Be Heard | In Person Recording Guide

IN PERSON RECORDING

Equipment

Here's what you'll need to record an interview when you and your guests are in the same room. This setup will record up to 6 people.

1. Zoom H8 (Approx £289 UK, $299 US)

The Zoom H8 is the audio interface. What does that mean? Well, in a nutshell it means that this is the piece of kit that all of your mics plug into and does all of the recording. It is very popular, highly portable and very powerful.

If an SD card doesn't come with your Zoom H8 then you will need one of those as well. This is the storage card which goes into the device and stores your recordings.

2. Shure SM58 (Approx £90 UK, $99 US)

This is an industry standard and world leading microphone. You will need one microphone for each speaker (max 6 speakers for this setup).

3. XLR Cable (Approx £7 UK, $9 US)

Depending on where you purchase your microphones you may need to purchase a cable separately. Each microphone will need its own cable to connect to the H8.

4. Microphone Arm (Optional)

The Shure mics work perfectly well as handheld mics. However you may wish to purchase a microphone arm / stand for hands free recording. These are widely available online.

Make sure these steps are taken care of before the day of recording.

Before Recording

1. Zoom H8 Familiarisation

We will come to detailed recording instructions below, but initially it is a good idea to experiment with the Zoom H8 and the Shure mics to make sure that you are comfortable with them. How they work, how they connect etc.

It is also a good idea to read through the H8 instruction manual to get an overview of how that device functions. This is a very standard setup so there is an abundance of information about it online, or if you have questions you can of course ask me.

2. Test recording

I highly recommend doing a test recording using the recording instructions below before diving into the real thing. This means I can check everything is set up correctly.

How to Record

You're about to start recording! Here's how to get started.

1. Plug in your Zoom H8

The Zoom H8 has batteries which tend to last a long time. However to avoid the batteries running out it is best to plug in the H8 to a power source if this is feasible in your recording location.

2. Plug in the mics

Plug in the Shure SM58 microphones into the Zoom H8 using the XLR cables. Ensure that the correct audio inputs are being recorded. Check the H8 instructions for more information on this. Or ask me if unsure.

3. Check the mic placement

Make sure that the mics are positioned correctly. These mics work best when spoken into from around 6 inches or so. Try and space speakers apart from each other to avoid excessive echo across tracks.

If you haven't done a mic test with me at this stage then I highly recommend doing so before going any further.

4. Record

You are now ready to record! Simply click record on the Zoom H8 to get started.

5. Marking Mistakes

If you make a mistake during recording, don't worry. Just mark the mistake using the gap and clap technique. This means you must pause in silence for at least 10 seconds, then clap your hands once. This will be a signal to me that there is something that needs editing and I will take care of it.

6. Ending the recording

After you have finished recording you can click stop on the Zoom H8. You can plug the Zoom H8 into your computer (or connect the SD card) to retrieve your files and send them to me for production!