So. Yesterday, I opened my email and found this question from a reader. “[Sony ICD-]ux560 was provided by my company for dictation purposes. Unless I missed something, it doesn’t seem to allow me to “edit as I go”.  In other words, I dictate a paragraph or sentence, review it and want to “redo” it…or I misspeak and, before continuing, I want to correct (i.e. “type over”) what I just said.  Is that possible?  If not, any recommendations for another recorder? Ren. And it got me reminiscing the good old days of tape recorders (boy, do I miss those). When you could stop a recording, rewind, hit record and redo another take. Is this possible with modern digital voice recorders? Yes it is. Though it’s a function that only found in digital voice recorders that are primarily built for dictation. It’s commonly known as an overwrite function. How does it work? The overwrite function enables you… Continue reading…

Today, I’m going to offer unsolicited advice. Why? Was at the office and made the mistake of plugging my Sony ux560 straight into my computer. Moved my chair to talk to a colleague, crunch! I’d smacked the recorder. Fortunately, nothing broke. It still works, but I was really disappointed for not following my own advice. So here we are, I’d like you to learn for my experiences (good or bad) and hopefully take better care of your digital voice recorder. And yes, I’ve shared similar advice on the Sony ICD-ux560 review post, but I feel that this topic is worth a separate post, if for anything, to stress the importance of taking care of your digital recorder. Connecting Sony ICD-ux560 to your Computer Use a cable. Use a cable. Use a cable. If I could, I’d SHOUT this tip. Please use a USB cable to connect your Sony ICD-ux560 recorder to your computer or USB… Continue reading…

“Hi Isaac, what would be the best way to record telephone or Skype interviews? I’m interviewing busy business people who have agreed to telephone and Skype interviews.” Louise The best way to record telephone interviews, that’s tough question. But I’ll attempt to answer it; this might turn out to be a long read. Bear with me. For Skype interviews, I’ve penned a great post, with a walk-through video. If you have any questions on recording Skype interviews, please leave them on that post and I’ll get back to you. For this post, we are going to focus on telephone interviews: mainly cell phones and “old skool” phones. There’re lots of different phone models, but majority are either corded or wireless. And here we are talking about the transmission of the data, not the hardware. Because that’s the key feature that determines recorded phone interviews sound quality. Let’s begin with wireless phones. Recording Cell Phone Interviews… Continue reading…

This is probably the hardest review I’ve ever had to write. And that’s because the ATR 3350is features are a double edged sword; good and bad. Regardless of its shortcomings, I do like this microphone and do recommend it as one of the best clip-on microphone for interviews. Why, the awesome sound, and that’s the main reason we buy microphones. I was really impressed with the sound that you get from the Audio-Technica ATR-3350is Lav Mic. Summary: Audio-Technica ATR-3350iS Lav Mic Review  The Good and the Bad: terminated with a 3.5mm TRS mic plug. 20ft cord and 1.5v LR44 button sized battery module, makes this a bulky lavalier microphone. Very good full, rich sound, once you add a bit of gain to it. Verdict: 20ft cord is great if you need it, cumbersome is you don’t. A low sensitivity mic, it does need a decent amount of gain. Works very well with the Sony ICD… Continue reading…

Most digital recorders work great for recording research interviews, expect when you’re in a noisy environment. I just penned a #howto record interviews in a noisy location, and on this post I’ll share the 3 features of any perfect clip on mic for interviews and then I’ll my top 3 recommendations for the best clip-on mic for interviews. Why use a clip-on mic to record your research interviews in a noisy environment? Proximity. By having a microphone closer to the source or the sound, your mouth, the background noise (cars, fans, noisy neighbors etc) will not overpower your respondent’s voice. The resultant interview recording will be clear and easily transcribable. Summary: Best Clip-on Microphone for Interviews Giant Squid Lav Mic: works very well with the Sony ICD ux-560. 6ft cord, not too short, not too long: perfect. TRS 3.5mm plug. Easy to use. Sturdy build. Full, rich awesome sound; not the tiny sound that characterizes… Continue reading…

Confession. I am a utilitarian. I had the pleasure of reading J.S. Mill’s, “On Liberty” in my late teens and it made a huge impression. Utilitarian principles guide my epistemology and tend to seep into my reviews of products; I try to answer the question “what’s its use?” And the Giant Squid lavalier microphone is a utilitarian masterpiece. We all use products that try to do many things, have a multitude of features; all bells and whistles, but are terrible at performing the basic task they were made for. But the Giant Squid lav mic does one thing, record external audio into a digital recorder, and does it exceptionally well. Summary: Giant Squid Lav Mic Review The good: you get a full, rich awesome sound; not the tiny sound that characterizes lavalier microphones. 6ft cord, not too short, not too long: perfect. Easy to use. Sturdy build. The Bad: the form windshield keeps falling off.… Continue reading…