Topic: Recorder/mic setup and recommendations for oral history interviews?

[grapefruitvendor]

Anothernoobhere. 

I basically want to conduct oral histories and other personal interviews, primarily with just one other person. The interviewees would get CDs of the interviews, I also might post some online or submit to local radio. Interviews would be seated and in various different homes, possibly quiet shops. A little background noise is fine, but I want as good  quality as possible.

I can get a H2n and record tabletop from the onboard mics, but I think I'd like the option of connecting two external mics, either lav or desktop. I don't want to pass one mic back and forth.  Are XLR inputs crucial for this? Also do I need a recorder with two inputs for two mics, or could I get a recorder with one input and then buy a splitter? 

So, for my purposes...

Zoom H2n? No XLR inputs....will this be a problem?
Tascam DR-40?
Something else?
What external mics?

If anyone comment on a specific setup they have used successfully for something like this, I would really appreciate it. I have a Zoom H1, but don't really think this will work well to record me and the interviewee. Like to spend under $800 for the works and don't have any experience with mixing or post production. Lot's of questions, any feedback welcome (I've been on Transom and many other sites and boards, but haven't found good specific info on the type of setup I want to use).

Thanks in advance.

[rastasean]

I would say the sony pcm10 and a dynamic mic. I think all dynamic mics are mono so you will need the proper cable to go from mono to stereo.

Dynamic is nice because it won't be as sensitive to pick up various room noises (fans, A/C, refrigerator, blinds blowing in the wind) and you won't notice these noises until you're listing to the recording. Headphones are a must but make sure you are wearing closed headphones so the recording won't bleed through the headphones.

some good advice here: http://storycorps.org/record-your-story/

[DigiGal]

Definitely get something with 2 XLR inputs...

You could pick up a Marantz PMD661 and 2 EV 635a dynamic interview mics and 2 XLR mic cables within your budget and you'll have a sweet interview rig.  There are of course other options but this simple setup will serve your stated goal very well and won't let you down.

[grapefruitvendor]

THanks DigiGal and rastasean.



Could I use a two external mic set-up on the Zoom H2n? How would this work? I know I could record an external mic and onboard mics at the same time, but what about two lavs or desktops on the Zoom H2n? Will lack of XLR inputs be an issue?

[F.O.Bean]

I would think the internal mics of the sony m10 would be sufficient for this, no?

[DigiGal]

If you go with EV 635A's, I'd strongly recommend ordering the GRAY/FAWN BEIGE colored version which is a very durable finish.  EV's BLACK finish is extremely prone to scratching. 

You might want to pick up a couple of portable K&M Stands 231/1 Table Top Mic Stand, Nickel, Tripod Base.

[DigiGal]

I would think the internal mics of the sony m10 would be sufficient for this, no?

I'm not a fan of any internal mics (ymmv).  Thus my recommendation for something with XLR inputs. 

XLR inputs will allow direct, reliable noise free connection of either desktop or lav mics.  PMD661 does have built in mics if so inclined.  Bear in mind good lav mics are expensive so it's best to start out with the desk/handheld interview mics and pick up lav mics down the line if you need them.

[rastasean]

My girlfriend and child used the md46 to record an interview for the kindergarten teacher last school year. Sennheiser MD46 into the m10 with a cable as I mentioned earlier. Other than the handling noise, the recording came out great and made the teacher cry.

You can make things as simple or as complicated as you want but make sure it sounds good and is a good story so people will want to listen to it. The md46 is very cardioid which is great in noisy situations and there is an omnidirectional which I have not used, md42.

I also don't think internals are great because the room noise will  d e f i n i t e l y  be noticed.

[earmonger]

I have gotten excellent interview audio just using the internals on the Sony PCM-M10--like recording outdoors, sitting on a bench on a hillside, with the PCM-M10 on the bench a foot or two from the person speaking. Both sides of the dialogue came through very clearly, along with the birds singing.

The Sony mic inputs are also fine with mics clipped to lapels using the 1/8" input. I have used Sound Pros BMC-2 and lately Church Audio CA-14 cardioids. I put them both on the person being interviewed, so my questions are somewhat quieter (esp. with the cardioids) but still clear. If you take a stereo pair and clip one to you and one to the interviewee, you'll get a pretty annoying left-ear-right-ear dialogue, though of course you could fix that in post-production.

It really depends on what you mean by good quality. If you want radio-station quiet, you need to record in a quiet place. But a lot of journalists get their interviews with the built-ins on Sonys or Edirols.  (I've never used a Zoom, but you'll find complaints about noisy mic inputs from H2 and H4. You should try your H1--record, say, a watch or clock ticking with internal and external mics.)

