BASIC RECORDING THINGS TO ALWAYS REMEMBER:

  • Keep your headphones on! ALWAYS!

  • Turn off any noises that you can (fridge, air conditioner, heater, fan, etc)

    • Any noises you can’t turn off, explain what they are. Your listeners will forgive you if they understand what they are hearing! Something like: “As you can probably hear, there’s planes flying overhead in the sky…”

  • Record at least two minutes of “silence” (also called Room Tone).

  • Make sure you are recording! (The light is solid red, not flashing red)

  • To set your levels (the sound level that is being recorded) ask the person what they had for breakfast. You want the sound of their voice coming in between -12 and -6. Of course, they might speak softer or louder at times, but try to set the recorder for their general level of voice.

  • Get the microphone closer than you think! And don’t let them hold it, ever. Keep the power in your hands.  

  • As you start, you may get sore muscles-- find the system that works for you. I try to sit really close to the person I am interviewing and prop my elbow on the couch, or chair or table. Always have the microphone really close to the side of their mouth!

  • Avoid hand noise! Your hands make noise on the recorder. Find the system that serves you best so you don’t pick up noise from your hands & fingers, this will be recorded and can hurt your recording sound.

  • When appropriate, record outside and describe what you are seeing and are hearing. Your audience is blind! They need you to tell them what to imagine in their minds.

  • Most people can handle 40 - 60 minutes of talking.

  • Don’t turn the recorder off at the end! Usually the BEST stuff (I’m not kidding) comes after the formality of the interview. Keep the recorder going!

  • The more comfortable you are with your gear (ie. treating it like it's no big deal) to more at ease you’ll put your interviewee.

  • Turn off your cell phone & theirs! It can interfere with the recording!

  • A great resource about the basics of radio-making: https://transom.org/2013/the-basics/

 

 

INTERVIEWING:

  • Ask them to introduce themselves (not, what’s your name)-- this way they say “I am…” which you can build a story out of, not just a name. “Would you introduce yourself to me”

    • If they introduce themselves in Diné, if appropriate, ask them to introduce themself again in English so we have both options.

  • TRANSLATION: If you understand Navajo, you are welcome to have the interview in Navajo. However, you need to think about how this will work for people who do not understand Diné. If your interviewee speaks the interview in Diné, you can either translate at that time (repeating their answers into your microphone in English) or, after the interview, listen to their answers, choose the ones you think will work for this project, and record yourself translating them. (A suggestion-- listen to their answers, write down their answers, then record yourself reading the answers).

  • Ask OPEN-ENDED questions (not yes/no questions). For example, instead of saying "Did your ancestors go on the Long Walk" (which means they'll answer yes/no), ask "Can you tell me about your ancestors' experience of the Long Walk?"

  • Do not be afraid of silence-- pausing for several seconds after someone finishes a thought usually encourages them to keep talking, often more in depth. Silence is not negative. Silence is patient and helpful in storytelling.

  • Do not be afraid to ask them to repeat themselves or dig deeper. Be curious! For example, “you said you were sad, but can you tell me more what that means.”

  • “Tell me more” is a great thing to say frequently!

  • Your listening audience is blind. DESCRIBE! DESCRIBE! DESCRIBE! Describe visually as much as possible, including stories in the past-- the smells, the colors, the feel of things.

  • At the end of an interview always ask: “Is there anything I haven’t asked you that you’d like to say?” This often leads to incredible moments.

  • I personally like to ask the person to re-introduce their self for me. Usually they sound more relaxed than at the beginning of the interview. 

  • P-pops and other sounds that are annoying while recording and how to deal with them: https://transom.org/2016/p-pops-plosives/

 

AUDIO DIARY(RECORDING YOURSELF):

  • Keep your headphones on even now! Turn off the noises you can control, explain those you cannot. Take a moment to listen to your sound environment before you start recording. If you're in your room, can you hear the heater? Can you turn it off? Control your sound space as much as you can!

  • ALWAYS say:

    • Who you are (“Hi, this is Vanessa”) You only have to do a formal introduction once.

    • Where you are location (“I’m at my mother’s home, in ….)

    • Where you are in physical place (“I’m in my old bedroom")-- describe sensory!

    • What time it is (“It’s midnight, I can’t sleep…")

  • Record at least two minutes of “silence” (Room Tone).

  • Make sure you are recording! (The light is solid red, not flashing red)

  • To set your levels to your own voice (-12 to -6)

  • Get the microphone close to the side of your mouth. (It should sound like talking to your best friend on the phone)

 

 

RECORDING A SCENE (SOME ACTION HAPPENING):

  • ACTION SOUNDS and “PICTURE” SOUNDS close up. We call these SCENES
     
  • Are you talking to someone while they’re cooking? Record the bacon sizzling in the pan. Record the sink water running.
  • Are you interviewing someone about their job as a mechanic? Record the sound of their work: tools being used, for example.
  • Are you recording a gathering? Record the sound of people's voices, of music, of footsteps.
     
  • Are you walking outside? Record your footsteps, record the wind in the brush, and then-- after good time sound collecting-- describe what you see visually (“there are mountains in the distance, the kind of blue color like…).
     
  • Get the background sound without you talking. If the sound is confusing for a listener, make sure to explain it. Record at least two minutes of the background sound. So, if you are recording yourself hiking, record your footsteps, record the bird noises, the sound of the wind in trees, cars in the distance, for example.
     
  • Again--- make sure your record AT LEAST TWO MINUTES of “natural sound” in EVERY LOCATION that you record.