Essentials: Audio – One More Take

(One of a series about media production essentials.)

You’re working to a deadline and you can’t wait to get the perfect clip or sound bite. Well, a little gentle massaging when you’re recording is all it takes to come back with exactly what you need in time for dinner… or bedtime.

There are purists in the media profession who let the tape (or Flash memory) roll and what they get is what they get. If you have a lot of time or a lot of money or a lot of experience this is the technique for you. But let’s assume you don’t.
So, after you’ve recorded a pretty good answer from your interview subject, ask them to do it one more time — get one more take. This is easy to do. You can fake it and tell the subject the recorder was off. Or you can tell them you want to get a different phrasing of the question on the recording.  You don’t have to do this over and over by asking the person to answer again and again. You can ask the same or a rephrased question later in the interview. This technique can be used in a live interview situation or during a phone interview.

There’s a saying in the media business; “It doesn’t have to be real it just has to seem real.” Asking for “just one more take” will ensure that you get “real good” stuff that sounds “real” for your next recording.