Replaces Riverside (recording) and the editing tool in one. Studio Sound covers what Riverside's local-track usually fixes.
Solo podcast (lean)
Descript records, edits by transcript, and exports both audio and video. Castmagic's show-notes job becomes a Claude prompt against the Descript transcript. Opus Clip handles shorts.
- descript$16 Creator
- opus-clipFree
- descript$16
- opus-clip$19 Starter
- descript$30 Pro
- opus-clip$59 Pro
- + hosting$21
- 1Record in DescriptDescript
Built-in recording with Studio Sound. No second tool. 60-min target.
- 2Edit by transcriptDescript
Strip filler words automatically; tighten beats by editing words. ~25 minutes for an hour of audio.
- 3Show notes from transcript
Drop the Descript transcript into Claude. The Castmagic prompt works as-is.
Prompt · Show notes prompt (no Castmagic)Episode transcript (exported from Descript): """ {{paste transcript}} """ Output (in this order, ready to publish): 1. **Title** — 5 to 8 words, specific noun first, no clickbait. Three options. 2. **Subtitle** — one sentence, the single most useful takeaway. 3. **Show notes** (220 to 280 words): - 1-paragraph hook (no "in this episode") - 5 bulleted timestamps with topic and the specific moment - 1 paragraph "what you'll get" with concrete outcomes 4. **3 quote cards** — under 240 chars each, verbatim from transcript. 5. **X thread** — 5 to 7 posts, hook first, link at the end. 6. **LinkedIn post** — 180 words, hook in line 1. No emojis. No em dashes. - 4Auto-clipOpus Clip
Export the Descript video. Opus picks the 6 best moments, captions them, exports vertical.
- 5PublishDescript
Audio to your podcast host (Transistor, Buzzsprout). Video to YouTube. Clips to TikTok/Reels.
Same publish cadence as the recommended stack at $35/mo vs $87/mo. The trade-off: ~10 minutes more editing per episode, no studio-grade local-track recording.
If you record in a noisy room or with a guest on shaky internet, Riverside's local recording wins. Solo + decent room, Descript is enough.
1 hour/month of long-form is one episode. If you ship weekly, you'll need Starter ($19) by week 4.