Recommendations for a small voice recorder?

Woodtroll

Woodtroll

Joined
Oct 15, 2001
Messages
193
Hey, folks, hoping some of you gadgeteers could help me out here...

I'm looking for a small digital voice recorder to use for recording ideas on my long drive to work, while out in the field on projects, etc. It will not be doing any spying or clandestine activities;), just helping me keep track of my thoughts when I don't have hands and eyes free to scribble notes. I don't really foresee downloading from the recorder to my computer, probably just replaying and making written notes, but that capability might be useful (?). Cost is a factor, but I don't expect to get reasonable quality for $10 either.

It should be fairly compact (I can't believe the Sony ICD-BX800 is REALLY 7.9 x 2.3 x 7.0 inches like all the websites say, is it?) and fairly easy to figure out and manipulate (such as, can I play back specific notes/ segments multiple times without listening to everything on the device?). Water resistance would be a plus, but not absolutely necessary. And, it should take common batteries that are easily changed (such as AAAs).

Other than that, I know very little about them, so fire away. Any ideas as to format, specific brands or features, or models, etc. would be most appreciated.

Thanks for your help!
 
I'm not a tech expert but...have you considered a smartphone? Many models offer the voice recording option, are handy enough, record in digital format (which can be transferred to a pc/laptop), have good batteries (and you can always use the car power cable), record in segments (so you can name or label them)...
Just my two cents.

:cool:
 
Yeah... before buying another thing to carry around and replace batteries in, check into what your phone can do. Even the proficient* phones today often include voice recorder functionality.


* If it's not "smart", at least it can be proficient, I guess. No phone left behind, you know.
 
Gollnick said:
Yeah... before buying another thing to carry around and replace batteries in, check into what your phone can do. Even the proficient* phones today often include voice recorder functionality.


* If it's not "smart", at least it can be proficient, I guess. No phone left behind, you know.
Click to expand...
Musical Director is correct again. I've used my phones voice recorder (HTC Incredible 2) to record meetings that would later require transcription and being emailed off. Worked great for recording spooky EVPs as well. ;)
 
Thanks, folks, I honestly appreciate your help.

My "not-so-smart" LG UX260 does indeed have voice recording on it, but it takes about 12 button manipulations to get to it and activate it- NOT what I want to be doing on our crooked mountain roads. As far as a "smart" phone goes, that requires an additional monthly fee that's pretty steep with my particular carrier.

My thoughts for a separate tool are that it would be straight-forward to use, and would not drain my cell phone battery or subject it any more than usual to loss in the field (I would NOT be carrying this recorder around with me routinely all day). We often are on our feet all day at work, and infrequently may be in the field from 24-36 hours on searches, wildland fires, etc. On these occasions, a separate recorder would keep my cell phone powered up for its intended use for up to 48 hours (but I also carry a spare charged battery as well!).

After doing some reading, I am leaning towards the Sony ICD-PX312 as a good compromise between weight, size, price, and function. It also has a voice-activated recording option, which would come in handy at times, and it has a USB port and card slot, which I might never use, but then again... Looks like it can be had for $35 or so if you shop around. Any input?

Thanks again!!
 
I bought the ICD-BX800 before returning to school last year so I could record lectures, etc. It is excellent! Mine measures 1.38" x .8" x 4.38"-----it's tiny, but very good IMHO. The buttons and controls are all decent sized. I didn't use all the features, but the ones I did use were very handy. It also has voice-activation as well as many other features. Nice digital display showing what 'track' you are on, time, etc. You can fast forward or skip entire tracks to get to parts you want to hear. The fast-forward feature is pretty handy because you can still hear the lecture (although it sounds like Micky Mouse!!) while you are fast-forwarding so you know where you are. This was very handy for me. Holds a ton of recording, has earphone jack as well. I'd recommend this gadget to anyone, especially at the low price this thing sells for!
 
Last edited:
I got an Olympus VN-5200PC quite a while ago. Works well, nice features and didn't cost too much. I use it for exactly what you want one for. Check reviews on the ones you're thinking about on Amazon, Best Buy, etc.
 
The new dedicated digital dictaphones are way ahead of the old tape based ones. The voice quality is generally amazing and they are much smaller. I have the Sony ICD-UX512, stereo recording direct to MP3 with an integrated USB plug, you plug it straight into your laptop and drag the recordings off as MP3 files like you would with a flash drive.
 
Ditto on the Sony ICD-BX800. It is NOT 8" long. It is just like iammark said, about 4" long and fits easily in my weak-side pocket, along with my work ID and cell phone. It is rugged, fast, and easy to use. I use it one-handed without looking. The buttons are easy to find.

The time between taking it out of my pocket, unlocking the keys (a simple switch), and recording is less than 1 second (I've timed it). You can record, review previously recorded messages, and erase messages with one hand and no looking. I know because I do it every day. I can't recommend it enough.
 
Thanks very much for all the help! It's nice to know that I am on the right track. I will probably opt for the ICD-PX312, since it has USB capability.

Somewhat off the subject- how well do these work as a music player? Just curious, since Sony seems to promote that feature. I figured with a card slot, it wouldn't be too hard to use it as an impromptu player on trips, etc.

Thanks again!
Regan
 
My Sony works OK as a music player, you can just drag and drop mp3 files onto the device from the PC. If you compare it to an ipod then the menu and navigation sucks and its a pain to change from the internal memory onto a memory card and navigate the folder system, but if you accept it for what it is then its a good extra feature. Using a memory card in mine also slows down the startup time while the device reads through the memory card, but it massively increases the device capacity and recording time.
 
I don't know your particular phone, but a lot of (even dumb-) phones will let you re-arrange menus or have certain menu items in a quick access or favorites menu, which would require a lot less buttonpressing to get to.
 
Thanks, folks. I don't have an Ipod, although I do have a small Sandisk mp3 player- I thought using the recorder as an audio player might be an option when space is at a premium on long assignments and I really don't want to have to keep up with "clutter". Monsterdog, I did look into that, but apparently my phone won't let me rearrange the menu. Thanks for the tip, though, I do appreciate it!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top