Recording in-Person
Recording is tricky—
You have to balance and accommodate the needs and comfort of your interviewee(s) while also navigating the best practices outlined below. Remember, this is a sound based medium! When discussing when/where to meet your interviewee and how you will record, it can be helpful to share that your requests are in support of helping them sound as good as possible on tape.
Some Decisions to Make
1. Where will you meet?
You want to maximize control over what sounds are in the piece. Find somewhere quiet.
Look at the photo of the living room. Cushions, blankets, and a fuzzy rug! Fabric is great at absorbing unwanted sound. This space is an audio practitioner's dream!
Cars make great spaces, too. They're almost like recording booths.
Pro tip: Your safety is always a priority. It's not worth agreeing to a place/time/etc. that makes you feel unsafe for the sake of the story.
1a. Recording Narration
When you don't have to worry about someone else, there are lots of ways to create good recording spaces in your home
Consider recording in a closet surrounded by clothes to help dampen sound.
Make a pillow fort with your comforter and some chairs and record inside!
2. "But what if a noisy environment is a big part of the piece? Isn't recording on location part of telling a story with sound?"
Let's say you're doing a story about the opening of a new park in your neighborhood and how it's impacting your community. You want to interview some folks that have been living in the neighborhood and that you've known for a long time. It makes sense to talk to them at the park, right?
Absolutely! But you don't want anything they have to say to be drowned out by the shouts of joyful children. In this scenario, it might make sense to spend some time chatting with them in a quiet place and some time talking at the park, which will probably spark some place-based memories and create sonic texture.
You can also spend some time recording just at the park, without your interviewee. Then, when you're producing your piece on the computer, you can layer those park sounds under the quiet part of the interview. But now you're in control, and can turn the background noise down when your interviewee has something important to say.
Pro tip: Always, always, ALWAYS get at least thirty seconds of background noise in wherever you're recording. This is crucial to helping your piece sound smooth when you are mixing your interviews with sound design and narration.
3. What recording equipment will you use?
Smartphones: everyone has got one!
You, yes, you! Do you have a smartphone? If so, you're carrying a great recorder with you most of the time. Many of the audio stories you hear on stations like NPR are recorded using smartphones.
On iPhones, you can use the pre-installed voice memos app, and the bottom microphones to record. If using an iPhone, be sure the bottom microphones are facing your interviewee during the interview. There are several options for android users too!
Check out this MML cheat sheet on smart phone recording for a step by step guide.
Audio Recorders: nice but not always necessary.
There are also a variety of microphones Brown University students and faculty can check out through the IT Service Center. These can offer some additional control over your audio, but sometimes the best tool is the one you have on you. Click here for a primer on how to use the H1N, pictured here.
Whichever device you choose, make sure it is fully charged or has a fresh set of batteries BEFORE heading to your interview.
4. Recording Spaces at Brown
Brown's campus also has a few places you can record good audio. Be sure to check for yourself about each of these spaces as policies or access may have changed since this section has been published or updated.
Nelson Entrepreneurship Center Niches
Located on Thayer and Euclid, the Center has several sound treated booths they call "niches" on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floor. Intended to be used for short private phone calls, it is first come first serve and use should limited to about an hour.
The Rock library has a sound proofed studio for video and audio recording that is great for podcasting. They are also reservable, which can be great if you need to specify a time with your interviewee. You may need to ask for access first time you go. They are located in the Digital Studio, which is on the right as you walk in to reception.
The MMLs offer training in the Grad Center Studio, a self-service video studio that can be suitable for audio recording. That being said, the gym in the Bear Lair was recently moved to right above the studio, meaning you may hear a faint treadmill or two, so we only recommend using this resource on off hours like the middle of the day or very late at night. Training is required to access the space but it can then be used and reserved 24/7.
This booth works well for quick short narration or voice overwork. It is in an active lab space so sound is only controlled so much by the actual booth. Come in the morning hours (9am-12pm) or later at night when the space is less active. Bring your own smartphone or recorder or use our recording setup which includes a high-quality condenser mic connected to an external computer
To access the Multimedia Labs to use the audio booth, you will need to become an MML Member. Visit brown.edu/go/mmlorientation to learn more. You can also learn more about the booth by visiting brown.edu/go/mmlbooth
During the Interview
If recording on a smart phone or microphone:
Ask your interviewee if they are comfortable with you holding the recorder or phone about two fists away from their mouth, to the side.
Explain to them that placing the microphone this close will facilitate the best sound, and you want them to sound good! (Holding it to the side will help minimize p-plosives and weird mouth sounds.)If they are still not comfortable, try another position, like on a table between you.
However you are holding the microphone, do a "test run" before officially beginning the interview. (You can ask your interviewee what they had for breakfast, or how they got to the interview.) It's important to monitor sound at the beginning and throughout the interview to make adjustments if your interviewee is too loud or too soft.
Pro tip: If recording with multiple interviewees, you can place the mic on a stand somewhere in the middle.
However you're recording—
EMBRACE silence! Waiting until just past the point of comfort to ask a follow up question can lead to some beautiful, unexpected answers.
Bring your question sheet along, but keep it to the side. Check it once before the end of the interview to make sure you've hit all the key questions. But mostly, trust yourself and allow yourself to be present! You've got this.
Before concluding the interview, ask your interviewee if there's anything else they want to share.
Leave the microphone running just a little bit past the official "end" of the interview. Usually, people keep reflecting on the questions and can share compelling information just at the last second.
