12 TIPS FROM PURPLESHARK

The better the quality of the recording, the better the transcripts will be. While this is stating the obvious, Purple Shark is happy to provide the following suggestions to help make it happen:

1. Get a digital recorder

2. Get a digital recorder

3. Get a digital recorder

4. If you must use audio tapes, choose standard over microcassettes. Record on full speed, not half speed. Half speed stretches the already ultra-thin tape, lowering its quality even further, resulting in very poor-quality transcription. Keep in mind that, since the advent of digital audio, sales of analog tape have dropped considerably, so production of the cassettes may not be as profitable. Lower inventory is required, so less attention may be paid to quality, and cheaper material may be used

5. And while you're checking the speed on the recorder (whether digital or tape), make sure that voice activation is off, otherwise words get clipped off every time there is a significant pause. Writer/client Art Kleiner says that he actually tapes the voice activation button to the "off" position as soon as he buys a new recorder

6. Whether you use the recorder's built-in microphone or an external mike, keep it as close to the speaker(s) as possible. It'll be easier for you to fill in what you said than to try to recreate what they said if we can't hear them

7. Check the volume on-site at the beginning of any interview or meeting and adjust accordingly (either by raising the volume, moving the mike closer and/or adjusting for background noise). Talk with your subject for a minute or two before you start recording to get an idea of their speech level. Try to be aware when/if the ambience in the room changes

8. Record in as quiet a place as possible. Avoid sitting near the Muzak speakers in restaurants, for instance. (Ironically, however, if the restaurant is *very* loud, people tend to raise their voices in order for the other person to hear them, so the audio volume is great.)

9. Once you've placed your recorder/microphone, leave it there. Digital recorders have surprisingly good range; moving them while recording just adds a level of (frequently deafening) sound that obscures what's being said. Just for fun, try recording a conversation with a friend for a few minutes. Have them move around the room while you move the recorder close to them each time. Then, listen to the recording...on headphones, at full volume. We doubt you'll move a recorder while recording ever again

10. If your interviewee is speaking very, very softly, you might try raising your own voice just a bit; this may encourage her or him to do the same (be subtle)

11. Test your equipment beforehand. Take extra batteries (even if you plan to plug in your recorder)

12. Give Purple Shark Transcriptions any available back-up material. It can help the transcriber understand what's being said, particularly if there's jargon, and can lead to a more accurate transcript. Give us the correct spelling of the names of the people on the tape

Last, but not least, always call Purple Shark Transcriptions for the best quality transcripts!