Recording An Interview On Iphone

Ios And Iphone Recording For Oral History

I commonly get asked about iOS and iPhone recording options for oral history, so I will be launching a series of posts reviewing several of these devices. When recording oral histories, I strive to get the best recording possible. Oral history records, by definition, more than a single audio source , and I usually recommend that, ideally, there is a microphone on each interview participant. I know that this is not always possible, whether due to budgetary limitations, or just the need for convenience. The single point recording strategy is becoming more common for oral history as the onboard microphones on contemporary recorders are proving to be quite good.

So, iPhone users, you have several options for recording oral history. There are three things I strongly recommend if you plan to use your iPhone for recording oral history interviews:

1. A Good Quality Microphone: Several microphone attachments are now available, such as the Zoom iQ5, Rode iXY, Blue Mikey or the Tascam iM2. Even Apple introduces frustrating hardware changes so always be sure the microphone attachment you purchase is compatible with your phones connector . There are also digital microphones available, such as the Apogee Mic 96k, that ship with a USB-to-Lightening connector cable.

2. The App: There are many recorder apps that emulate a digital audio recorder. When I am evaluating an app to use for recording oral histories, I look for the following criteria:

Iphone Video Recording Tips From The Pros

R. Michael Miguel

They say the best Camera is the one that you have with you. Well, if thats the case, then the iPhone gets my vote. Not only because its convenient to have a small device that produces great photos in my pocket, but also because the quality of the video recording is awesome too. So AWESOME in fact, that Ive started not to use my DSLR camera to record the tutorial videos on this site and now only rely on my iPhone.

So in this post, Ill be sharing my favorite iPhone video tips for capturing great videos on the iPhone.

Shoot At A Medium Distance

• Record at a distance that includes the subjects head and torso, and does not cut off the tip of the head. Include the hands, gesturing makes the interview more interesting.
• Make sure the cameras lens is at the same level as the subjects eyes and it is focused on the face and not on the background.

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Interview & Meeting Recorder

Record your video or voice meeting without time limits with Interview Recorder.Interview Recorder enables you to record meetings, interviews, and any other calls. Make and record all your voice & video calls with crystal clear quality and easily transcribe them into text.With an easy-to-use inte

Supports Record your video or voice meeting without time limits with Interview Recorder. Interview Recorder enables you to record meetings, interviews, and any other calls. Make and record all your voice & video calls with crystal clear quality and easily transcribe them into text. With an easy-to-use interface, just create a meeting, share the link, start your meeting and record it without any need for the third party to download anything. Designed for people who need to record their meetings for professional requirements, Interview Recorder has a multitude of practical features to deliver the best experience. « SOME OF OUR PREFERRED FEATURES » Make & record your video & voice calls without the need for the other party to install anything! He/she just taps to the link you sent and thats it! Supports all devices for other parties. Share the recorded material easily. Audio to Text Transcription: Turn your audio records into text with just one tap. Call Recorder: With Interview Recorder, you can also record any incoming or outgoing calls without any time limits.

Record Interview On Skype

Skype allows you to make free audio and video calls with another Skype user. Skype also allows you to make Skype to landline and Skype to a mobile phone calls. If you are using Skype on your desktop computer or your laptop, then you can easily record those calls. If you have a Windows based operating system then you can use the built-in recording tool or you can download recording tools from the internet to achieve that.

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How To Use An Iphone To Record Interviews And How To Get The Recording Transcribed

This is our guide on using an iPhone to do a recording and how to send it to get the recording transcribed. These guidelines are relevant for iPhones from start to finish. All they need to have is a functioning Voice Memos app which is found quite often in the Utilities sub folder.

1. Select the Voice Memos app and you get the following screen:

2. To record the interview or focus group etc., simply place the iPhone between the speakers preferably equidistant from any that you want to pick up, remembering that your microphone is the part of the iPhone you speak into .

3. Press the big red button to start recording.

4. Press the big red button to stop recording.

5. Click Done on the right hand side. Your iPhone will have created an .m4a audio file for you, all ready to send to us!

6. You can trim the recording down by pressing the trim button if you dont want all of the recording transcribed. Just press the trim button that appears on the right hand side .

