Interviews, Interviews, Interviews!

Welcome to another step as I keep walking my path... glad you're walking alongside for a while.

I'm already in the thick of my data collection. I've started my interviews, the countdown so far: 3 down, 33 to go! I have three more this week: One tomorrow, one on Thursday and then out of town for the weekend for one more interview. I'll be back in Champaign on Sunday night, with a lot more musings and notes all over the place.

On the previous blog, I talked about the importance of writing blurbs. I will stress that again: Write, record, take notes of everything that crosses your mind. I made a semi-fatal mistake tonight and I left my recorder at home. Fortunately, I fixed that as soon as I sat down and opened a Word file that will be yet another working document with my musings. I have my musings on my recordings, on my dissertation notebook (although I'll consolidate some of them in a soon-to-be-started interview notebook), and on electronic files. The trick, I believe, is to have all the media available to you so that you won't miss a thought for lack of a medium. Google Documents has become one of my best friends!

Ok, let's talk a little more about the interviews, at least about some of the logistics (remember the ground rules!):

The two basic tools I'm using are my digital recorder and the software for transcription. I'm using an Olympus VN 5200 PC (you can read the review here). I got it for I think about 60 dollars or something... not that it matters. However, I strongly recommend you buying this model or one above this one! The sound quality is remarkable. I used it to record my Prelim; I placed it in the middle of a large table, and I had crystal-clear sound from it. I transcribed my first interview and the sound out if was clear also. Sure, the fact that it has a very strong microphone means you may also record a bunch of background noise, but hey you'll get what your interviewee is talking about without difficulty. I think that before you take your Prelim, you should definitely spend a few bucks on a good quality digital recorder. Just BE CAREFUL: Make sure that your recorder has a USB link. If you buy Olympus, make sure the reference says PC. I don't know much about Mac-compatible recorders, but should anybody read my blog and offer a suggestion, I'll be happy to post it!

One potential drawback from this model I'm using is that it records in WMA format (as in Windows Media), so if you, as I'm doing, sometimes need to switch between PC and Mac, this might be an issue. However, if you go to http://sourceforge.net, you may be able to find mp3 conversion software. I have a program, but as I write this blog I don't remember it. I will include the name and some comments in future blog entries.

The other thing I am using, since there is a dearth of bona fide voice recognition programs for transcription, besides my digital recorder (yeah, tapes are passé!) is a transcription software application. I tried Transcriber but wasn't totally sold on it. I am using Express Scribe for my transcription duties. I have to admit that I am very impressed. So, here's a review for you all:

The software itself is open source, with both PC and Mac versions. Once you install the program, the console has options that allow you, for instance, to listen to the recording at regular speed (100%) or slow it down as much as you need (I've gone as slow as 50%, but you can go even lower!) in case the recording is confusing. Like traditional transcribing machines, you can use pedals with Express Scribe. They have a whole section for how to trick out different pedals for integration with the software. One nice feature, for all gamers out there, is that if you already have a set of pedals for your video console, you can actually use those to play and rewind. They have a lot more options, but as the good doctoral students you are, I think you can actually do the Google work or click on the links (seriously, if I, or ANYONE for that matter, have to feed you all the answers, you really should consider a career change; maybe a Ph.D. program isn't for you after all!).

Of course, you don't need pedals. You can also use the "Hot Keys" option the software provides and set up some keys as your controls. It might be necessary for you to tinker with the keys a little bit and find those which are more comfortable for you. I am using the following keys: the `/~ key (top left-hand corner, right below the Esc key) for Rewind; the =/+ key for Play and the backslash key for Stop. The trick is to pick keys you seldom or never use from the keyboard and put them (finally?) to more regular use. I recommend against using the F keys (i.e. F1, F2, F11, etc). They're a little too far from your reach. I like the three I picked because I don't need to move my fingers too far from the regular position I use to type. That way, clicking on the buttons is more organic with the overall typing.

One very nice feature of Express Scribe is the overall integration with Word. Although the program does provide a notepad option, I suggest typing the transcript on Word directly. The Hot Keys actually operate in sync with Word even if you have Express Scribe minimized. That way, you don't have to go back and forth between programs.

Until somebody brings me a good, reliable, and CHEAP (or no-cost) option for a speech-to-text transcription program, I think this is as good as it gets if you need to transcribe. Again, it's Open Source, so you can download it for free! I hope this review helps you if you have to engage in transcription of digital files.

(DISCLAIMER: I am writing this review out of my own volition. It is my personal opinion and is in no way associated with the company that produces this software. I write this as a satisfied customer, not as a paid endorsement!)

I'll see you around, hoping our paths will cross again!

Raúl A.