Make your recordings as clear and as noise free as possible for accurate transcription.
Good recordings result in accurate transcripts, so it is essential to make your recordings as clear as possible.

Start by using a good quality, full-size cassette recorder, such as a DS-2000 Digital Voice Recorder , DW-90 Digital Voice Recorder or similar high-end consumer or professional level recorder.

The money you save by reducing your transcription costs with clear, easy-to-hear tapes will probably pay for a good recorder with the very first job.

We recommend using an external microphone to make your recordings even better.
The built-in microphone in most portable recorders is literally a 10-cent item with limited volume levels and telephone quality sound.

They also tend to pick up sound from the nearest source of noise - the recorder itself!

Check with a sales associate to make sure the microphone you buy is compatible with your recorder. Choosing the wrong microphone could lead to low volume or distorted recordings.

Place the microphone as close to the sound source as possible.
Because sound volume degrades so quickly over relatively short distances, especially with inexpensive equipment, we cannot stress enough that for good recordings and accurate transcripts, microphones and recorders must be placed as close to a subject as possible and that the recording be done in a quiet setting.

Preferably use full-size cassettes instead of microcassettes.
Full-size cassettes always provide three times better sound quality than micro or mini-cassettes (15kHz versus 5kHz), so we advise using a full-size cassette recorder for better quality sound and lower tape hiss. Thanks to miniaturization, they are not much larger than a micro recorder.

We recommend recording at the fastest speed setting on your recorder.
Most micro recorders and some full-size recorders allow you to record at slower speeds to save tape and extend recording time. Don't be tempted to use slower speeds. You will be doubling the amount of noise on the recording and halving the audio quality.

Tapes are cheap (about $1 apiece), and by using the faster speeds and additional tapes you can save yourself time and money.

Use brand name tapes/CDs when recording.
Many times when we have problems with excessively noisy tapes or tapes breaking or sticking, the majority of the problems are caused by non-brand name tapes. Use Fuji, Maxell, Sony, TDK and other well-known, brand-name tape manufactured by the company that sells it. You will actually save yourself money in the long run by using quality brand-name tape.

Find a quiet place to hold your interview or discussion.
It is very difficult to transcribe tapes recorded in a noisy environment, such as restaurants, bars, exhibit halls, airports, moving vehicles and so forth. Do everything you can to minimize background sound by moving to a quieter area, closing any doors and windows, and shutting off any noise-making devices.

Shut off Voice Activation Features.
Some recorders come with a voice activation feature that will shut off the recording when the sound level goes below a certain threshold. What we have found is that these circuits are not very sensitive and will often shut off in the middle of a sentence, or miss entire sentences, especially with soft-spoken speakers. If your tape has such a feature, you should make sure it is shut off. There is nothing we can do to restore audio that was not recorded.

Send us original tapes.
We know from experience that original master tapes simply sound better than copies, and if you want fast, accurate transcripts, we have to have the originals.