StreamLive Pro

What is ISO recording? Each camera in its own file

ISO recording saves every camera to its own file, next to the switched program. Why editors want it, what it costs in disk space, and where StreamLive Pro offers it.

Updated November 5, 2026 · 5 min read

ISO recording, short for isolated recording, means that every camera is recorded to its own file, from start to end, in addition to the program: the one picture that was switched live and went out to viewers. During a live show you choose one camera at a time. The program recording keeps only those choices. The ISO files keep everything each camera saw, including the shots that were never on air, so you can change your mind later in the edit.

Program recording and ISO recording side by side

Both are useful. Many productions keep the program as the version to publish right away, and the ISO files for a better edit later.

Why editors want ISO files

• Fix a late cut. The switch to the guest came two seconds late. With the guest's ISO file you move the cut to the right moment.
• Use a reaction you missed. Someone nodded or laughed while the other camera was on air. It is in their ISO file.
• Make vertical clips from one angle. A Short works best when it shows one person. An ISO file of that person is a clean source for a 9:16 clip.
• Repair a problem shot. If one camera was out of focus for a minute, you can cover that minute with another angle.
• Build a different version. A short highlight video, a trailer, or a version for another network, cut from the same material.

What it costs

• Disk space. Every camera is a full video file. Three cameras for an hour take roughly three times the space of one, plus the program. Check the free space before you start.
• Computer power. Encoding several files at once needs more from the computer than one program recording.
• Editing time. More material means more to look through. A good habit is to mark the moments you liked during the show, with a note of the time.
• Sync. The files must line up in the editor. Recording them in one place helps, and a single clap at the start makes it easy to check.

Terms you will meet next to ISO

ISO is about video per camera. Multitrack is about audio per microphone. The two are often used together, so each person has both their picture and their own sound.

ISO recording in StreamLive Pro

• Podcast studio in the browser (available now). Open Podcast. Every camera connected to your computer has its own record button. The file includes the microphone you linked to that camera. Remote guests who join by link are part of the main recording, not separate files. Step by step: How to record each camera separately (ISO recording).
• Live studio in the browser. The live studio records the program. Press Record during the broadcast to keep it; otherwise the temporary copy is removed about two hours after the broadcast. See Recordings and storage — what is kept and for how long.
• StreamLive Pro Studio, the desktop app (not released yet). It records the program and every input at the same time, on the computer. There is no public download or date yet; see StreamLive Pro Studio: the facts about the desktop app for Mac and Windows.

For the whole multi-camera setup, see How to live stream with several cameras and Record a podcast with remote guests.

When you do not need ISO

ISO is not always worth the space. If the show is published once, as it was, and nobody plans to edit it, the program recording is enough. The same is true for a single-camera stream: with one camera, the program and the camera are the same picture. A short daily update, a quick question-and-answer session or a stream that only lives on as a replay rarely needs separate files. ISO pays off when there are two or more cameras, when the material will be edited, or when you plan to cut vertical clips of one person. If you are not sure, record ISO for one episode, edit it, and decide from what you actually used.

Before you record ISO

1. Check the free disk space on the computer that records.
2. Give each person their own microphone and link it to their camera, so each ISO file carries the right voice.
3. Name the cameras clearly, such as host, guest, wide, so the files are easy to tell apart.
4. Clap once at the start, in view of all cameras.
5. Record a one-minute test and open the files before the real session.

Common mistakes

• Starting the ISO recording after the show began, so the first minutes exist only in the program.
• Running out of disk space in the middle, which stops the files.
• Expecting remote guests as separate files in the browser podcast studio. Today they are part of the main recording.
• Forgetting to keep the program recording of a live: in the live studio, press Record.

Frequently asked questions

What does ISO mean in video recording?

ISO stands for isolated. An ISO recording is a separate file for each camera, recorded alongside the switched program.

Is ISO recording the same as multicam?

They are related. ISO recording gives you one file per camera; a multicam edit is how you cut between those files later in an editor.

Does StreamLive Pro record each camera separately?

Yes, in the podcast studio in the browser: each camera connected to your computer has its own record button. Remote guests are part of the main recording.

Are remote guests recorded to their own files?

Not today. In the podcast studio, guests who join by link are recorded in the main recording, not as separate files.

How much disk space does ISO recording need?

About one full video file per camera, plus the program. Three cameras for an hour need roughly three times the space of one camera.

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