Before you begin recording:

• Use fastest recording speed. Slower speeds increase the background noise.
• Make certain the volume is at its highest. We can turn it down when transcribing, but we cannot improve the volume.
• Speak up -- be certain that all speakers can be heard.
• Minimize background sounds: people talking, telephones ringing, chairs squeaking, papers shuffling, opening soda cans, gum popping, and clicking pens.
• Use A/C power supply. Batteries die quickly.
• Keep tape heads clean on your cassette or conference recorders.
• Use only good quality tapes such as TDK, Fuji, Memorex, Sony, and Maxell.
• Use only 60-minute tapes. The 90- or 120-minute tapes are too thin and cannot endure the frequent forward and reverse motion of a transcribing unit and therefore break easily.
• Use tapes one time only. The average cost of a single cassette is under $1.00.

What we need from you:

• Provide us with original tapes only.
• Identify speakers.
• Provide us with a "crib sheet" for spelling of names and technical and/or industry-specific terms.
• Rewind the tape.
• Indicate end of tape or end of recording when you are done.

What we transcribe:

• Standard and microcassette
• Digital files: .WAV; .VOX; TrueSpeech; ADPCM; VOC; Voice-It(TM); SRI; Play-All; UHER; DH-10; Walkabout(TM)
• Digital files sent via email, on disk, or burned on a CD
• Correspondence
• Insurance
• General
• Interviews
• Focus groups
• Meetings
• Dental
• Conference calls
• Recorded statements
• Speeches