I Need a Person Who Knows Audio - Family Interviews

Hey folks,

I need some who knows audio and recording better than I do for something that is probably not very complicated to begin with.

What I am planning on doing is interviewing family members to gain a better understanding of family history. I want to record the interviews and have them to get the family history but to also have something to be able to pass down to future family generations. Sure, I can ask and have conversations on this stuff but I want to record it for the record so future family members can hear voices as I feel this is important when family members pass.

I bought a Zoom H1 essential (cool little device) with a 2 lavalier mics. I recorded a quick conversation with my wife for shits and giggles. When I went to edit, I realized that the Zoom H1 isn't a multi-track recorder and all the mics got recorded as one recording basically and I wasn't able to edit each separate mic.

So my question is what should I get/how should I do this? For the interviews, there won't be probably more than a total of 3 people in each one. I don't necessarily want to get something that is too much for what I need either but I want to make sure I have enough for say a total of 3 people (including myself as the interviewer). I don't plan on filming the interviews with a camera, just recording the audio.

Thank you!

 

Right on and good luck!

 

According to Google AI:
To record a conversation with separate audio tracks for each participant, you'll need software or a hardware device that supports multi-track recording. Software like Audacity, Logic Pro, or specialized tools like Rode Connect (for Rode microphones) or Audio Hijack, allow you to record each microphone input or audio source as a separate track. Hardware options like the Sound Devices MixPre-3 or Rodecaster Duo also offer this capability.

 

@soundman98 it's in his handle.

 

i don't know of a solution off-hand without a ton of research, as my experience is in car audio, and comprehensively breaking a church audio system. around covid, i ran really deep into the black magic lineup to set up church live video feeds, but again, most of the solutions are nearly all 2-channel stuff.

rode might be the cheapest 'private' option. i know of their mic's, and they've had some of the best-bang-for-the-buck features for quite some time.

the problem with what you want to do is that it's on the immediate fringe of professional recording-- the kind where there's a very expensive trained guy sitting behind very expensive equipment, doing his thing while everyone focuses on their talk.

overall, it's going to be difficult to have a solution that records separate audio tracks without delving into some pro gear.

rode's got a few private label solutions, which can be good or bad. i don't know their software, and private label editing tools can be really hit or miss.

if you're tech savy enough, OBS should also do it--it'll depend on the computers input card setup. being an open source program, it tends to do everything like a leatherman. but also like a leatherman, it'll never replace real professional solutions. OBS is like linux. to set it up right, it either all magically works with no explanation, or needs DAYS to kinda work like that one youtube video that makes it look easy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWVZ07qP2g0&t=1s


and i don't know your overall setup during the talks, but of long term audio quality is your focus, the ubiquitous 'gamer mics' like this will have much better audio quality than the lav mics.

$26 Amazon Basics USB Condenser Microphone for Streaming, Recording, and Podcasting on PC, Plug and Play, Cardioid Pickup, Adjustable Stand with 360° Rotation, 5.8 x 3.4"es, Black

https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Basics-Microphone-Podcasting-Adjustable/dp/B0CL9BTQRF

i've always struggled in the church setting using lav mics-- either they're high up on the shirt, and the listener is 'hearing' the talkers chin, or they're further down, but then too far from the mouth, so pickup becomes extremely sporadic.

church migrated to using a higher-end version of these instead

$27 XGWTH Headset Microphone Single Ear Earset Headworn Over Ear Hanging Condenser Omnidirectional Mic Compatible with Shure Wireless System Bodypack Transmitter with 1.2m Cable Mini XLR 4 Pin TA4F Plug

https://www.amazon.com/XGWTH-Microphone-Omnidirectional-Compatible-Transmitter/dp/B09FZ2285C

most speakers found usage to be far more natural, and as the sound person, i found they were far more consistent in getting good quality audio.


if you're in a sitting/table setting, one could be using a professional mic like this

$63 MAONO XLR Condenser Microphone, Professional Cardioid Studio Recording Mic for Streaming, Podcasting, Singing, Voice-Over, Vocal, Home-Studio, YouTube, Skype, Twitch (PM320S)

https://www.amazon.com/Condenser-Microphone-MAONO-Professional-Home-Studio/dp/B088FH47ZS

and then, you could use a 'podcast recorder' like this, which records each input as a separate track, to be saved/mixed into the final recording later on.
https://www.amazon.com/XGWTH-Microphone-Omnidirectional-Compatible-Transmitter/dp/B09FZ2285C

once you get a unit like the zoom, it takes normal XLR inputs, which means that all your audio input options are now of the professional grade variety. XLR is a well-documented pro-grade standard, so mixing-and-matching components to get the right input setup gets a lot easier after that.

if you needed either of those above over-ear mics, or table mics to be wireless from the recording unit, you'd need 3 of these

$60 Kadjuh Wireless XLR Transmitter and Receiver& Wireless Guitar Transmitter Receiver,Rechargeable Mic Adapter 16 Channels 196ft Range for Dynamic Microphone,Audio Mixer,Electric Guitar Bass

https://www.amazon.com/Kadjuh-Wireless-Transmitter-Rechargeable-Microphone/dp/B0CGTJS4XV

to get the over-ear mic into the wireless adapter, you'd need a mini-xlr-to-xlr adapter

$15 JOLGOO 1 Feet Mini XLR Male to XLR Female Adapter Cable, 3-Pin, for BMPCC 4K/6K, Video Assist 4K, Sharp 8K, Rode, Sennheiser, Sony & More

https://www.amazon.com/Female-Adapter-Cable-Camera-Assist/dp/B07ZVXGDS7

like i said, audio gear has a tendency to run away on price. it all depends on your requirements. the closer to 'talking at a table' the setup can be, the cheaper the setup will cost to build.


the disadvantage here is that every interview you do will require post processing that's going to take at least 1.5-3 times the length of the interview to post-process the audio and create the final product. it's a massive time commitment, far beyond just talking to people.

as much as you or i might not like it, the 'podcast recorder' is likely going to be a big producer keyword in your search. when i set up the live stream at church, as much as i hate youtube influencers, searching their setups and any parts geared towards that genre revealed the most cost-effective options for price ranges that didn't have a california budget.