7. If you click the recording that appears in the list below after you click Done, you will see an option to Forward, Edit or Delete. The button we are concerned with is the Forward button, although Apple dont like the word forward for some reason. The button is highlighted in the screenshot below.

9. Thats it! Job done. No need for any file transfers etc..

13. Wait for an acknowledgement by email.

Here is a list of the iPhone versions we think this guidance is for:

1 iPhone

Choose The Best Possible Location

• Find a quiet, well-lit room, with as little disturbances as possible. Make sure to turn off all sources of white noise, such as air-conditioning, computers, radios, etc.
• Choose a good background, not too busy, but not necessarily an empty wall. Stay away from windows and glass walls, to avoid reflections showing in the back. If you are recording videos with multiple people, put them all in the same place. You may change the camera angle between recordings to add some variation.

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Setting Up The Voice Memos App

The Voice Memos app uses the iPhones built-in microphone located at the top and bottom of the device.

Follow these steps to create your recording:

Discuss The Interviews Main Topics With Your Guest Prior To The Actual Recording

Start the call with a warm-up session. 10 minutes usually does it.

This is your last chance to get more insight into an interviewees experience and knowledge. It helps you set the mood for the interview and check the tech so the recording will go smoothly and require minimal editing. Give tips for the lighting, camera position, and staging if possible as well.

Extra tip: Clarify your expectations before you hit the Record button. Tell your interviewee what you want them to develop upon, if theres something they should mention, or if theres any topic they should avoid.

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Record Using An External Voice Recorder

Of course, apps arent the only way to record a phone call. One other way is to use a designated voice recorder that can be inserted into your phones 3.5-millimeter jack, or tethered with a Bluetooth connection.

Weve found a few cool products that do the job, one of them being the Olympus TP-8 Telephone Pick-up Microphone, a call-recording earpiece that you wear during calls. Those with newer iPhones might have to use a lightning-to-headphone adapter.

Wed also recommend considering the RecorderGear PR200 Bluetooth Cell Phone Call Recording Device if youd prefer a wireless connection. If youre wanting a product with better quality and performance with the benefits of a headphone jack we think Techerifics DeciVibe Digital Voice Recorder is the way to go even if it is very expensive.

Editors Recommendations

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Ways To Record Phone Interviews

About the Author

Josh Brown

Startup guy. Interested in technology, startups and movies. Tread the internet turning over rocks.

Have you ever watched a movie for the 2nd or 3rd time when you discovered an important symbolism, a fore-shadowing or a tiny detail that you had missed earlier, but which gave you a completely new understanding of that movie?

We have all been there, when we cant help it but shout out loud, How did I ever miss it the first time around?

The same applies when you interview someone. When someone speaks to you from a lifetime of experiences, sometimes it is difficult to see things from their perspective in their entirety. Of course you remember what they said, but to really understand it intuitively, you need a 2nd hearing.

That is why when interviewing someone, its always a good idea to record the interview . Here are a few other benefits of recording an interview:

• You can listen to the conversation as many times as you want
• You can get exact quotes from the recorded interviews
• When you are recording an interview you can focus on what your interviewee is saying and not worry about taking notes
• You dont need to learn short-hand or other note talking methods

In this article, we address the topic of taking interviews over a phone call.

Following are some methods for successfully recording phone interviews.

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How To Record A Remote Video Interview

Alt-text: How to record a remote video interview

If its about how to record an online video interview on iPhone, you are in the right place. You will require another dedicated device in case of recording a remote video interview, such as an iPhone. First, place the recorder iPhone in a stable position or on a tripod facing the interview. Next, launch the camera app on the recorder and start shooting. Finally, start your interview and record the whole session from the recorder device.

Suppose you want to avoid using multiple devices. In that case, you can use a Mac or laptop to record a remote video interview. Try Zoom, Google Meet, or similar applications to perform the interview and record it automatically on your device.

Use Another App While Recording

While youre recording, you can use another app, as long as it doesnt play audio on your device. If the app starts playing audio, Voice Memos stops recording.

If Voice Memos is turned on in iCloud settings or preferences, your recording is saved in iCloud and appears automatically on all your devices where youre signed in with the same Apple ID.

Recordings using the built-in microphone are mono, but you can record stereo using an external stereo microphone that works with iPhone. Look for accessories marked with the Apple Made for iPhone or Works with iPhone logo.

