Recording Tips

Viewing Facility

When choosing a facility always ask for digital audio recordings that can be uploaded to an FTP site. A lot of viewing facilities advertise digital recordings but this can be in the form of a DVD, which is fine, but the transcribing costs are higher for this format and it will add an extra day to the end deadline in terms of getting this format to us.

McGowan Transcriptions work closely with a number of facilities who are happy to upload direct to our server, which means we get the digital files before you have got back to the office.

In-Home

If you are not using a facility but are recording in-home then we would recommend you take a back up digital recorder, and spare batteries.

Be aware of the environment surrounding the microphone; wherever possible do not place the recording device near food or crockery, near an open window, air conditioning unit or blow heaters. It's quite usual for the moderator to sound louder than the respondent which can be a problem as the moderators 'Uh-huh' normally drowns out the respondents comments, so place the microphone closer to the respondent where possible.

Mobile phone interference can be a big problem in terms of obscuring responses, so wherever possible ask respondents to turn their phones off, rather than put them on silent, or put them away from the microphone if having them turned off isn't possible.

Uploading Recordings

If you think you have an unreliable broadband connection (many hotels are still unreliable in this regard) then try saving the recording into smaller parts, as uploading three parts to one 90 minute recording will be much faster and less likely to be affected by an intermittent broadband connection than one large file.

Of course if your broadband is reliable then this is no problem and you can upload 3 recordings at a time to our secure server.

If you have recorded your discussion in a format such as video or cassette that you then convert to a digital file such as an MP3, please be aware that these files become huge and will take longer to upload. In these instances it may be worth uploading one file at a time so you can be confident they are uploading successfully...you will receive a Thank You page from McGowan Transcriptions as each file reaches our server.

When you are ready to send your file please put your company name within the filename and a project name or number if possible, for example ResearchersRUsProjectAlphaDepth2 as this will help us ensure that we have the correct file and if your file doesn't arrive on our server for some reason, we can check this and get back to you.

Our server is cleared every two weeks so please ensure you have a copy of your discussion on your system if you feel it will be needed for future reference.

Choosing a digital recording device

There are many brands and makes to choose from, but we have found that choosing the one at the top of your budget rather than the bottom can have a huge impact on quality achieved. You really do get what you pay for!

Are external microphones supported? Internal microphones are usually of low quality, may pick up noise from the recorder, and may be difficult to position close to interviewees. An external amplifier may be needed to boost the microphone signal. Ensure stereo recording is supported and you have a good range of file types such as WMA, WAV, DSS, MP3.

Bear in mind ease of use, portability and learning curve needed for the user with regards to transferring files from the device to a computer.