interview

[Beth Agnew]

Hi Paul,

By using the mic input jack on your digital recorder, you can get good 
quality sound with even an inexpensive microphone. The trick is to have 
the mike close to the subject. If you want to capture your questions as 
well as the SMEs answers, then a handheld cable mike (such as TV 
reporters use) is a good choice. You can point it at whoever is 
speaking. Unidirectional mikes are great for areas with a lot of ambient 
noise because they can be focused on the speaker's mouth to  eliminate 
background noise. Once you get the hang of using it, your can get top 
quality.

Lavaliere microphones are excellent, but a bit pricey. I've had decent 
results from a $10.00 computer mike connected to the recorder. The 
little mike that came with one of the webcams I bought has also provided 
good results. It's an over-the-ear jobbie with an optional tie-clip. If 
you are podcasting and want the quality to be superior, then go with the 
lavaliere. Brand is not that important but you can't go wrong with Sony.
Cheers,
--Beth

obair81 at comcast.net wrote:
> I have been using a digital recorder for years to interview SMEs, with great success.
>
> Now, I sometimes have to interview SMEs in a place where there is background noise from several servers. I do not use a microphone, so the recorder now captures all the background machine noise, which makes listening to the recording difficult sometimes.
>
> Can anyone recommend a high-quality clip-on microphone that would not pick up background noise so much?
-- 
Beth Agnew
Catch the Buzz: http://bethbuzz.blogspot.com
STC Presentation archived at:
http://www.301url.com/podcasting

Professor, Technical Communication
Seneca College of Applied Arts & Technology
Toronto, ON 416.491.5050 x3133
http://www.tinyurl.com/83u5u