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Hello all! Once again, another recommendation thread.
The search function yielded very old threads, and I figured that by now, technology has changed quite a bit.
I’m looking into getting an inexpensive voice recorder for lectures. Nothin’ special necessary. I’m looking at about only 2 hours of lectures each day, so battery life shouldn’t be a problem. Because I’m looking at something with no bells and whistles, I’m hoping it’ll fall somewhere about $30 – $50.00.
I’m also considering using my Kodak Playsport w/ tripod instead. I’m a very visual learner. In past years, I’ve noticed that more times than not, I can recall not only what the professor is saying, but also how they were positioned at that time. I’ll have to make sure with the professor that that is allowed, however, as some professors don’t allow video recording; only audio.
Thank you! I look forward to reading your recommendations.
If u have a smart phone already I would use that. You can always buy a cheap min if you are having problems recording sound. Just a thought.
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^ Thought about it, but my phone already goes through enough battery power as it is. It wouldn’t last through lecture, and I wouldn’t want to have to bother with plugging it in during class. Charging it in between lectures won’t work either, since they’re back to back classes.
Are you taking your laptop to class with you? If so, all you need is a microphone like maybe this one, and some free software like Audacity. Bonus is you can filter out noise and tweak up the voice of your lecturer if they’re hard to hear.
If your class is in a theatre setting you might want a shotgun mic, like this for more directionality. Oh, and a small stand in either case. Might try some local pawn shops or music stores.
For a simple voice recorder, there are several in your price range, Sony, Olympus, Philips… I don’t have any experience with these devices but I’d stay away from the Coby unit that keeps popping up.
Nope – Since I’m only in school for a few hours each day, I will not be taking my laptop to school. Regardless, I prefer to take handwritten notes, in any case. 🙂
Nope – Since I’m only in school for a few hours each day, I will not be taking my laptop to school. Regardless, I prefer to take handwritten notes, in any case. 🙂
Just remember that teachers often copyright their lectures these days, and you may not be allowed to tape them.
I have used my mp3 player as a recorder before. I have an Sansa Clip+ and it records well and makes it easy to store the lectures on my computer.
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Consider if it uses a built in battery- you have to remember to charge it or carry the charger too. Or if it uses AA/AAA batteries, you have to carry spares. Lots of choices Zoom, Sony,Olympus are just a few. Is it a large lecture hall or smaller classroom? The quality/design of the mic will determine the quality of audio capture. Some recorders will allow you to use memory cards too so you can archive your lectures for each class separately. Option for external mic input will allow you to use this for other thing besides lectures.
Yeah. 🙁 That’s why I mentioned that before I can use the PlaySport, I’ll have to get permission from the professors. But thanks for the heads up on the Sansa! Can you tell me how far back you sit? Is your lecture hall large?
Thanks for the suggestions! I’ll definitely be looking into something with “normal” batteries so that I can have spares on me. I have one lecture in a large lecture hall (couple hundred students) and another in a small classroom (about 30 students).
90% of the journalists at work use a Sony voice recorder of some variety.
They seem to work pretty reliably, and I have seen some very battered units floating around, still ticking along.Sometimes the professor goes too fast and I miss something. The reason I never used one in previous years is because 1) my friends would have the recording and 2) the teacher would also post the recording online.
😳 I often end up daydreaming as well…
Another reason for getting one this year is because in past years, all of my courses were science based – I was always able to piece everything together if I missed something. This year, I’m taking criminal justice courses. That’s a lot of listening, reading, and writing…
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