Audacity Forum

Hi There

I am new here - so hello.

Please forgive me if I have missed what could be the answer to my questions, but I can't see anything that is completely what I need to know.

I want to do a few interviews, both on a one to one basis and possibly with a small group of people together in one room.

I have been advised to get a couple of headphones with mics for the 1 2 1 interviews and plug straight into audacity for recording and editing.

Not sure first of all if that is the best way for 1 2 1 interview?

However, as I may want to record a few people in a room together as well, it may be best to go straight for a voice recorder and then use Audacity to edit after? If I do that, I'm unsure what exactly to look for?

I would need the files to be saved in MP3 as I would like to embed them into my website for people to download.

Some of the really good voice recorders that record in MP3 are very expensive but some of the reviews look good. Obviously, sound quality is important but it doesn't have to be very top quality.

As someone who doesn't really understand this too much I'm not sure if I can use any voice recorder that can be converted into MP3 from audacity to enable me to go for a less expensive model?

Can anyone advise please?

Can Audacity take any recording and save it to MP3 or would some of the voice recorders be no good? I have seen a few of the right price but they don't seem to mention what format they are recorded in?

Thanks for your help in advance.

dendaw wrote:I have been advised to get a couple of headphones with mics

If you mean those headphones that have a microphone on a little arm - forget it. They're OK for Skype, but rubbish for recording (unless you are paying a few hundred $'s for them).

I'd highly recommend the Zoom H2 recorder. I'm not sure what your budget is, but if it's too much, then save up - it's worth every penny (around £125 GBP).

There's some more info here:
http://audacityteam.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=5679

Hi Steve

Thanks very much for the reply.

Have just done some research on that and yes it does sound good.

Over the past few days I have searched for ages looking at various voice recorders but didn't come across that one.

I think I will take your advice.

The next step will be learning audacity itself

dendaw wrote:The next step will be learning audacity itself

Hey, don't look so worried
It's pretty user friendly really, and there's loads of help, tips, and tutorials in the wiki (see link at top of page). Of course, f you do get stuck, just post your questions on this forum where there's usually someone around to help. As you get to know the program, you are most welcome to drop by and share your new found wisdom