TEDLD 602: Community Grounded Praxis - Minthorn: Recording Your Interview

When conducting an oral history interview, it is usually recommended that you meet your oral history interviewee, or narrator, in person. This would not only allow you to use the recording equipment and control the sit-specific sound quality to archive best results with the audio/video recordings, but also it would help facilitate a natural rapport and flow of conversation between you and the narrator, which are vital ingredients of a successful oral history documentation project. 

To record an oral history digitally, we recommend using Zoom Video Communications (not to be confused with Zoom recording devices!) as an alternative for capturing oral histories during this extraordinary moment in history. This technology is supported by the University of Washington, and currently all faculty, students, and staff have free access to the licensed pro version. Your narrator does not need to access to internet connection, the Zoom video conferencing app, or a digital device for you, a UW student, to conduct a recorded oral history interview session. In fact, all they need is a phone to call into your session, and if they have a landline telephone, this would be the best option to ensure the stability of the call.

Follow the steps below to set up a Zoom interview session. The steps focuses on the technical aspect, but don't forget to take care of communications with your narrator just as you would if you were requesting their availability and arranging to meet with them in person. If you have questions, you can reach out to me, Justin Wadland (Head, Digital Scholarship) at jwadland@uw.edu.

NOTE: In the rest of the guide, when we mention Zoom, unless otherwise specified, we are referring to the video conferencing technology, not the recording devices!

The instructions on this guide were developed by Joan Hua, who worked as an Oral History Project Manager at UW Tacoma Library, in 2019-2020.

Step 1: Access Zoom

1. Go to UW Zoom Video Conferencing (https://washington.zoom.us/).
2. Click on Sign In to Standard UW Zoom.
3. Log in using your UW NetID and follow instructions here.

Step 2: Enable Recording

1. Once you're logged in, go to Settings on the left menu, and then choose the Recording tab on the top.
2. Turn on the Local recording option using the toggle. 
3. Save your settings.

Step 3: Set Up Meeting

1. Go to Settings on the left menu, and then Set Up a New Meeting.
2. Be sure to select Enable waiting room​ to ensure the session is secure. If you're interviewing someone who isn't part of the UW community, leave Only authenticated users can join option unchecked.
3. Follow the steps in the Schedule a UW Zoom meeting and Invite Others webpage.

Step 4: Test Record

1. During a Zoom session, click on Record, and then select Record on this computer.
2. Test a recording with your narrator, yourself, or with a friend before the actual interview. Listen to the test recording and see how it sounds.
3. When you end a recorded Zoom meeting, if you kept the default settings, a folder would pop up showing you where the recording files were saved. Make sure you understand where they are.

Step 5: Record

1. During a Zoom session, click on Record, and then select Record on this computer. 
2. If your narrator/interviewee has access to a phone, especially a landline, be sure to share with them the phone number (253-215-8782) and nine-digit meeting ID for them to call into your interview session once you have it set up. We recommend you ask them to phone in so that it doesn't require them to access the app and avoids problems caused by unstable internet connections.
3. Begin each interview session with your name, narrator's name, and today's date.

Example: "This is Joan Hua, and I am interviewing Michael Honey for TIAS 515 Themes in the Interpretation of Culture. It's April 14, 2020. Mike, do I have your permission to record this interview?"

Step 6: Access and Submit Recordings

1. Go to the folder where Zoom recordings are saved on your local computer, based on what you learned in Step 3 above.
2. For the purpose of completing the assignment, go to the folder for your interview sessions (typically automatically named with dates first), and then the file called audio_only.m4a. This is the file you will submit.
3. Assemble the file(s), rename them ([your last name]_audio[#].m4a), and submit following instructions in the Submit Materials section of this guide.

Above and Beyond for Remote Recording

We are using Zoom Video Communications for recording remote interviews for spring quarter 2020 because of the existing circumstances and because every UW student has a pro account already. But if you feel like achieving a level above that, there are ways to optimize the recordings you make of your and your oral history narrator's conversation. Here are some recommendations. Do these in addition to the Zoom recordings if you like.

• Record your voice (as you interview your narrator on Zoom) using a audio equipment you might be familiar with or that you happen to have on hand, such as a digital recorder and/or microphone. Keep in mind you will have to submit your recording files digitally.
• Record your voice (as you interview your narrator on Zoom) using a smartphone voice memo app. iPhones usually come with one, but some additional options include ASR Voice Recorder, Easy Voice Recorder, or PCM Recorder.
• In addition, if your narrator is someone who would be comfortable with this, ask them to do also record their own voice in their environment: ask them to turn on a recording device or app when your interview session begin and send you the file(s) afterward.
• You still have to record the Zoom session and submit the recording files if you choose to perform these additional steps. It is always a good idea to have backup recordings.
• Additional resource: You can use this video to better understand the process and/or explain it to your oral history narrator.