Recording Tips
To improve your audio recording quality and get more cost-effective and accurate transcripts:
- Test your recording equipment
- Use an
external microphone
- Place microphone
near your speaker
- Ask your
subject to speak up
- Ask multiple
subjects to speak one at a time
- Don't use
microcassettes
- Use fastest
recording speed
- Record
in the mid-range of the recording volume
- Record
in a quiet place
- Shut off
voice activation features
- Use new
brand-name tapes
- Use shorter
tapes or record only on one side
- Rewind and label tape including total running time if known
VHS
Please send us VHS single audio channel window dubs using standard, not extended play.
What we’ll need to know to complete your project:
- Contact Info (Name, company name, address, phone, etc.)
- Billing information (address, job or P.O. number, any special requirements)
- What kind of content are you sending (e.g., interview, presentation, group, finished video), on what media (e.g., video tape, standard audio, microcassette, DVD, CD, digital file format), and when can we expect it?
- E-mail address
- Due Date
- If interview, may questions be paraphrased?
- If presentation,
would you like transcription to be “Verbatim” or “Smooth”?
- Verbatim includes false starts, stutters and non-verbal sounds such as “uh,” “um…” — useful when the tape is to be edited.
- Smooth eliminates the non-verbal sounds and stutters, but may include false starts — useful if transcript is to be published.
- How would
you like tapes returned (Fed Ex, Messenger, US Mail, other) OR may
we recycle them?
For even better transcripts please provide:
Names
of subjects/interviewees
List
of technical terms
Brand
names
Place
names
Acronyms
Number
of people speaking (for audio recordings only)