This is the prime time! While recording and monitoring may seem like they’re the simplest tasks, the actions you perform are the most crucial because this is the stage where you capture your audio interview. It’s rather straightforward: grab your headphones, put them on, and press record. When you’re finished the interview, press stop. However, there are two other aspects you want to consider. First, choose the file format you are going to record in. If you remember back to the first topic, we discussed choosing a device that you are comfortable with and one that will allow you to capture the file types that your project requires. The second aspect you want to consider, as mentioned in topic 4, maintain your subject’s volume level between -12 and -6 db for the duration of the interview. This is where the headphones come in handy. Listen to when your subject becomes excited or whispers so that you can adjust the input level as you see fit on the fly. It’s also a good idea to monitor for things like background noise or hair, clothing, or jewelry rubbing on the microphone, as discussed in topic 3. If you notice any issues, politely ask you subject to adjust when they finish speaking and if you feel you missed a critical statement, don’t be afraid to ask they to repeat it.