Recording remote Oral History interviews
Meeting face-to-face for an oral history interview will always be preferable, but sometimes an oral history interview recorded remotely may be the only option.
There have been several resources and guidelines lately to recording remote oral history interviews from oral history associations around the world. Please read through and think about the options that might best suit your situation, all information is intended as advice and suggestions only.
links
Oral History at a Distance - the first publication to explore both the ideas behind and application of oral history in remote projects. 1st edition published by Routledge 2024, open access via Creative Commons.
Oral History Association (UK) and British Library comprehensive guide and advice on remote Oral History Interviewing during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Download the latest PDF here.
2 hour webinar from Oral History Association (USA) conducted at the end of March 2020.
It addresses the dynamics of conducting remote oral history interviews, and a Q&A session.Transom guide to recommended best practices for in-person recording, including options for recording remotely. It also covers mic sanitizing, windscreens, covers and booms.
Doug Boyd’s website Digital Omnium - reviews about recording methods and equipment
Recording with Smartphones and Tablets - Tutorial via University of Winnipeg
video
Video software options include Zoom Cloud Meetings, Skype, and Facebook Messenger.
The downside with only using video software is that the quality of the audio will not be of professional quality, and will not be at the recommended oral history specification of WAV files at 48 kHz, 24 bit.
Internet speed and stability
speedtest.net
The success of the remote interview will depend on the quality and reliability of the Internet connection. Ideally, both ends will need a latency less than 20 milliseconds and with download and upload speeds constantly above 5 megabits per second.
Lower latency (9 or 10 milliseconds) and higher download and upload speeds would be preferable. Latency, download and upload speeds can all be measured at speedtest.net
microphones
Over the internet and in person, the actual quality of the audio will always depend on the quality of the microphone at the interviewee's end. Microphones built into laptop computers are unlikely to be of sufficient quality.
Anything useful we’ve missed that should be here? Please get in touch and let us know.