feeds all at once, giving you more control over the visuals in your final production.

What this means in terms of editing

This path gives you more flexibility when editing, in that you have the ability to choose between which visual layers to display throughout your composition.

By default, Descript will choose the visual layer that shows the broadest range of inputs to start (ie: gallery view, or gallery view + screen share, if captured). Swapping to a different visual layer is easy.

To change between visual layers, use either one of the methods below:

Using the multicam selector in the Layer tab

1. Select the scene (ie: from the script, or in the scene rail) you’d like to change the visuals for

2. Select the video layer you wish to swap out in the canvas

3. Select the Layer tab in the sidebar

4. In the Multicam card, select the video layer you wish to display instead

   

Using the “Change source” context menu

1. Select the scene (ie: from the script, or in the scene rail) you’d like to change the visuals for
2. In the canvas, right-click on the video layer you wish to swap out
3. From the right click menu, select Change source
4. Select the video layer you wish to display instead

Besides adding additional visual layers on top of your video, like graphics, scene transitions, intros/outros, etc, you’re ready to focus on script-based edits. Some of the most common edits for video podcasts and conversations include: Remove Filler Words, Shorten Word Gaps, and Edit for Clarity. Learn more about these, and a wide range of other Underlord editing features here.

Recording multi-track audio

This setup is ideal if you want the flexibility to mute or edit individual speakers' audio, and also ensures the optimal transcription in Descript. Recording per-person audio tracks allows you to make more granular edits, like muting background noise or adjusting audio levels per speaker.

What this means in terms of editing

Editing video layers is not changed. See the "Using a single camera view" or "Using multiple camera views" sections for specific instructions. If you wish to edit individual audio tracks, you’ll need to use the Sequence Editor. Detailed steps below.

1. Open the timeline, and confirm your content is in a sequence by checking for the in the top left of the layer.
   

2. To open the sequence editor, double click on the layer, or right click on the layer and select “Edit sequence”

   

3. The Sequence editor will open, and show all tracks from your Zoom recording, each as a row. The Audio-only tracks will appear with labels for each participant, and have colored waveforms (to correspond with each person’s speaker label in the script).

   

4. To edit the entirety of a given track (ie: one participant’s audio file), select it, and use the property panel on the right hand side. This is ideal for adjusting the level (ie: gain) for a person who is much louder or quieter than other speakers, or applying effects like Studio Sound to a person’s audio.

5. To make more granular edits, like cutting out crosstalk from one person’s track, select the blade tool (keyboard shortcut: “B”) and slice the track on either end of the clip to isolate the crosstalk you intend to mute.

   

6. In the Property panel, select the speaker icon in the Audio section to mute it.

   

Thanks to having per-participant audio, you’re able to make per-person edits to each audio file that would have been difficult if not impossible with all audio feeds combined into a single track.

Recommendations for Advanced cloud recording settings

These settings allow you to capture clean, professional video and audio, making your content easier to edit and more polished for viewers. Below are recommended advanced settings for optimizing your recordings, particularly for use with third-party video editors.