How To Get The Best Recordings:
High quality recordings make our job simpler and easier, resulting in the most accurate transcriptions executed in the least amount of time. Here are some important tips and tricks.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly!
Some files may be poorly recorded, contain people who speak softly or are mumblers, speak with an accent, or who are just grammatically-challenged. At Keystrokes, we make the best effort possible to weed through all of this, including researching the correct spelling of foreign words, industry-specific words, unfamiliar products, etc.
If the recording is especially “ugly” (i.e., there’s a party going on in the background and the main speaker is talking with an accent while chewing bubble gum at the same time), we’ll digitize, amplify and/or clean the recording in order to get the best sound possible.
Compare good quality, bad quality, and really bad
quality audio files.
Learn
why overlooking certain criteria can make all the difference.
— Windows Media Files —
Handheld recorder set between two people sitting about 4 feet apart in a quiet room. Recorder set on a pillow. Nice touch! Good, clear sound.
Open office, people sitting too far from mic, interviewee rocks back and forth in his seat, mumbles.
In a restaurant or club, too far from mic, recorder is closer to interviewer than interviewee, cassette recorder set on 1:2 speed which makes it worse.
Need a media player? — grab one and go!
The rule of thumb is: Good recording in, good transcripts out.
Check out these links to our handy guide for getting the best recording possible.
For best results —
We recommend that you use a digital
recorder.
Olympus is the most popular brand of digital recorders. Visit their website to find the best device for you.
Makes recording phone interviews a snap!
