Recording tips

We always do our utmost to transcribe each word in your audio file. There are however some things that you also can think about in order to make the results as good as possible.
 

Here are our best tips for audio recording.

  1. Ensure that the recording is performed in a quiet environment. When more basic microphones are used, even small distractions can affect the sound quality in a negative way.
  2. Place the microphone with a similar distance to all participants. When the microphone is placed closer to one of them, it becomes difficult to hear those who are further away.
  3. Talk somewhat slower and more clearly than you are used to. That makes it easier to afterwards capture everything that was said.
  4. Avoid several people speaking at the same time and avoid giving verbal confirmations like “Mmm” or “Right”. It feels natural during the conversation, but makes the recording really messy to listen to afterwards. Instead give confirmations by nodding; the participants see that you are engaged and understand what they say and it doesn’t disturb the recording.
  5.  Let all participants present themselves by name after the recording starts. In addition to giving their name it’s good if they introduce themselves shortly, so that their unique voice is clearly identified. This makes it easier to connect the right person to the correct text.
  6. Last but not least, tell other participants about these tips. The fact that you don’t speak while other do matters little if three or four others are still doing it.

We hope these tips will help make your audio recording and transcripts even better.