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Your recording process will make a big difference to the final product. Although it is possible to “clean up” the recording later, you’ll eventually be limited by the original quality. So aim to create a high-quality recording first.

You don’t need the highest quality possible; you only need the highest quality required for your final product. For example, if you only want it so you can send it to somebody to transcribe, you can even record it on an old-fashioned low-quality cassette deck, because you’ll never be publishing the recording itself. Similarly, if you only ever plan to publish it on the Internet, you can get away with a lower quality than if you’re publishing it on CD, because your audience will prefer the fast download to the CD quality.

There are a number of options available, and we’ll group them based on the number of people taking part.

1. Solo

If it’s just yourself, you have the luxury of choosing an environment that suits you and a single microphone you can position right near you. Here are some options:

• Directly to computer: Plug in a microphone to your computer and record directly into it, using easily-obtainable software (for example, Garage Band on a Mac, or Audacity on a PC).
• Smart phone: There are recording apps available for both iPhones and Android phones, and the quality is quite good, especially if you plug in an external microphone.
• iPod: You can buy a special microphone attachment for your iPod, which turns it into a recorder.
• Digital voice recorder: These are smaller and more portable than your computer, and some have better battery life and storage than your phone. There are a number of options available. When buying one, consider three things: The best recording quality; what microphone you can use with it; and how easy it is to transfer files to your computer.

2. Two people

As soon as you involve somebody else, you create some other challenges for yourself: You both have to find a suitable environment; you have to schedule time; you might each be using different equipment, and you have to prepare your material more diligently.

However, provided you take these into account (and to be honest, these aren’t difficult to overcome), it’s easy to create audio products that are interviews or conversation. Here are some options:

• Phone: Some devices plug directly into your phone line, so you can record both sides of a phone conversation. This is extremely convenient, and the quality is reasonable (but not wonderful). Test this carefully before you use it because sometimes the quality is very poor.
• Skype: If you are both comfortable using Skype, this will give you higher quality than a telephone line. The recording is not built into Skype, but there is free and low-cost software to record Skype calls.
• Teleseminar or webinar: Most teleseminar and webinar services have a recording option (for some, it’s an optional extra), and it’s usually very easy to use (for example, just clicking a button when you begin, or sometimes the recording is even automatic).
• Studio: Finally, for high-quality professional recordings, you might consider hiring a studio for a few hours. To save money, prepare as much as possible in advance, so you don’t waste time in the studio itself.

3. Group

When you expand the participants even further, the same challenges you faced with two people get even bigger. Again, these aren’t insurmountable; they simply have to be managed. Here are some options:

• Event A/V system: If you’re speaking at an event with its own audio-visual crew, ask them whether they can record it for you. Even if they aren’t recording it themselves, they should be able to plug in your device (and by extension, your microphone) directly into their system. This gives you a high-quality recording of your presentation. However, it doesn’t include the audience interaction or responses, so if that’s important to you, make sure you record that separately.
• Teleseminars and webinars: As I mentioned earlier, if you’re conducting teleseminars or webinars, use the option to record them.
• Digital voice recorder: The low-quality devices don’t work well with groups. However, better devices can record your audience participation quite well. Just put it on a table in front of you and it captures both you the presenter and questions from the audience.