In just the past few years, professional quality portable audio recorders have continued to evolve and improve. I am the director of the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History in the University of Kentucky Libraries where we loan dozens of professional-level recording kits to our interview project partners. In so doing over the years, I…
First up for my reviews of analog devices for digitally recording telephone interviews will be the JK Audio QuickTap which costs $59. The QuickTap is an inexpensive way to easily interface your landline telephone with your digital audio recorder. A few things are required for the QuickTap to work: Your digital audio recorder must have a…
The Rode iXY-L ($199.00 USD) brings high quality stereo recording to your iOS device turning your iPhone or iPad into a powerful portable recorder. The Rode iXY-L microphone is Rode’s newly updated iOS microphone attachment that is compatible with Apple’s Lightning Connector on newer iOS devices. In conjunction with Rode’s Rec App, The iXY-L records and exports a multitude of formats including the uncompressed Wave,…
We now have amazing opportunities for conducting remote oral histories using a range of Internet-based tools like Skype or Google Hangout. Through a webcam and a microphone, “face to face” or audio interviews via the Web are now quite easy to conduct. The challenge is effectively recording these interviews. I have to say that I…
Here is an initial audio test of the Zoom H-5 digital audio recorder using the standard X/Y microphone module, an external (XLR) lavaliere microphone, and the optional MSH-6 Mid Side Stereo and XYH-6 microphone modules. Example #1: Mic: Standard X/Y microphone module Position: Directly at source Settings: 24/96 .wav Example #2: Mic: External lavalier…
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 (interview + interviewer), and I…
I love the Zoom H5. In full disclosure, I have never been much of a Zoom type of guy. It started with the guitar effects pedals in the ’90s…They were designed (and priced) for the low end market, and usually sounded low-end. The H2 and H2n were disappointing recorders. The H4n, however, raised my eyebrows…
For my video interviews I have always preferred lapel microphones for capturing the audio. In my short article “Microphone Strategies for Recording Video for Oral Histories” published on Oral History in the Digital Age my bias for the lapel microphones is clear. In fact, I did not own a shotgun microphone at the time, so I did not…
One of my greatest fears has always been the risk of recording a one-of-a-kind oral history interview and having an unknown digital data or technical failure. I spend a lot of time obsessing about best practices and, recently, mostly focusing the majority of my attention on the recording machines. I haven’t thought about the importance…
