Courtesy Becky Risch, Denver Post

When to add a clip:

  • Think about how sound can enhance your storytelling.
  • Are you interviewing a yodeler or a champion whistler? Record it.
  • Are you writing about a wind storm or a protest? Record it.
  • Are you attending a press conference or a speech? Record it.
  • Are you sitting in on a band practice or a poetry slam? Record it.
  • Does your interviewee have an interesting voice or accent? Record it.
  • Is your interviewee famous? Record him or her.

When including clips from your interviews, try to pick ones that demonstrate inflection, humor, joy, anger, or other emotions or sounds that will not come across in copy only.

Tips:

  • When interviewing, write down the approximate time on your recorder of a quote that sounds like it would be good for audio. It will save you a lot of time finding it later.
  • Supplement your story. If the quote is already in your story, then use something else.
  • Short, complete thoughts – under three minutes – are best.
  • Remember in one-on-one interviews, you need to let the subject know they are being recorded.

Hardware options

Digital recorders:

  • Olympus VN-960PC (about $100) default format is wav
  • Olympus WS-300M (about $150) default format is wma, also has mp3 player
  • Sony ICDP320 (about $60)

Compare these and others on Amazon. You can usually get a deal.

iPod tools:

  • MicroMemo from Xtreme Mac or Belkin TuneTalk (each about $60). For use with new generation video iPods only
  • Griffin iTalk (about $30)
  • Belkin Voice Recorder (about $50)

Software Options:

  • Audacity – opensource freeware.
    (audacity.sourceforge.net). Won’t work with wma files.
  • Goldwave - $45
  • Adobe Audition - $350
  • Garage Band - Free with Macs

To get your audio onto the computer:
Each recorder is different, so read the instructions. But most use a connection through a USB port that attaches to the recorder. The connection wire should come with your recorder or iPod, but if not, take it to Radio Shack and find one that will work.

How to edit:
Open the file in your audio editor. Find the clip you want to use. Select it and then copy and paste into a new file. You can increase or decrease amplification if needed. Save as mp3.

Obviously there are a bunch of other things you can do with your audio. Feel free to experiment, but easy, clear clips are what we’re looking for here.

You’ve got your clip in hand, now what?
Our preferred format for clips is MP3. Any of the software above will save the file in that format.

You’ll need to upload it to a server. To do this, you’ll need an FTP program. You can download one for free – try Googling Free FTP. CoffeeCup.com has lots of free utilities. If you or your department is willing to spend a few bucks, then get CuteFTP (about $35) or Fetch for Macs.

Simply link to the MP3 using an anchor tag.