Before choosing a microphone or drafting questions, get clear on three things: what you’re documenting, who the audience is, and how the material will be used and preserved. The answers shape every decision that follows—who to interview, how long to record, what consent looks like, where the files live when the project is done.
Check whether similar collections already exist. Consider how your project might add voices and perspectives that aren’t yet represented.
Narrators are not sources—they are people with agency, histories, and the right to decide what they share and how. Before any interview, meet with your narrator to explain the project, the process, and their rights. Be clear about how recordings will be used, whether transcripts will be published, and what review rights they have. Let narrators know they can decline topics, pause the recording, or withdraw their participation entirely.
This isn’t just ethics compliance—projects built on real relationships produce better interviews.
Do enough research that you can follow up on what narrators tell you. Prepare an interview guide with open-ended questions and topic areas, but treat it as a starting point, not a script. The best moments often come from an unexpected direction.
Test your equipment before the day. Check the room for background noise—HVAC, traffic, echoing walls are the most common problems. Have backups for batteries and storage.
Start with warm-up questions—name, where they grew up, early memories—to help the narrator settle in. Use open-ended prompts: Can you describe…, What was it like when…, Tell me more about that. Avoid yes/no questions and don’t lead the answer.
Listen actively. Follow up on details that seem important to the narrator, even if they seem minor to you. Allow silences—they’re often where the most honest moments live. If a subject becomes difficult, slow down and let the narrator set the pace.
A quiet room matters more than expensive equipment. Background noise is the most common problem in oral history recordings, and it can’t be fixed in editing.
For recording on a phone, see the recording basics guide. For higher quality, Amaranth has Blue Yeti microphones and quiet recording space—come in and we’ll get you set up.
Transcribing recorded interviews used to take roughly four hours for every hour of audio. AI transcription tools now produce solid first drafts in minutes. The transcripts still need human review—AI gets names, specialized terms, and overlapping speech wrong with some regularity—but starting from a draft rather than a blank page saves enormous amounts of time.
For projects with many hours of recordings, AI can also search across the full collection, surfacing every mention of a person, place, or theme across dozens of interviews. We can help you choose a tool and set up a workflow that fits your project.
Consider the power dynamics between interviewer and narrator. Be specific about how recordings might be used in publications, websites, or exhibitions, and make sure narrators genuinely understand and agree. Some material may need to be redacted or kept under embargo. Think about reciprocity: how might the narrators or their communities benefit from this work?
Decide early where recordings will live when the project is done. Options include:
Come talk to us about which option fits your project and how to prepare files for deposit.
Ritchie, Donald A. Doing Oral History. 3rd ed. Oxford University Press, 2015.
Yow, Valerie Raleigh. Recording Oral History: A Guide for the Humanities and Social Sciences. 2nd ed. AltaMira Press, 2005.