Tips on recording and editing your audio interviews

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Always use an external microphone.

Make sure the recorder is recording before you start.

Let the subject do the talking.

Don’t say “Uh huh” or “Mm hm.” Learn to nod silently and make great eye contact so they know you are listening closely.

Ask questions that lead the subject to tell a story.

Collect relevant natural sound, e.g., hammers, crowds, water, traffic, street musicians.

Never let the subject hold the mic, and don’t move your hand on the mic.
Don’t swing or bump the mic cable.

Carry spare batteries.

Ask the subject to say his or her full name, job title, home town, etc. — at the end. If they say it too fast, ask them to say it again, more slowly.

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Having made many of these mistakes, I can agree 100%. It's annoying, to say the least, when you spend an hour interviewing someone only to find that your restless hand was fiddling with the mic cord and ruined the whole thing.