Dictaphone/voice recorder recommendations

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We’re looking for a voice recording device for our teenage son to record voice notes of his day. Part of his OCD compulsions include having to do this every evening and writing it all down is taking over an hour and frustrating him.

We don’t want an App as he doesn’t get to use iPhone/iPad/laptop after dinner.

Can anyone recommend a suitable device? Needs to be easy to use, allow scrubbing and be Mac compatible. Any other sensible features I should be looking for?

Last time I looked they were all using micro-cassette so I’m a bit out of date.

[pistonheadforum]

They do exist but the market is (unsurprisingly) small with phones doing all this nowadays.

They all use flash memory cards these days.

Look at Olympus as a decent make. Others are available but I would prefer AAA batteries rather than inbuilt. Editing would be done on the computer using Audacity or similar.

[pistonheadforum]

If it's for better quality look at Zoom H1 or H2N or Tascam as brands.

Hope this helps.

[Derek Smith]

I have a Sony ICD-PX370.

Had it for years. Take it out everywhere, especially when walking, as I write and ideas come to me at the oddest time. I've had it knocked out of my hand a number of times and now use an elastic strap. I've got a micro SD card and put music on it, and all voice recordings go on the internal memory. Haven't run out of either. I have a microphone which I clip to my collar. If I'm in company, I put my mobile to my face when talking. Silly I know.

It's a little on the big side, but then so am I.

See https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Sony-ICD-PX370-Digital-...

Recommended.

[Nico Adie]

As this is PH, I can't possibly recommend anything less than a Nagra Seven.

[snuffy]

Nico Adie said:

As this is PH, I can't possibly recommend anything less than a Nagra Seven.

I had to look up what one of those is.

Yes, that's the kind of thing he needs.

Or, even more PH, tell him he doesn't want anything that they asked for because they are doing it wrong.

See the following for further details:

Recommended me a printer: You don't want a printer, you want a printing service.

Recommended me a laptop: You don't want a laptop, you want a Chrome book.

And so on.

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Nico Adie said:

As this is PH, I can't possibly recommend anything less than a Nagra Seven.

Had to look that up

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That Sony looks ideal. The zoom/tascam models look more sophisticated, without costing too much more so I’ll take a look at those too.

Thanks for the suggestions. Even the OTT one

[S6PNJ]

Another vote for Sony Dictaphones - I have an ICD-UX200. If you go for something like this (Sony and Olympus are the main providers in my view) go for one with 2 microphones you'll get a much better quality of recording and it will be easier to 'select' the voice when you are listening to the playback via headphones as you can concentrate on one ear more than the other with 2 mics, the recordings are 'directional' - I wouldn't call it stereo but I guess it is.
Or make sure you can plug in an external microphone - Usually lots on a famous auction site (mine came from there).

Edited by S6PNJ on Friday 30th September 13:22

[FiF]

Did you ever get fixed up? We have an Olympus VN-8600PC kicking about not doing anything these days.

It was used for recording lectures and then uploading to the intranet along with the slides so anyone who missed the lecture had access. This was all before online tuition came in with Covid. Early 2010s.

Just to add if you're interested just drop a PM.

[Miserablegit]

I know you said your son doesn’t have access to a phone of an evening but…
There are notes apps on the iPhone which transcribe a voice recording at the same time. There would then be no need to hand-transcribe the notes as they would have been done on the phone.

[RizzoTheRat]

Google documents can also transcribe from an uploaded audio file if you can find something to record digitally.