Mobile phone interference

[Nickname]

Hi,
Maybe I have overlooked other threads concerning this issue or I don´t know the right key words ... I am a newbie in field recording ... I would apologize for double posting.

I recorded an interview using the DR07 MK II recorder. The recorded files showed a lot interference noise, probably coming from mobile phones in the room. It is the same EM noise you sometimes hear in a car radio or other microphone/speaker settings.

How can you avoid recording this noise. I cannot ask to switch off all mobile phones in the room.

Thanks in advance,
Nick

 

[Gravity Jim]

You can't. This is why they tell you to turn off your cell in a hospital. Tell the onlookers to either turn off the phones or get lost. Nobody is so important they can't turn off their phone... And if they are, they shouldn't be hanging out. You CAN tell them to turn them off as they interfere with your work.

 

[Arjan P]

If the interview setting is such that you are not the one to demand things, you could try shielding the recorder with a sort of metal casing. I don't know the exact model of your recorder, but if you use external mics, you might even be able to shield it completely. Just improvise; tin cookie jar, aluminum foil or any such thing..

 

[Gravity Jim]

The inference is most likely coming through the mics, or through the cables if you're using external mics... I guess you could try, but I suspect shielding the unit wouldn't help.

Are your interview subjects wearing a wireless lav? And I've done a lot of this kind of work for corporate videos... Why are there so many people in the room who are all so damned important you don't dare ask them to comply with a simple request? Doesn't playing to a crowd turn the interview into a canned performance?

 

[captdan]

Doesn't playing to a crowd turn the interview into a canned performance?

Back in a previous life, I too, cranked out several tons of corporate video - image pieces, training, 'ideological realignments,' etc etc. So, my answer would be an unequivocal YES! And TWO YESES! for CEOs about to get the axe from The Board.

CaptDan