The Knight Digital Media Center has some good tutorials on this stuff, including Soundtrack Pro and the Olympus dictation recorder.
The equipment:
Use a good microphone. The Olympus recorders we have do a fine job when you use a good external microphone. There are several quality microphones in the newsroom – with a little lead-time we can get one to you.
There are two types of microphones in the newsroom, dynamic and condenser:
•Dynamic mics are more durable – they do not have a power source so they are more resistant to water and shock damage – but we’ve found that they require a bit more attention to audio levels when you’re recording. One note on our Sennheiser dynamic mics: we also have wireless transmitters for them if you need them (at a press conference for instance).
•We also have several condenser mics. These take batteries and are more fragile. The phantom power switch on some of the recorders is for condenser microphones.
The process:
An interview is a controlled situation. If possible, take time to find a QUIET place to do your recording. Screaming kids in the background (or barking dogs) can render your interview track unusable. The interior of a car can make a good makeshift sound booth.
When recording an interview, the mic should be close to your subject’s mouth but held off to one side to minimize “popping p’s.” Closer in will give you more voice while farther out will give more ambient sound.
Use headphones when capturing your audio.
Some points to remember:
•Be in control of the microphone. Follow the voice or sound you’re trying to capture.
•The first question you ask should be something like “What is your name, and what is your profession (what are you doing here…).” You can use the answer to set up your audio if you like (not required!) and it will get your subjects talking about their favorite topic: themselves.
•Ask qualified statements (don’t ask yes/no questions)
•BE QUIET! Don’t interject during your interview
•Audio drives everything. Don’t be afraid to have your subject repeat their answer
•Use silence to draw out a response.
•Collect natural sound. Everything has a sound.
•Record the tone of the room. Silence everyone and capture one minute of silence. This will help with the audio editing.
•Keep it short. The more audio you collect, the more audio you have to edit and the more time it takes. We try to keep our audio slideshows less than 2 minutes so you really don’t need much good stuff. That said, if you have the time (both on the scene and for production), don’t hesitate to stay if you’re getting good audio.
•Coordinate with the photographer. We approach slideshows a little differently, primarily because we need so many pictures, so make sure the shooter knows what you have planned.
•Log your tape while you’re recording. Not required but it saves a lot of time when you’re editing your project.