Do You Want to Record the Best Quality Possible for Your Audio Interviews?
A dual recording is the only answer.
Internet calls will not work if the Internet is not working. And they won’t work very well if the connection is not very good.
Overview of The Dual Recording Process
The solution is to record two discreet audio files. One in each location. Each file has the speakers voice on it. Both people wear headphones so there is no audio crossover. It’s important for the edit for there to be just the ONE voice on each file.
Then you sync them in post-production in the audio editor. Any editor will work. Just zoom in close and drag the files so they sync up.
The How-to Steps to Create a Dual Recording
- You record on your end in a way that gets a high-quality recording. The better the mic and the mic placement, the better the recording.
Using Audacity, on a PC or Mac, for example. It’s even better if you use a hardware-based recorder like a because they are more reliable.
Using a smartphone with an inexpensive lavallière microphone and an app like Voice Record Pro (for iOS).
- The guest also records on their end. Using Audacity or into an iPad, or any other recording device. Again, The better the mic and the mic placement, the better the recording.
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You and your guest have the conversation over a cellular connection. Or landline.
No speakerphones are allowed!
Each of the two recordings needs to only have one voice in them.
How to Sync the Audio in Post-Production
For the post-production edit, you have to bring the two audio files together and synchronize them. In the sound editor (such as Audacity or my preferred editor Adobe Audition), you zoom in and line up the waveforms so they match up and sync.
There might be an echo if the files don’t match up, so drag or nudge (via a keystroke) until the echo goes away.
Tricks to Make Syncing Easier
If you can make loud sounds at the very beginning of the recording, it helps. This makes the waveform stand out a bit. It can help to do this at the end, too. For “safety”.
The Benefits of this Technique
The bonus of it is that you get a higher quality product in the end. Because the Internet-based recordings introduce a lot of noise into the audio.
I know how to do this because I am a video guy. Lots of cameras have cheap noisy mics, so you have to record the subject in another way and do the sync in post.
