Digital Recording Tips
- Ensure an ample supply of batteries is on hand or use an electrical wall plug.
- Record audio at a "standard" quality level versus highest
quality level to ensure smaller file size while maintaining audibility.
- Do NOT use voice-activated recording as this setting will miss some verbiage, usually at the beginning of a sentence.
- Focus groups held in facilities can be captured utilizing a
digital recorder and the headphone jack in the facility's listening
room. A cable with properly sized plugs at each end that connects the recorder's microphone jack to the facility's listening room headphone jack can be purchased from Radio Shack for around $5.00. This setup will tap into the facilty's A/V equipment and generate the best possible audio quality next to direct facility recording.
- Sessions that are held outside of standard facilities can be captured by using an external microphone connected to a digital voice recorder. Omnidirectional microphones are recommended. Digital voice recorders can also capture these sessions independently. In this case, it is important to place the recorder in the middle of the participants so that all voices are captured.
- Test the recorder settings prior to the session in order to obtain the best possible transcript at the least cost.
