How to Get Good Tape

In-Person Workshop

May 23rd

9:00-4pm PDT
(with breaks)

$325 (Early Bird through April 21st)

Audio storytellers often call “good tape” the essential building block of a great story. There’s even a magazine devoted to the concept. But Good Tape is elusive and ineffable. Technical know‑how is important, but the art of recording emotional and memorable expressions goes beyond the technical. There’s a myth that some people have a mystical, natural knack for stumbling upon and capturing “good tape” like it’s a benevolent blessing from the gods.

Jesse Dukes thinks that myth is nonsense.

Like most great art, good tape comes from doing the work. It takes craft, discipline, making mistakes, making a plan, and knowing when to pivot away from the plan you just made.

Having produced audio stories for over 21 years, Jesse found that “good tape” never came naturally. Instead, he made a dedicated study of the craft, drilling down on what specific elements constitute “good tape” and what reporting techniques and tactics make it more likely.

The Workshop Experience

This workshop is designed for beginners and intermediate journalists, producers, podcasters, and other creatives who want to move past OK interview audio and start capturing great audio. We are partnering with Ingredient Studios, so we’ll have a comfortable and inspiring space to learn and grow. We are limiting enrollment to 12, so we’ll have plenty of time for everbody to talk and share.

Morning: Reverse Engineering. We’ll spend two hours indoors listening to iconic examples of “good tape.” We will deconstruct exactly how the reporter elicited those moments and practice “noticing” good tape in real-time, and practice with our peers.
Midday: Into the Field. We’ll head into a public setting to interview strangers, put our skills into practice, and aim to capture enough raw material to tell a compelling short story.
Afternoon: The Edit Room. With peer support and professional guidance, we will identify our best tape, play highlights for the group, and map out the structure of an audio story.

Optional Extension: The Sunday Session

$125 (Early bird registration through April 21st)

Half-Day Mixing Workshop For those who want to turn their raw tape into a finished product, join us for an optional half-day session. We will dive into the technical side of assembly, pacing, and basic sound design to finalize your story. You’ll have a chance to mix your story with mentors nearby to review and assist.

Requirements & Gear

Experience: Ideally, you’ve recorded an interview before. If not, you should be an enthusiastic first-timer willing to jump into the deep end.
Equipment: You will need a dedicated audio recorder and microphone. (Smartphones with high-quality external mics are acceptable but not recommended).
For the Mixing Workshop: You must bring a laptop with Reaper installed. (You can download the trial version if you’re not sure you want to buy Reaper)
Need Gear? If you’re short on equipment, please reach out early; we have a limited number of rental options available. (write jpdukes@gmail.com with questions)

Jesse Dukes
Audio Producer + Editor

Jesse Dukes has been going after good tape for 21 years. He hosted and produced The Homework Machine with MIT’s Teaching Systems Lab, was the Senior Audio Producer at WBEZ’s Curious City and Motive, and is a freelance writer, editor, and teacher. Check out his portfolio.

Jesse has taught audio production classes at Denison University, the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, and the Masschussetts Institute of Technology.

Co-Teacher Annie Nguyen

Annie Nguyen is a queer and neurospicy award-winning journalist, story editor, reporter, and producer whose work spans long-form narrative, investigative projects, and civic-engagement–driven journalism. She has produced and edited stories for Snap Judgment, Spooked, and the Invisible Institute. At Snap, Annie centered BIPOC storytellers, crafting narratives that embraced joy, horror, and the full spectrum of human experience.

Her reporting and editorial approach is deeply shaped by abolition and models that center community expertise and participation, developed through her time at City Bureau.

Is This For Me?

This workshop is attuned to beginner and intermediate audio storytellers — journalists, podcast producers, public‑media reporters, and other creatives — who want to move past “OK” interview audio and start capturing emotionally rich, memorable tape. Ideal participants have recorded at least one interview before (or are very motivated first‑timers) and care about narrative, character‑driven audio rather than purely informational talk. You’ll get the most out of this if you enjoy listening critically, practicing in the field with strangers, and working through structure and editing with peers and guidance.

Early Bird Registration

The workshop will be priced $325 for early bird registrants through April 21st. After that, the cost for regular registration will be $350.

Scholarship

We want to support people for whom the cost of this workshop is a genuine barrier to entry. If you’re interested in a financial scholarship, please fill out our application form by May 21st, 2026.

Who this workshop might not be for

This workshop is not designed for people who have never recorded anything and are uncomfortable with the idea of taking a mic into the field—that experience will likely feel overwhelming unless you’re especially eager to dive in. It’s also less suited to audio engineers or pure mixing specialists. Nor is it for people looking to learn about podcast launches, marketing, or distribution. The focus here is on recording “good tape” and shaping it into a short audio story, not on business or branding.