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Dont Count On The Iphones Battery

A fully charged iPhone cant handle the task of recording for the long-haul. If you think otherwise, not only are you setting yourself up for failure, but youll also experience a good amount of downtime.

Let me explain why the processing on most premium camera apps like Filmic Pro use more memory and processing power. So be warned. The battery on the iPhone will drain very quickly.

Q: How do you keep the iPhone fully charged when recording video?

If you dont want to rely on the iPhones internal battery your best option are:

• Plug it into an outlet
• Use a battery pack

The first option is always the best since its FREE. The second is an excellent choice for maintaining a fully charged iPhone but also if you shoot outdoors.

My pick for the job is the Mophie Space Pack, not only does this two-in-one battery pack add battery life, but its available in different storage capacities to save all your videos, photos, and document files.

If you dont need/want a case, look into Mophies other quick charging gadgets like the Powerstation.

Hold Your Device Correctly

• First things first: if youre using a smartphone or a tablet, hold it horizontally. If there is only one piece of advice we could give to our clients, it would be this one. Remember, viewers will see your movie either on a laptop with a horizontal screen, or on a mobile device they can tilt.
• Go ahead and use a tripod if you have one. Otherwise, hold the device steady with both hands, elbows resting on a table or propped against your chest.

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Have Your Questions Ready Ahead Of Time

• Ask your interviewee what character qualities are he/she looking for? What do you as an employer have to offer to the candidates? Have main lines in mind but dont script the answers, if you want the video to come across as spontaneous and genuine. If you are doing the interwiew all by yourself, visualize that you are speaking to someone. Don’t forget to use facial expressions and hand-gestures.

Change The Sound Quality To Lossless In Your Settings

Lossless audio avoids any file compression and aims to provide users with a high-quality audio experience, at the cost of recordings taking up more space on your iPhone. Make sure that you update your iPhone to the latest iOS to get the Lossless feature for your iPhones Voice Memos app. Then follow these steps to turn it on:

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Pros And Cons Of Using Self

Pro: This yields the highest-quality audio for remote interviews outside of a studio setting. Theres a good chance that your guest has a smartphone with a native audio recording app, and if your guest holds their phone up to their ear during the video call on Zoom or Squadcast, youll get crisp audio from the interview thats a better quality than the recording done through an Internet connection.

Con: This requires a lot of reliance on your guest to make sure that they record themselves correctly, and for them to successfully send you long audio files. The advantage of the self-sync is that you will always have the Zoom or Squadcast recording of your interview to use as a backup.

How To Replace Parts In A Voice Memo

You can overwrite parts of a voice memo by recording new audio during playback. Heres how to do that:

You cannot undo replaced audio. Unlike trimming, there is no Cancelbutton.

Even if you exit the Voice Memos app without tapping Done, the new audio will already be saved to the file. Therefore, be absolutely sure of what you want to replace before proceeding with such changes.

If you feel the Voice Memos app is too limited when it comes to editing, you should check out third-party audio editing apps for iPhone, all of which offergreater flexibility and better options.

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The Best Iphone Podcast Microphones

A microphone for your iPhone is a sensible and long-term investment. This single piece of equipment will transform your audio quality and infinitely benefit your podcast recording.

N.B. All of the following mics are lightning port compatible .

External Microphone

These external mics plug directly into your iPhoneâs lightning port, just like a charger – super simple, super effective!

• Connectivity: 3.5mm TRS output connection.
• Portability: Small and easily able to be move around.
• Adjustability/Mic Specs: Cardioid condenser microphone ideally made for cameras but can be adjusted for phones with the RÃDE SC7, a TRS to TRRS cable.

Other specs:

• Body made out of aluminum for a higher level of radio frequency rejection leading to better, unaffected sound.
• No batteries are required, this mic runs on a simple plug-and-play.
• Easy to operate and can be used for various devices .

Wireless Lavalier Microphones

Lavalier mics clip straight onto your shirt. These are a good option if youâre worried about your or your guestsâ mic technique. Theyâre also far more subtle, and less likely to intimidate guests who might suffer from stage-fright.

Find the perfect iPhone podcast mic with our guide: Best External Microphones for iPhone & iOS Recordings