Truth be told, I’ve never been a fan of Sony. I’ve always thought their build quality was “so so” – owned a Sony Walkman that gobbled up my MJ tape, I was not happy. However, I now own a few Sony voice recorders and I’m impressed.

Because I had such low expectations? Continue reading…

The Olympus brand is synonymous with voice recorders, since they introduced the Zuiko Pearlcoder – the world’s first microcassette tape recorder, in 1969. And in 1997 announced
the D1000, their first digital voice recorder.

My first voice recorder was an Olympus microcassette tape recorder that took me through college. Since then I’ve been a loyal fan, and the Olympus voice recorders have been Continue reading…

Normally, voice recorders are good enough for recording interviews, focus group discussions, and meetings. Their modern internal in-built microphones have progressively become better – and at par with most external microphones. However, Continue reading…

When you think about dictation equipment, the first thing that pops in your head is probably digital voice recorders. So what is the best digital voice recorder for dictation?
Well, the answer is that there’s no simple answer. The best recorder for dictation will depend on your specific needs and situation. And when you’re purchasing a voice recorder for dictation, the most important question to ask is:

How do you plan to use the recorder?

Are you planning to use a voice recorder to dictate short personal voice notes or memos? Continue reading…

What are the 3 things that you need to consider before you buy a microSD card for your voice recorder?

Capacity

The most important consideration Continue reading…

“I’m looking to buy a recorder for my classes for ease and I was wondering what would be the big difference between the Sony ICD-ux560 and Sony ICD-PX470. I noticed the PX470 was cheaper and it was an amazon choice.” Ji.

Ji’s questions Continue reading…

I lied!
Sorry.

This post is not (only) about the best voice recorder for meetings; though you’ll find the 3 recorders I recommend at the bottom of the post. Continue reading…

A few years back, I had the pleasure of meeting up with one of our clients. As we were having coffee he asked me if he could record our conversation; as a journalist, he sees stories everywhere. He reached into his pocket and got out his iPhone to record the conversation!!! Aghast, I instantly understood why we had a horrid time transcribing his poor audio quality interviews. I spent the next 5 minutes explaining to him the various advantages a dedicated recording device has over most smartphones (longer battery life, easier to use for recording, extra features focused on recording, and excellent sound quality). And I firmly suggested he acquires a digital voice recorder.  For a journalist, an iPhone is not good enough. Choosing an Audio Recorder Digital voice recorders are designed for many uses. Some are great at recording dictation, others are built for recording musical instruments. It is important to understand the unique… Continue reading…

Today, I’m trying out something new. Using a voice recorder, I’m going to dictate this post, transcribe it, then publish it. And today is the perfect day to try dictating, as I’m penning this post on best digital voice recorders for writers. This year, I do plan to write a lot of posts, so I do want to see if this is a better, more efficient option than staring at the blinking cursor! Let’s get to it. Do you really need a voice recorder? Could you use your phone to assist you in writing your book? Yes you can. But your phone’s audio recording capability is simply not good enough. Buying a digital recorder will save you (and your transcriber) a lot of time trying to figure out what was said. Believe me, getting a dedicated voice recorder for writing your book is a sound investment. So, what are the 3 things you need to… Continue reading…