Personally I don't think you need to go for the class of equipment that uses XLR, because something like the PCM-M10  has all the fidelity you need. Voice recording is a relatively narrow spectrum of frequencies and dynamics.  With current equipment, where you record and microphone placement (close enough to the speaker to avoid room echo or background noise, not so close you hear heavy breathing or popped Ps), are going to be far more crucial to the recording than the recorder itself, as long as it has a passable mic input.

[Ozpeter]

Voice recording is a relatively narrow spectrum of frequencies and dynamics.

Hmmm.  I'm inclined to  disagree.  Have a look at a voice recording on a spectral display.  The male voice spoken word frequencies can go way down, and sibilants beyond 18kHz.  And the dynamic range between soft speech and a sudden laugh or whatever is what often catches people out when recording it.

[earmonger]

Voice recording is a relatively narrow spectrum of frequencies and dynamics.

Hmmm.  I'm inclined to  disagree.  Have a look at a voice recording on a spectral display.  The male voice spoken word frequencies can go way down, and sibilants beyond 18kHz.  And the dynamic range between soft speech and a sudden laugh or whatever is what often catches people out when recording it.

Point taken. Music can get louder and lower, but because speech is unamplified the temptation is to raise the recording level. Luckily, with 24-bit fidelity we can record speech at low levels to guard against sudden peaks, and amplify later with less noise.  A good thing for this project to remember.

[Ozpeter]

Might be worth throwing in at this point a mention of "The Levelator" while we're talking about speech recording and its dynamic range -

"What is The Levelator®?

Do you believe in magic? You will after using The Levelator® to enhance your podcast. And you'll be amazed that it's free, now even for commercial use.

So what is The Levelator®? It's software that runs on Windows, OS X (universal binary), or Linux (Ubuntu) that adjusts the audio levels within your podcast or other audio file for variations from one speaker to the next, for example. It's not a compressor, normalizer or limiter although it contains all three. It's much more than those tools, and it's much simpler to use. The UI is dirt-simple: Drag-and-drop any WAV or AIFF file onto The Leveler's application window, and a few moments later you'll find a new version which just sounds better.

Have you ever recorded an interview in which you and your guest ended up at different volumes? How about a panel discussion where some people were close to microphones and others were not? These are the problems the post-production engineers of Team ITC here at The Conversations Network solve every day, and it used to take them hours of painstaking work with expensive and complex tools like SoundTrack Pro, Audacity, Sound Forge or Audition to solve them. Now it takes mere seconds. Seriously. The Levelator® is unlike any other audio tool you've ever seen, heard or used. It's magic. And it's free."

I know that sounds like an over the top ad for some kind of con, but actually it's perfectly reputable and it works remarkably well - and very simply, if you are new to this sort of thing.  Not to be used on music, but can be very effective on speech.  Something worth having on every sound recordists' PC.

http://www.conversationsnetwork.org/levelator

[earmonger]

Might be worth throwing in at this point a mention of "The Levelator" while we're talking about speech recording and its dynamic range -

http://www.conversationsnetwork.org/levelator

Wow, that looks promising. Downloaded it and will give it a try. Thanks, ozpeter.

[rastasean]

The plugin Levelator sounds cool but the best way to get good recordings is to monitor the recording and have the people speak at equal volumes. This plugin seems like AGC on records except it may be more advanced since you edit the record after the fact.

I'd also agree that voices are pretty dynamic. All you have to do is listen to a low quality (64KBPS, for example) speech of somebody talking to know some of the dynamic range and overall tone in their voice is missing.

[Ozpeter]

the best way to get good recordings is to monitor the recording and have the people speak at equal volumes.

Heh, try getting people other than pro broadcasters to speak at steady volume!  One thing not mentioned in the context of oral history is the importance of not intimidating the subject with too much tech or too many instructions.  You get best results if they feel like they are just having a chat and no recording is happening.  And at the end of the day, it's what they say that counts rather than the quality of the recording (so long as you can understand it).  So maybe don't continuously monitor the recording (your headphones may make them nervous), just at the start if that, and set levels to expect whispers to shouts.

I am very, very fortunate to have many hours of recordings of my parents made by the Imperial War Museum in London who came to their home with a fairly ordinary cassette recorder for several days.  By today's standards the recordings (which I have of course transcribed to CD) are lacking in quality but it's still them, and the story they tell is preserved for ever for researchers - and family - to hear.