Find the best interview recorder for your setup! Whether you're in a studio, or on the go, we'll help you find an interview recording device for top-quality.
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Whether you’re a podcaster, YouTube content creator, or journalist, you need a dependable interview recorder if you want to interview guests. As its name suggests, an interview recording device captures conversations between an interview host and a guest. These devices are often digital hardware mixed with recording software to capture the audio (and video). In this article, we’ll show you how to pick an interview recorder. Then, we’ll list the top devices on the market in 2023 for each budget range.
Your interview recording setup should include both recording software and hardware. The mix of tools you choose should work well together, facilitate high-quality recording, and offer the right features for your project needs. When deciding on a recording setup for your podcast or other interview content, you’ll want to take the following considerations into account:
Your style will likely impact your setup and the type of recorder you need. If you’re recording with multiple people and only want to use one recorder, you’ll need one that can handle this. A good choice here would be an omnidirectional or unidirectional recorder, but you’d want to make sure you’re not capturing too much background noise.
While professional setups can be costly, you don’t need to invest a fortune to create high-quality interview recordings. Below, we’ll suggest several interview recorders in a range of budgets.
Where will you be recording?
Each of these scenarios has a different ideal setup. You might want more of a mobile setup if you’ll be recording on the go. If you’re recording remotely, you’ll want to ensure your recorder integrates well with remote interview software.
It’s also important to think of background noise. The ideal recording studio is a quiet room without interruptions. But not everyone can record in ideal surroundings 24/7.
If you won’t be able to avoid a certain amount of background noise, it’s important to find recording software and hardware that can filter out unwanted sounds.
Price: $39
Storage: 64GB
Inputs: Built-in microphone, USB-C
Outputs: MP3, WAV, WMA
The EVISTR Digital Voice Recorder is an affordable yet dependable unit for on-the-go interviewers. It’s lightweight, weighing 0.165 pounds and only 4 inches long.
Even though the recorder is simple and affordable, it has powerful features like voice activation and intelligent noise reduction. The sensitive microphone picks up what you want to record while limiting distracting background noise. This makes it a great choice for recording meetings, interviews, and personal memos.
The only downside is that the device can go into auto-sleep mode, so you’ll need to watch to ensure it doesn’t sleep while you’re still recording.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Versatility and portability at an affordable price.
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Price: $60
Storage: 4GB (with micro SD card slot for up to 32 GB of additional memory)
Inputs: Built-in monaural mic, USB
Outputs: MP3
This compact voice recorder is simple but offers impressive sound quality. It also comes with a built-in USB jack, which means you can plug the recorder directly into your computer without needing to hunt down a USB cord. And, with a nearly 60-hour battery life, you’ll be able to record interviews or voice memos to your heart’s content without worrying about carrying extra batteries with you. If you aren’t looking for many bells and whistles, this affordable device could be just what you’re looking for.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Minimalism and a long battery life
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Price: $100
Storage: 4GB
Inputs: Built-in stereo mic, USB
Outputs: MP3, WMA
Another Sony option is the ICD-UX570, a slim and portable voice recorder that charges quickly and boots up in the time it takes you to press the power button. A three-minute charge lets you record for an hour—and when you let it charge fully for 3 hours, you’ll be able to record up to 20 hours of audio. It records high-quality 44.1kHZ 16-bit audio, with built-in filters to reduce background noise. The device is also extremely lightweight, weighing 1.7 ounces (48 grams).
Pros
Cons
Best for: Portability, quick charging, and fast boot-up times
Price: $170
Storage: Support for 32GB microSD or microSDHC card
Inputs: Lavalier mic
Outputs: MP3, WAV
It may look like a wireless mic belt pack, but the Tascam DR-10L is actually a small audio recorder. The clip-on lavalier microphone is easy to attach to your own lapel or hold out to your subject. Alternatively, you can have your subject clip the mic onto their own clothes and tuck the recorder’s body into their pocket for a distraction-free video recording.
Lavalier mics are a great way to capture spoken audio without interference or dropouts. You can record sound in high resolution directly from the microphone. This device also comes with a free iZotope RX7 Elements software that helps remove distortion, hums, pops, and clicks from audio.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Mobility and ****reducing background noise while recording
Price: $180
Storage: Support for 32 GB SD or SDHC card
Inputs: Headphone jack, built-in mic
Outputs: MP3, WAV
The Zoom H2n is like a microphone on steroids. It comes with five built-in microphones arranged as an X/Y pair and in a Mid-Side pattern, letting you use them together for 2- or 4-channel surround sound, or separately for X/Y or MS stereo recording. It will even produce individual tracks in the 4-channel mode, so your final recording can route different tracks to each side of a stereo system or separate earbuds.
