Recording to a Computer via USB

The RØDECaster Pro offers a variety of recording options to suit any podcaster. You can choose to record directly to the microSD card, but for even greater flexibility, you also have the option to record to a computer via USB. This can be especially handy if you need to mix your podcast, polish it with extra signal processing, or add in extra audio or entirely new segments in post-production.

Pro Tip

If your computer or laptop has a USB-C connector, the SC17 cable can be used to connect your RØDECaster Pro to the computer.

Note

Depending on the kind of DAW you are using, the set-up and recording process may differ slightly. For the sake of simplicity, we’ll be using GarageBand for this demonstration. See the downloads section below for step-by-step walkthroughs on some of the other popular DAWs.

1.

Open a new session in GarageBand, go to ‘Preferences’ or ‘Session Settings’ and set the input device to ‘RODECaster Pro Stereo’.

RØDECaster Pro GarageBand settings
2.

Create a new stereo track using inputs 1-2. These are the left and right channels of your RØDECaster Pro’s main stereo mix. You can rename this stereo track ‘RØDECaster Pro’.

RØDECaster Pro GarageBand settings

Pro Tip

When recording into most DAWs, it’s good practice to mute the outputs of the tracks you’re recording into. This will avoid any chance of feedback loops while playing back audio through speakers or headphones.

3.

You can now turn on record enable in your track header by right clicking the track header, selecting ‘Configure Track Header’ and ‘Record Enable’. Now you can record enable your tracks and hit record. You are now recording in real-time to your DAW!

RØDECaster Pro GarageBand settings
4.

If you would like to play back the recorded audio from GarageBand, simply slide up the USB channel fader, switch off record enable on each track and hit play. If you’re using other DAWs, you might also need to set the output of each tracks to ‘RODECaster Pro Stereo’ individually.

RØDECaster Pro GarageBand settings

Recording to a DAW will not stop you from recording to a microSD card in your RØDECaster Pro. As a backup, your podcast can be recorded simultaneously on both microSD card and your DAW. To do this, simply tap the record button on your RØDECaster Pro at the same time as you begin recording in your DAW.


Keep in mind that when recording via USB to a computer in its default ‘Stereo’ mode, using communications apps on the USB channel like Skype or Zoom won't be ideal as the function that is used to avoid feedback and echo in comms app (USB mix-minus) will effectively cancel all audio on the USB channel when switched on. If you wanted to record all channels via USB including comms applications on the USB channel, the RØDECaster Pro has an extremely powerful multitrack mode that can allow for even more expansion and options.

RØDECaster Pro assigned channel numbers RØDECaster Pro assigned channel numbers

Setting up a multitrack session in your DAW will be slightly different depending on your operating system and the software you’re using. Most common DAWs are simple to set up and use, but others will be a bit more complex.

In your DAW, select ‘RODECaster Pro Multichannel’ as your input device. Note that this is a different input device to ‘RODECaster Pro Stereo’, which you may have used previously.

Next, create 14 new mono tracks in your DAW (alternatively, you can create five stereo tracks and four mono tracks if the DAW you are using supports stereo-linked tracks), then assign the inputs from each channel of the RØDECaster Pro to its corresponding track in your DAW and label them accordingly (for example: ‘stereo mix’, ‘mic channel 1’, ‘mic channel 2’ etc).

Pro Tip

Even if you aren’t using every channel on your RØDECaster Pro, it’s a good idea to set up your multitrack session with all 14 (or nine) tracks as a visual reference that corresponds to the layout of the console. You can also save this configuration in your DAW for a quick and easy set up in future.

Once each channel from the RØDECaster Pro has been routed to an individual track within your DAW, mute the outputs, record enable each track that you want to capture and hit record.

For a more in-depth walkthrough for setting up multitrack sessions in popular DAWs, including GarageBand, Reaper and ProTools, see the links below.

 Audition Guide (Mac)

 Audition Guide (PC)

 Garageband Guide

 Logic Pro X

 Pro Tools (Mac)

 Pro Tools (PC)

 Reaper (Mac)

 Reaper (PC)

RØDECaster Pro multitrack recording in GarageBand

Pro Tip

With the USB output set to multitrack, you can still use the USB channel to speak to remote callers on Skype or Zoom while simultaneously recording in multitrack via USB. You will just need to make sure you set the input and output on the communications app to ‘RODECaster Pro Stereo’. Setting it to ‘RODECaster Pro Multichannel’ will result in a distracting feedback loop for your guest.