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How to Get a Better Transcript: 5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Recording
When it comes to transcription, the quality of the finished transcript starts long before the audio file reaches us.
A clear, well-recorded conversation gives a transcriber the best possible chance of capturing the conversation accurately. Poor audio can lead to unclear sections, greater difficulty identifying speakers and, in some cases, additional transcription time and cost.
You don’t need a professional recording studio or complicated equipment to make a noticeable difference. A few simple changes to how and where you record can go a long way.
Background noise: the quieter, the better
Background noise is one of the most common causes of unclear or difficult-to-transcribe audio. Traffic outside a window, air conditioning, a fan running in the background, people talking nearby, or even the sound of cups and papers moving around a table might barely register when you’re in the room.
On a recording, however, those sounds can be surprisingly prominent. Remember that a transcriber is listening to the conversation without having been there in person. While you may remember what somebody said because you were part of the discussion, the transcriber only has the audio to work from.
Before you begin recording, take a moment to listen to the room. Close windows where possible, switch off unnecessary fans or appliances, silence mobile phones and notifications, and avoid busy public spaces. For an online interview or meeting, asking participants to mute themselves when they aren’t speaking can also help reduce unwanted noise. Small changes like these can make a significant difference.
Clear speakers make clearer transcripts
You don’t need to speak unnaturally slowly or over-enunciate every word. Speaking clearly, naturally and at a steady pace is usually enough. Positioning is important too. For a one-to-one interview, place the recording device somewhere it can pick up both speakers evenly. For a group discussion, a recorder placed centrally, or multiple microphones for a larger group, can help prevent quieter participants from disappearing into the background.
Where individual speaker identification is required, asking participants to introduce themselves clearly at the start can give the transcriber a useful starting point.
And before an important interview, focus group or meeting, always make a short test recording and listen back to it. Can you hear everyone clearly? Is one person much quieter than another? Is there an echo or background hum you hadn’t noticed? It’s much better to discover those problems before the real conversation begins.
Your recording equipment and environment matter
There are a variety of ways to record a conversation, from smartphones and laptops to dedicated digital recorders and conference microphones.
For important research or professional recordings, dedicated recording equipment can be worth considering, particularly where you’re recording several speakers or working in a more challenging environment. A quiet room with soft furnishings is generally preferable to a large, empty room, where voices can echo and become less distinct. Try to keep the microphone close enough to the people speaking and make sure it isn’t obstructed by papers, bags, laptops or anything else on the table.
For online interviews and focus groups, a good-quality headset microphone can help isolate the speaker’s voice from sounds around them. For online sessions, connection problems can also affect the quality of the recorded conversation, depending on the platform and recording method being used.
Try to avoid overlapping speech
This one can be easier said than done, particularly during lively interviews and group discussions. Natural conversation involves interruption. We say “yes”, “absolutely” and “mm-hmm” while somebody else is speaking, and in a group discussion two or three people may start answering a question at the same time.
Unfortunately, microphones don’t separate competing voices as easily as our brains do when we’re sitting in the room. When two people talk at the same time, parts of the conversation can become extremely difficult, and sometimes impossible, to distinguish accurately.
Where possible, encourage participants to speak one at a time and allow a brief pause between a question and an answer. Interviewers can also try replacing verbal acknowledgements with a nod where appropriate, allowing the participant to finish their thought without another voice being recorded over the top.
Five simple checks before you press record
Improving recording quality doesn’t have to be complicated. Before your next interview, meeting or focus group, try to:
- Choose the quietest space available and remove as much background noise as possible.
- Test your recording equipment and listen back before the session begins.
- Position your microphone or recorder carefully so that every speaker can be heard.
- Encourage one person to speak at a time, particularly during group discussions.
- Have a backup plan, whether that means a second recording device, spare batteries or an alternative option if an online connection fails.
They’re small precautions, but they can save a lot of difficulty later.
Better audio gives your transcript the best possible start
Our transcribers are highly experienced and accustomed to working with recordings from all kinds of environments. However, if words haven’t been captured clearly in the original recording, there are limits to what even an experienced transcriber can recover.
Taking a little extra care at the recording stage can therefore make a real difference to the finished transcript.
Before your next recording
If you’re planning upcoming interviews, focus groups or meetings, our Recording Guidelines are a useful checklist to share with anyone involved in the recording process. And if you have a transcription project coming up and want to check any recording requirements with us beforehand, please get in touch.
