Three principles to keep in mind when recording conversations with a voice recorder
Recording with a voice recorder is very familiar as voice evidence for each business negotiation or dispute, as well as the minutes of a meeting. However, even though I recorded it, I often hear it when I play it back later, the noise is terrible, and there is a lot of reverberation in the room, so I can't hear the contents.
The following three points are the main principles to avoid such troubles.
1. Avoid noisy places
2. The distance from the microphone to the mouth is as close as possible
3. Do not put it in your clothes pocket
1.Avoid noisy places
A quieter place is recommended when recording conversations. We do not recommend restaurants, cafes, McDonald's, shopping malls, etc. Even in places where you don't mind the sound during normal times, the recordings are different. When I actually record it, there are a lot of crowds around me, such as other people's voices, in-store broadcasts, BGM, footsteps, etc. You can not.
In a small cafe, the conversation in the next seat is clearly recorded, so even if you try to translate it later, you can't use it. In fact, many such improvement requests have been sent to this service. In addition, conversations in the car while driving are drowned out by strong engine noise and wind noise, and the probability of being unable to repair is high.
２.The distance from the microphone to the mouth is as close as possible
Reduce the distance of the voice recorder microphone from the conversation you want to record. Avoid putting small voice recorders in your clothes pocket. The sound is also loud, and the sound of rubbing against the clothes is heard, and I can't hear the contents after all. This noise is difficult to completely repair because the microphone and clothes are at zero distance. The most trouble to avoid when recording with a voice recorder, which drowns out important conversations.
If you can get the consent of the person you are talking to, place it on a table at a distance from each other. If that is difficult, put it in a second bag that you don't mind even on the table. Of course, if you cover it with a thick cloth, you will not be able to record well, so we recommend that you have a mesh pocket. Of course, if you want to use the other party's voice as evidence, don't forget to point the tip of the microphone toward the other party.
Even if there is a physical distance to the performer who announces the content you want to record, such as a conference or lecture, install the voice recorder near the speaker or closer to the performer. In a large venue, the echoes in the venue are strong, and even if you can record beautifully, there are cases where you cannot hear it at all due to the echoes.
３.Prepare high-performance products
IC recorders for conversation recording can be purchased for around $ 30 to 80, but if you check the functions carefully, there may be a noise cut function, or there may be a large spec difference even though there is not much price difference.
In most cases, old-fashioned voice recorders are inconvenient because they cannot be connected to a computer to transfer data. Even if you own an old model, you should introduce a new model if you are planning to use it for trials or to transcribe it reliably.
Summary
How was that. I run a sound quality improvement service called Hybrid Sound Reform, but there are many inquiries about "I can't hear the recorded content of voice memos." In some cases, it can be improved, but their success rate is around 50%. There are many sound sources that even professional professionals cannot fix. I wrote this article for those who have the opportunity to record important conversations.