Interviewing Live - Equipment

[Daniel M. Clark]

I'm heading to an industry event in about two and a half weeks, and I'm planning on interviewing several people while I'm there. My plan was to use my iPad to do it. The Camera Connection Kit allows for connecting a USB microphone and there are several good recording utilities. My brilliant idea was to get a small USB hub for a few bucks, and use it to plug in two microphones - one for me, one for the guest. Turns out, I'm not so brilliant. It doesn't work.

So.

I'm hoping I can get some recommendations... how can I do this fairly inexpensively but with good quality (good quality, not studio quality, not "hey, you must be an audio engineer" quality )?

Ideally? Under a hundred bucks, and I need a microphone or two (I have a couple of headsets, but I don't want to ask interviewees to wear one). I'll also be traveling with my MacBook Pro. A solution like the Edirol R-09HR would be great, but units like that tend to get pricey - right out of my price range.

A recording unit like the Edirol? Use the MacBook Pro with a couple of USB mics - or one mic set in the middle of the table? Something for the iPad maybe?

[Cliff Ravenscraft]

Daniel, I wish I had more time to answer equipment questions in the forum right now.  I'm trying to get unburied from emails from where i was out of town for my Boston trip.  I'm going to leave this unanswered for now and delete the notice out of my inbox.  If you dont' get a response from anyone else with some ideas, post an update to this thread next week and I will get another email note to come back here and I may have time to shoot an idea out then.

[Daniel M. Clark]

Oh, please - Cliff, please don't apologize. Not a problem at all, and I totally understand you're busy with a number of things right now in addition to being out of town recently. If other forum members have some ideas, that would be great - but I can always fall back on two microphones plugged into my MacBook Pro and recording into GarageBand. Thanks for taking the time to respond

[Cliff Ravenscraft]

Honestly, a digital audio recorder with built in mics would be a good choice for in the field interviews.

I prefer the Edirol R-09 http://gspn.tv/edirolamazon

However, the Tascam DR-07 is going for a pretty low price http://amzn.to/cLG2Jc

If you are going to be outdoors with either, I'd research a windscreen option.

I hold the recorder if standing up or place on a table between us if sitting down.

[davedufour]

I have been this close (thumb and forefinger about two inches apart) from ordering the DR-07 a couple times.  My problem with it is that I've heard the onboard pre-amps are noisy, and I've heard sample recordings that proved it.  This is most noticeable in low level recordings.  If you Google around you can find test recordings made with this unit.  I DON'T know if this problem exists with an external microphone.  A unit in the same general price range is the Olympus LS10 which I've also heard test recordings from and it's excellent.  Very clean.  And of course, Cliff's favorite, the Edirol, which is a little higher priced, is terrific.  You can find test recordings from these just by googling something like "LS-10 review" or similar. 

I haven't purchased a portable because I continue to record on my very quiet Vaio laptop (not always the case with computer recordings), but that's going to stop because there are other issues besides noise.  I have used an older Olympus DS-2 with an external mike for a lot of field recordings (and even video voice-over) and it has been very good -- not the frequency range (or features) you get with a higher end unit, but very good -- depends on the mike.

Cliff, I listened to your review of the Zoom h1, and I was favorably impressed. Again, it's not quite an Edirol in sound quality  but good.  Handling noise is an issue with that one, unless you use an external mike, though.  BUT, at $99, it might be a pretty good portable if  you're recording voice only.

[Cliff Ravenscraft]

Cliff, I listened to your review of the Zoom h1, and I was favorably impressed. Again, it's not quite an Edirol in sound quality  but good.  Handling noise is an issue with that one, unless you use an external mike, though.  BUT, at $99, it might be a pretty good portable if  you're recording voice only.

So long as you can live without a Pause Button.  That's a deal breaker for me.