So you know that you for sure want one of these handy dandy little machines but you just don’t know which to get. Well, the amount of different selections and options out there are enough to make a grown man cry. No need to worry though let me go through a few of the different options so you can determine for yourself what the best digital voice recorder is.
Before I can answer the question of the best digital voice recorder you must first figure out what you need the recorder for. There is going to be a different answer depending on what functions you need the recorder to have. For example, a student that is taking only the minimum number of credit hours at a university is going to use or require a different recorder than a professional journalist who makes a living reviewing dialogues and limitless amounts of interviews and press conferences.
All this considered, let’s take a brief look into some of the best and most popular voice recorders on the market.
Olympus WS-331M:
This is one of those voice recorders that not only is able to record dialogue but it also can operate as an mp3 player as well. It holds 2 GB of memory which amounts to roughly 36 high quality and over 500 hours of low quality sound recording. This Olympus recorder has a built in USB jack so that you will not need separate cables to be able to plug it in to your computer. The other good news is that it will work on both Mac and PC computers. It retails for around $100 and can be found anywhere where electronics are sold. It is especially prevalent for sale online.
Sony ICD-MX20:
This nice model from Sony can be purchased for around $200. It not only records audio optimally but it also comes made to work with Dragon Naturally Speaking Preferred Voice to Print Software. This means that you can convert your dialogue or anyone’s dialogue to text and print it out on your computer. For writers or bloggers this software alone can be an excellent investment.
The Sony ICD-MX20 will also allow you to record at different quality levels depending on how long you need to record for. You can even record to a flash drive or use the built in memory it comes with. The best part about this voice recorder is the fact that it has a voice activated record function that will take all of the dull and quiet parts out of the dialogue and only include the dialogue itself.
I hope these two reviews of recorders give you a better idea of what to look for in the best digital voice recorder to fit your needs. Both the Olympus and the Sony recorders will make great choices and they do make any other models in other price ranges as well. Do a little more digging around to see what other offers there are.