Papers Rustling

If someone nearby is shuffling through papers while someone else is speaking, it can be distracting and affect the overall quality of the audio. To avoid this, kindly request the paper-shuffler to relocate away from the recorder/microphone. Additionally, consider moving the recorder/microphone closer to the speaker during this time to capture clear audio. However, be sure to return it to its original position once the paper shuffling has ceased.

Cups and Saucers

Tea breaks are common during long meetings. However, when participants return to the recording area, the stirring or placing of cups on saucers can create distracting background noise that can affect the quality of the recording. However, there are simple solutions to these problems.

encourage participants to stir their beverages before the recording commences and place their cups as far away from the recorder/microphone as possible. Alternatively, using cups without saucers can help reduce noise. Additionally, placing a soft placemat underneath the cup can effectively dampen the sound of cups clinking against saucers or the table.

Coughing, Sneezing, or Throat Clearing

Coughing, sneezing, or clearing the throat can produce loud noises that overpower the speaker’s voice. Even if they do so as quietly as possible, these sounds can still be amplified and interfere with the recording. To prevent this from happening, kindly ask participants to turn away from the recorder/microphone if they feel the need to cough, sneeze, or clear their throat. Additionally, request the speaker to repeat what they said to ensure that it’s clearly captured on the recording.

Traffic Noise

Recording audio in a heavy-traffic area can be challenging due to the presence of external noise. To minimise unwanted noise, it is important to keep all windows closed and position the recorder/microphone as far away from the window as possible. Additionally, it is crucial to be aware of various sounds like vehicles honking, trucks reversing (beep-beep), and other such noises that could interfere with the recording.

In cases of such distractions, ask the speaker to repeat what they said to ensure clarity in the recording. Alternatively, you may need to pause the recording until the noise has subsided.

Cell Phone Interference

Although it is not as common these days, placing a cell phone close to the recorder/microphone can still cause significant interference, impacting the quality of your recordings. Although everything might seem normal while recording, the interference may become evident on playback, making it difficult to hear the content clearly. Even cell phones set to silence mode can create interference if placed near the recording device. Additionally, cell phone vibrations next to the recorder/microphone can disrupt the audio quality. Therefore, it is crucial to switch off cell phones or place them far away from the recorder/microphone, ensuring that your audio recordings are of the highest quality.

Air-Conditioner/Fan

Recording audio in a room with a noisy air-conditioner/fan can be challenging. However, there are a few simple steps that you can take to minimise the impact of these external factors on your recording. First, it is essential to keep the air-conditioner/fan as low as possible to reduce the noise level. Additionally, ask the participants to speak louder than normal and position themselves closer to the recorder/microphone. If possible, sit at the end of the room furthest away from the air-conditioner/fan to reduce the noise level.

Construction Noise

Recording audio in a location where there is construction noise can be extremely challenging. It is essential to take certain measures to ensure the best possible recording quality. Whether the construction noise is inside or outside the building, it is crucial to try to ask for a change of venue, if possible. If this is not possible, the next best solution is to close all windows (outside construction noise) and doors (inside construction noise). Additionally, sitting as far away as possible from these windows or doors can help reduce the noise levels. To ensure that participants’ voices are audible above the construction noise, ask them to speak louder than usual and position themselves closer to the recorder/microphone.

Banging/Tapping on the Table

It is essential to remind attendees to refrain from banging or tapping anything on the table. While it may seem harmless, the recorder/microphone can amplify these noises, making it difficult to discern what was said. If an accidental noise does occur, kindly ask the speaker to repeat their previous statement to ensure that nothing important is lost or misunderstood.

Pen Clicking

It is important to remind attendees to avoid the constant clicking of their pens. While it might seem like a harmless habit, the sound can be amplified by the recorder/microphone, potentially overpowering the speaker’s voice and making it difficult to follow the discussion.

Venue Noise

When choosing a venue, it is important to avoid locations with excessive ambient noise, such as coffee shops, company cafeterias, and outdoor areas. These environments can be unpredictable and may make it difficult to capture clear audio. If these locations are unavoidable, ask the participant to speak directly into the recorder and to speak louder than normal.

Notes on Noise

To ensure a successful recording, it’s important to take a few minutes to assess the environment before anyone arrives. Close your eyes and listen carefully, taking note of any sounds that could potentially disrupt the recording. Whenever possible, take steps to eliminate or reduce these sounds, such as by closing windows or doors to block outside noise.

In addition to addressing external noise sources, it’s important to consider the chairs being used in a room. Test each chair for noise levels and, if possible, switch out any chairs that are particularly noisy. If this isn’t an option, kindly ask the participant who uses the noisy chair to minimise movement during the session to prevent additional noise.

In situations where it’s not possible to reduce background noise, it may be necessary to ask participants to speak louder than normal to ensure that their voices can be clearly heard. Encourage everyone to maintain a consistent volume level throughout the session to prevent inconsistencies in the recording.

