It is easier for us to provide you with an accurate and quick turnaround of your transcript if the recording is of good quality with no background interference.

Ensure you switch off humming equipment such as computers and air conditioners as the recording will pick these sounds up.

Choose a quiet room to conduct your meeting or interview and ensure that windows and doors are closed so that the recording does not pick up traffic, work colleagues passing the room, etc.

When recording an interview try to place the microphone close to the interviewee rather than yourself. The answers are invariably more important than the questions.

Test your equipment prior to the recording session and make sure youre recording device is set at the highest volume possible.

When recording a focus group or meeting ask participants to try not to talk over one another. Also, at the beginning of the meeting, ask each participant to introduce themselves so we can identify who is talking for transcription purposes. If possible, ask each participant to say their name before they speak, especially if five or more people are participating, if you want each person identified on the transcript.

If you are not using digital equipment to record your interview or meeting, though digital is highly recommended, then use standard cassettes and record at normal speed. If you record at a high speed to fit more time on the tape you will lose a lot of the audio quality.