While you can use the H2n as a general-purpose USB microphone, it also functions as a high-quality audio recorder. If you’re looking for a user-friendly recording device that still produces crisp and clean sound for your audio interviews, the H2n could be right for you. But if you just need a basic audio recorder, this device might be too feature-rich and bulky for your needs.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Spacial audio recording
Price: $230
Storage: N/A
Inputs: Built-in microphone, headphone jack
Outputs: N/A
Most of us already have a decent voice recorder in our pockets—our smartphones. The only downside is that your phone’s built-in microphone isn’t the best. But with Sennheiser’s MKE 400 Mobile Kit, you can turn your iPhone or Android device into a high-quality interview recorder.
This tool’s condenser mic attaches to your phone either via Lightning or USB-C adapter, and it comes with a built-in windscreen to reduce wind noise if you’re recording outside. It also comes with a Manfrotto PIXI Mini Tripod and a smartphone clamp to set up your recording station in portrait or landscape mode. With the direct mic monitoring feature and filter switch, you can monitor your noise levels while recording for optimum results.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Smartphone content creators and videographers who want to record without a visible mic
Price: $250
Storage: Records to a 32 GB SD or SDHC card
Inputs: XLR/TRS
Outputs: WAV
Two of Zoom’s high-end interview recorders made it on this list. The H5 has an excellent set of condenser mics and two XLR/TRS combination inputs that let you plug in a professional-level microphone.
The 3.5mm headphone output lets you easily monitor your sound, and the microphone's sensitivity makes it easy to capture crystal-clear audio of an entire room or recording space. However, the device picks up quite a bit of echo, so if you plan to record outdoors, you may want to look elsewhere.
Pros
Cons
Best for: High-quality indoor recordings
Price: $350
Storage: Records to a 1TB SDHC or SDXC card
Inputs: XLR
Outputs: 32-bit float ****WAV
Another Zoom favorite, this interview recording device, is a portable, durable, and highly sensitive audio powerhouse. Most recorders use 24-bit WAV format, so the F3’s 32-bit float WAV format is a huge selling point; it collects more data and gives you more flexibility in post-production.
Zoom also advertises this model as one you can use without worrying about your audio levels. For instance, it’s hard to “clip” your audio on F3. Audio clipping happens when an unexpectedly loud noise (like a car door slamming or dog bark) disrupts your audio levels.
The F3 is also easy to carry, attach to your gear or clothes with velcro, or mount on a tripod. However, it doesn’t have an integrated microphone, so you’ll need to use your own.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Field recording
Of course, regardless of the interview recorder, your audio (and video) is only as good as the software you use to capture and edit it. You’ll need software that makes high-quality remote recording easy—and it should offer additional features to make your job easier, like editing and transcription.
Price: Free for 2 hours of separate audio and video tracks per month. Paid plans start at $15/month and offer advanced features like screen sharing, live streaming, unlimited transcriptions, and a teleprompter.
Your interview recording software should enhance the raw audio footage from your chosen recording device. Choosing Riverside means you have local recording on your side (in other words, we record each participant’s audio and video on their local device instead of over the internet). That way, your recording quality is always the best—and you don’t have to worry about lags or interruptions in your internet connection affecting your interview.
Riverside is an excellent choice for remote interviews for this very reason, but it’s also a great all-purpose recording software. Our browser-based tool makes recording a professional interview simple and intuitive, no matter your technical skill or studio setup. Here’s a quick summary of Riverside’s most impressive features:
Learn more or sign up for a free account today!
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Any device in this article can do the trick, depending on your goals. If you’re looking for a high-end, durable field recorder, you can’t get much better than the Zoom F3. Smartphone content creators should consider the Sennheiser MKE 400 Mobile Kit, while the Sony ICD-UX570 is a great option for quick charging and fast boot-up times.
Recording an interview requires the right hardware and software, along with proper preparation and a list of questions. Start by following these tips:
is a video producer with over 15 years of experience in podcasting. He runs AppleInsider’s podcast and is your handbook for tech gadgets, video production, and recording equipment! Find him on Riverside’s YouTube channel, where he educates over 20K subscribers.
