Editor’s note: Stephanie Tudor provides focus group and one-an-one transcriptions for the marketing research industry.
1. Be sure the moderator’s voice is not the only voice you hear. Have all respondents equally miked—not one very loud group of voices at one end of the table and one very soft group of voices at the other end.
2. Be sure that the overall sound quality, tone, and balance are adjusted for best recording.
3. When taping by yourself, be sure to get expert technical advice on what equipment to rent, including which microphone is best suited to the surroundings you’ll be taping in, the size of the room, and the number of people being taped.
4. Always rent or invest in high-quality equipment. As your research assignments are so important and often so time sensitive, it pays to be sure the tape quality is the best it can be.
5. Always bring and use a second tape recorder as a backup.
6. Use 90 minute tapes instead of 120 minute tapes. They are thicker, of better quality, and break much less often.
7. Monitor the tape recording throughout the focus group or interview session to insure that the recording levels remain consistent.
8. Always do a sound check in the actual room you will be doing your interview or focus group in—even if you are working at a focus group facility. Do this check before you begin the interviews. If using more than one room in the facility, each room should be sound-checked, as their acoustics may vary. This check should be done on the day of the interviews, as conditions may vary from day to day.
9. How to do the sound check:
For a one-on-one interview
Set up your equipment. Sit down at the table where you will conduct the interview and say a few sentences or read something out loud in a normal conversational tone. Then, sit down in the respondent’s chair and say a few more sentences in the same manner. Tape record both...