Recording an Audio Interview on a Phone
Audio recording applications are available for both Apple and Android based smart phones ( specific
details about these apps follow ). They are simple to use and can produce very usable results under the
right conditions. It is important that you follow these simple steps to maximize the quality and
intelligibility of your recording.
1: THE most important thing to remember is to position the phone close to the interviewee. “Close”
means 6-18 inches maximum from the speakers mouth. This is not negotiable and might require some
initiative to situate the device appropriately. Consider using a book to rest the phone on, or even hand-
holding the device like a microphone pointed at the subject (perhaps the interviewee can hold it? ).
2: Choose a good location. Indoors is almost always best. Avoid rooms which are adjacent to busy
roads and spaces with hard, uncovered surfaces which ‘echo’( bathrooms, kitchens, hallways etc).
Usually a soft furnished sitting room ( couch, curtains, carpet etc ) will work fine.
3: Minimize background noise. Close windows and doors, avoid fans and refrigerators, turn off TV’s ,
background music, aquariums and water features. Relocate rambunctious pets. Wait for exterior noises
(mowers, weed whackers, hammering etc ) to finish or try to have them stopped.
4: Tap “Record” on your device- don’t forget !!
Recording Applications For Your Device
iOS ( iPhones)
Apple App Store-“Voice Memos”
The app “Voice Memos” is pre-installed with all versions of the iPhone / iPad running iOS
Version 10 or greater. If it is not installed on your iPhone it can be downloaded from the Apple App Store
for free.
Launch the app and simply tap the red record button to start recording.
Android Phones
Google Play Store- “Easy Voice Recorder”
Not every Android phone comes with a pre-loaded audio recorder app, but there are free options
available at the Google Play Store. Search for “Audio Recorder” and you should see a popular choice
called “Easy Voice Recorder”.
tap the red button to start/stop recording.
Note:- whichever app you use, ensure you have enough space on your device to hold the audio file of
the interview. Most phone based recorders record compressed audio in the .m4a format which will
require approximately 50MB per hour of audio. Some apps might allow the use of “High Quality”
recording which could increase the file size by up to 10 times.
Sharing the Recording With Us.
For Alumni without Yale network credentials who record their own interviews, the process of
getting the files to us might best be achieved in one of the following ways:
1: Use your own free account in either Box or DropBox. Download the Box
(https://www.box.com/personal) or DropBox
( https://www.dropbox.com/basic ) app on your phone and create a free
account (alternately an account can also be created from a
tap red button to
start/stop recording
More detailed instructions are available here
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206775
and here
https://www.imore.com/voice-memos
“Easy Voice Recorder” is another good option
Available in the Apple App store.
desktop computer and you can log into it from the Phone’s app ). Both
services offer enough free storage space for this purpose. Once the
recording is complete, use the recording app ( eg Voice Memos ) to Share
the recording to your Box or Drop Box account. Once it has uploaded, use
the Box or DropBox account to share the file via email to
lee.faulkner@yale.edu
2: If you can connect * your phone to a PC or Mac computer and download
the recording to the computer’s drive ( eg the Desktop ), then click on this
link
https://opacarchive.yale.edu/app/#uploads/request/da1ebc69-a18d-42ea-
b788-8d04972006e7
A browser will open with an Upload Page. Drag the Interview file into this
window and click “Upload” in the top right corner of the window.
* this connection could be via a USB cable or in the case of an iPhone and a
Mac laptop or desktop, the Voice Memo recorder’s "Share" function might
offer the option to “AirDrop” the file directly to your computer. Tap the
“Airdrop” icon in the Sharing options and see if the name of your
laptop/desktop is visible. If so just tap the name and the file will be
transferred.