Finally, if there are any sudden noises or interruptions during the recording, kindly ask speakers to repeat what they just said before continuing. While it may be frustrating to repeat information, it’s better to have the same thing twice than to miss out on important details. By being proactive and mindful of the environment, you can ensure that your recording is clear.

Speak Clearly

It is important to ask your participants to take their time when speaking and to make a conscious effort to articulate each word clearly. If they tend to mumble, kindly ask them to speak more deliberately.

Speak Slowly

It’s important to encourage your speakers to take their time and speak slowly and deliberately. Speakers who talk quickly can often have their words run together, making it difficult to discern individual words and leading to errors in the final transcription. By asking your speakers to slow down and take their time, you can ensure that each word is clearly enunciated and that the resulting transcription is accurate.

In addition to improving clarity, speaking slowly can also help speakers avoid stuttering, stammering, or hesitating as they will have more time to collect their thoughts and form complete sentences. Another benefit of speaking slowly is that it can help improve the overall flow of the conversation, making it easier for listeners to follow along and understand the progression of ideas.

Voice Volume

One of the most important factors in recording high-quality audio is ensuring that your speakers are speaking at an appropriate volume. When speakers speak too quietly, it can be difficult to discern individual words, which can lead to errors in the final transcription.

To help ensure that everyone’s voice is clearly heard, it can be helpful to ask participants with quieter voices to sit closer to the recorder/microphone. This can help ensure that their words are captured clearly and can be transcribed accurately. In addition to proximity to the recording equipment, it is also important to encourage your speakers to speak at a consistent volume throughout the session.

Heavy Accents

Accents can add an extra layer of complexity to transcription, especially if they are particularly strong. While it’s not always possible to avoid or change accents, there are a few things you can do to help ensure that the transcription is as accurate as possible.

First and foremost, it is important to communicate clearly with your speakers about the importance of speaking as clearly and distinctly as possible. Encourage them to take their time and to enunciate carefully.

It can also be helpful to provide us with any additional information or context that might help us better understand the speaker’s accent.

Simultaneous Talking

One thing to keep in mind is the importance of avoiding interruptions and overlapping conversations. When multiple speakers are involved, it can be challenging to ensure that everyone is heard clearly and that there is no confusion or overlap between speakers.

To minimise these issues, it’s important to encourage participants to refrain from talking over one another. Instead, encourage them to allow one speaker to finish talking before another speaker starts talking. This will help ensure that each speaker’s words are clearly captured and that there is no overlap or confusion between speakers.

If you do need to interrupt a speaker for any reason, be sure to do so with a brief indication or signal, such as raising your voice or making a brief sound. Allow the speaker to stop talking before proceeding as this will ensure that their words are captured accurately and without interruption.

Simultaneous Talking

One of the biggest challenges can be managing the conversation and ensuring that all participants are able to speak and be heard without interruption. This can be especially difficult when participants are passionate or excited about the topic being discussed.

To address this issue, it’s important to establish clear ground rules for the conversation and communicate these to your participants at the beginning of the recording session. Encourage participants to allow each other to finish speaking before chiming in and to avoid interrupting one another or talking over one another.

In addition, you may want to consider using a recording device that allows you to clearly distinguish between different speakers. This can help you to more easily identify who is speaking at any given moment and can also make it easier to transcribe the recording accurately.

Recorders/Microphones

When recording with large groups, it is important to consider the following factors to ensure the best quality recording:

• Provide each participant with their own microphone to prevent sound overlap and to ensure clear and distinct audio. Alternatively, use more than one recording device.
• If you’re using a recorder, avoid placing it in the centre of the table as it may be challenging to capture the audio from those seated further away. Instead, consider using multiple recordings and place them around the table to ensure that everyone’s voice is recorded clearly.
• If you only have one recorder/microphone, make sure to pass it to the participant who is speaking and ask others to avoid speaking until they have the recorder/microphone in their hands.

Speaker Identification

To ensure clear identification of speakers in your recording, it’s important to ask them to identify themselves prior to speaking. If the voices are distinguishable, this only needs to be done once. However, if the voices are similar, speakers should identify themselves each time they speak. Alternatively, consider video recording the session to capture all speakers and use it as an identification tool. Video recordings can be converted to audio for transcription. You could also have a note-taker present to take notes on each speaker and a few keywords to facilitate easy identification.

To make identification even easier, assign each speaker a code to use throughout the session. Have them introduce themselves using this code before the session begins (record the introduction) and then use it when they speak. This way, we can easily pick up their voices and style of talking early on.

It’s important to note that a person’s voice can change, depending on their emotions and excitement levels. A speaker may have a deep, slow voice that may change in pitch, tone, and speed as they get excited.

Clear identification of speakers requires less voice comparison, which can reduce transcription costs and improve turnaround time.