1. Get a good recording device

Ideally get a Digital Voice Recorder with a USB port to attach an external microphone. This device will not only help you get a great quality recording but will also make it easy for you to later transfer the recording to a computer or laptop for reviewing, transcribing, editing, sharing, etc. See How To Choose A Digital Voice Recorder for more on this.

You can also use your laptop’s in-built recording software.

2. Get an external microphone

This is extremely important if you want to get a clear recording in a classroom that’s full of background noise and chatter. The inbuilt microphone of a DVR or laptop just isn’t powerful enough to get a good recording in such a setting.

What you’ll need is an external, unidirectional, cardioid microphone with a USB connector that can be easily connected to your DVR or laptop.

The microphone should be unidirectional because you don’t want the noise in the classroom or the clickity click from your laptop to be recorded. It should be Cardioid because that’s the best kind of unidirectional microphone for recording speech.

If you’re planning to use your laptop’s recording software then it’s advisable to get a clip or mount to attach the microphone to the laptop or the front of your desk so that your hands are free to type and take notes.

3. Place the recording device close to the speaker

If you use your laptop, try grab a seat in the front row so that you’re close to the speaker – that way you’ll get the best sound quality. Though it’s still possible to get a decent recording even if you’re sitting in the middle of the room and use an external microphone. If you use a DVR, place it as near the speaker as possible.

4. Take notes!

Okay so why should you take notes if you’re recording the lecture? Because when you sit down to hear the recording or send it to your transcriptionist for transcribing, the notes will help decipher any technical terms or particularly difficult parts of the lecture.

That’s it! If you take care of these four things, you’re all set to get a great recording of that lecture.

And for the visual learners amongst you, here’s a neat demonstration of the the SP-USB-MIC-1: Miniature USB Microphone (This one’s  omnidirectional but gives decent quality. Try getting a unidirectional one though – that’s better for lectures).

Happy recording!