Using a Tape Recorder?

I've become a big fan of tape recording interviews for two reasons. One, there is always, and I repeat always something that I miss in the interview. When I listen to the recordings or have them transcribed little nuggets of information jump off the page. Secondly, a tape recorder provides you with feedback on your interviewing performance. When you hear yourself cutting people off with your next question or when the interviewee asks you to repeat the question because he didn't understand it, you recognize the need to develop better interview skills.

I use mini reel type recorders, and I'm about to purchase a digital one as the sound clarity appears superior. The noise of the tape reels turning is picked up by the recorder and is just another source of interference you don't' need. Having said that the traditional tape recorder has a lot of benefits. The tape cassettes can be touched, labeled and located easily and may provide a higher level of comfort in that your evidence is not going to disappear because you accidentally pushed the erase button on your digital recorder.

In normal conversation our ears filter out a lot of background noise whereas microphones tend to pick up the sounds that are loudest or closest to them. For example, the cab of your truck appears to be a good and perhaps only place to conduct an interview, and the dash a logical place to set the tape recorder. However, the sound of your air conditioner fan even on low speed will sound like a windstorm on your recording.

Sound volume (noise) decreases as you move away from the source. For every foot of distance the microphone is away from the sound source, the recorded volume drops by half, and the amount of background noise doubles. Practice with your recorder using different speeds and test the microphone quality under a variety of conditions. Immediately prior to the interview and before the subject arrives test your recorder and address any noise sources in the room. Centre the recorder between all parties.

Establish a few rules for the interview. Tell people why you are recording the interview and ask them to speak loudly and clearly. In other words don't whisper or mumble their answers. Don't be afraid to correct them early in the process. People take this coaching well. If you have more than just yourself and the interviewee in the room, ask each person to identify themselves on tape at the start and to spell out their names. If some participants speak infrequently during the interview ask them to identify themselves before they speak for the benefit of the person doing the transcribing.

Pay attention to what is being said. Maintain eye contact, smile and nod your head, use positive phrases such as “what happened next” or “carry on” to encourage the interviewee to keep talking and to show you are listening. Take some notes and if something of special interest is mentioned jot down the number on the foot counter or time on the digital recorder so you can quickly find it for review later.  Keep an eye on the tape. If you are coming to the end of a 30 minute tape forewarn your subject and stop them at a convenient time to change tapes. Remove the safety tabs from the cassettes so nothing can be recorded over the material. Label before and after the session. Tape is cheap. Don't try and reuse it, it will only confuse you and the person transcribing the interview.

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