Coffee cup Quote by Anonymous
““Interviewees will want to be good hosts, but clinking coffee cups and plates, ice twirling in drinks, and other extraneous noises will all be picked up on the recording. The interviewee may be unperturbed by this everyday commotion, but it will distract the interviewer and make the recording more difficult to use for transcribing, editing, and research purposes. By contrast, folklorists, linguists, and anthropologists will often try to capture the "sound environment" of the interview, including ambient sounds, from church bells to ocean waves.””
About This Quote
Source Interview Guide: Best Practices for Audio Recording, null
Extraneous noises in interviews hinder transcription and editing, while some researchers value ambient sound for context.
In simple terms: Noise distracts transcribers; some fields preserve it.
Key Takeaway
Minimize background sounds unless context matters.
Themes
audio quality
research methodology
contextual recording
Mood
practical
analytical
Type
instructional
technical
When to use this quote
- studio interviews
- field recordings
- podcasts
- ethnographic research
Key Concepts
Signal-to-noise ratio
environmental capture
Questions to Reflect On
- When is background sound valuable?
- How to balance clarity and authenticity?
A Different Perspective
Ambient sounds may be essential for cultural analysis.
![“[On living in New York City:] I'm oblivious to everything. I just don't notice anything. I sat in a coffee shop, drank half a cup of coffee before I noticed there was lipstick on the cup. There was wadded-up gum and lipstick on the napkin. I must have been sitting on that woman's lap for an hour.” quote by Laura Kightlinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f87/laura-kightlinger-24538_cities_on-living-in-new-york-city-i-m-oblivious_55113.jpg)
