Lesson 11: Recording your feeds
ZoomISO version 3 can record your feeds all by itself, with no extra software. This lesson explains the formats on offer, a clever safety feature that protects your recording from crashes, and how editors can start cutting before you have even stopped.
Recording is built in
In the past you might have pointed your feeds at separate recording software. Version 3 removes that step: it records its own outputs directly. You manage this from the Recording Settings page, where you choose where files are saved, what they are named, and which format they use.
Choosing a format
A format is really two choices: the codec, which is how the video is compressed, and the container, which is the type of file it lives in. ZoomISO offers:
- Codecs: H264, HEVC, and ProRes 422 LT.
- Containers: MOV, MP4, or MXF, depending on the codec you pick.
If those names are new, the short version is: H264 and HEVC make smaller files and suit streaming and sharing, while ProRes is a higher-quality choice favoured by editors. The app pairs each codec with a sensible container.
A recording that survives a crash
ZoomISO records in ten-second segments behind the scenes. The benefit is reassuring: if the app or the whole computer shuts down unexpectedly, your recording is still recoverable up to a moment just before the end. You are very unlikely to lose the whole thing, which is exactly what you want when the event only happens once.
Editing while you record
Because of how these files are written, editors such as Adobe Premiere and DaVinci Resolve can open them as “growing files”. That means an editor can place the recording on the timeline and keep working as the file continues to grow, without importing it again. It is a real time-saver on long events where editing needs to begin before the recording ends.
One detail for Premiere users. To use this growing-file workflow in Adobe Premiere specifically, record using H264 inside an MXF container. Check your editor’s own documentation for the finer points.
Recording while you work
The recorder lives in the controls along the top, which you met in the tour. When recording is not running, the button opens a menu where you pick which outputs to record and reach the relevant folders and settings. Press Start and the button becomes a red timer with any warnings. Press Stop and you get a confirmation before it ends.
While recording, ZoomISO watches the encoder and your storage. If the computer is not keeping up, or the target disk or network drive is running low on space, it will try to warn you in good time.
In short
Recording is built into version 3. Choose a codec and container in Recording Settings. Ten-second segments make recordings crash-resistant, and growing files let editors start before you stop, with H264 in MXF for Premiere. Start and stop from the top controls, and heed the warnings about speed and disk space.