The voice recorder is a specialized device, with all the nuances coming from here. That is, the purpose of this device is the same, but it will cope with the tasks in the best way. First of all, journalists, writers or businessmen should buy a dictaphone. It will also be useful for a student to record lectures, as well as for people attending all kinds of trainings and master classes. And finally, a voice recorder will not be superfluous at all for practicing pronunciation when learning a language.

The undoubted advantages of the voice recorder over all other devices with the ability to record sound are ease of use and reliability. Recording can be carried out without problems for a very long time, for many hours, and turning on and off automatically when any sounds appear (the "voice activation" function). You can also be sure that the recording process will not be interrupted due to an incoming call.

There are not so many models of voice recorders on the market today. But almost all of them are devices with advanced "voice recorder" functionality. Even the simplest model is able to provide what was previously inherent exclusively in professional models. The choice of the device comes down to only some nuances that affect the usability, recording quality and functionality of the device.

Microphone type and sensitivity

For simple tasks, such as dictating short notes, even the simplest model with a monophonic microphone is perfect. You can safely take any inexpensive model from manufacturers such as Sony or Olympus and be sure that its capabilities will be quite enough.

However, for more serious tasks, it is better to buy a more solid model equipped with a stereo microphone with a wide frequency range (while 100-3500 Hz is quite enough to record a human voice). Also, if you plan to use the device not only for voice recording, then it will not be superfluous at all to have a connector for connecting an external microphone — this will also allow recording from various sound sources, for example, MP3 players.

Volume of built-in memory

The more memory the device has, the longer the recording can be. However, even 512 MB (and this is the minimum for modern models) will allow you to record about 30 hours of sound (this parameter is largely influenced by the set recording quality), which is quite enough even for a demanding user.

It's another matter if the recorder is also used as an MP3 player or as an external storage device. Then the built-in drive should already be at least 2 GB. However, it should be noted here that many models of voice recorders allow you to connect memory cards as well. Moreover, there are models (usually professional solutions) that do not have built-in memory at all, recording is done only on a memory card, the type and volume of which the user selects independently.

Recording format

Most voice recorders record sound in such common formats as WAV, WMA or MP3 (often in all three at once, preference is set in the device settings). Each of these formats has its advantages and disadvantages. So, WAV provides good quality, but the files are obtained in large volume. WMA is less "voracious", provides good quality, but is not too convenient for users of computers without Windows. As for MP3, this format is average in terms of sound quality and compression ratio, but it is ubiquitous.

Some of the voice recorders are capable of recording sound in their own format, usually characterized by high quality and a good compression ratio. That's just there may be difficulties when listening to audio on other devices that do not support this format.

 

Type of power supply

The recorder can work both from a battery and from ordinary finger batteries. The absolute advantage of the second type is the lack of binding to the charger, because batteries can be bought everywhere. Such models can be useful, for example, for journalists who, going to an interview, may not worry about the charge level at all — even if it is low, you can buy batteries in any transition.

On the other hand, if the recorder is not carried around with you all the time, being used mainly in one room, then it would be more practical to take a model with a battery.

Connecting to a computer

Usually, a special cable is used to connect a voice recorder to a computer (models deprived of such an opportunity are practically not found today), which is not too convenient. And if such connections are made often enough, it will be more practical to purchase a model with a retractable USB connector. This will save you from having to constantly use and carry a cable.

Additional features

A modern voice recorder is usually capable of not just recording sound, but also differs in some additional features that are designed not only to expand functionality, but also to simplify working with ready-made material.

So, the presence of a recording timer will allow you to record regularly at a certain point in time, and assigning labels to records will facilitate their search. A good voice recorder should have a built-in speaker, which will allow you to listen to what is recorded without headphones or a computer. And voice activation of recording can be very useful when the voice recorder works only if there is a loud enough sound — this allows you to avoid long pauses in recording.

Often there are also models that are quite convenient to use as an MP3 player or equipped with an FM tuner (sometimes with the ability to record from the air).