Choosing+an+Audio+Device

Audio - Choosing an Audio Device
media type="custom" key="2694431" ** Digital Recording Devices  ** If you are planning on purchasing a digital recording device, your needs usually will determine the model you choose. Prices range from approximately $30 dollars to $500 dollars or more. If your plans only include recording voices for personal use, a basic digital voice recorder will probably work well. If you are looking to record music, you will probably need a more expensive device that is capable of recording a wider frequency of sound with less background noise. Before purchasing make sure to look at the following features.  1. Recording Time – look for a minimum of 12 hours.  2. Connection to your computer – Should connect to your PC with a USB connector. Windows Vista users and Mac users need to check if the unit is compatible.  3. If planning on transcribing your oral history into text make sure it works with voice recognition software.  4. Voice activation is an important feature since it will not record long silent gaps.  5. Editing Features might be useful because it will allow you to edit in comments without recording over material.  6. Navigating files – Some devices allow you to locate certain words without having to listen to the entire file to find the passage. __ Audacity: __ Free software that turns your computer into a digital voice recorder. Audacity is open source software and can be used for recording and editing sound. This is great for those people whose interview can be done on a computer. It runs on Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux and other operating systems. For more information go to: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/  __ Gabcast: __ Gabcast.com is a podcasting and audioblogging platform that offers an easy way to create and distribute audio content. Most people can simply use a touch-tone telephone to make their recordings. Depending on the diskspace required, the service is either free or $6 or $12 dollars per month. The maximum recording is 60 minutes per episode. For the free service the maximum disk space is 200 MB/user. __ Telephone Recording Device: __ Can be used to record two sides of a phone conversation. The device is plugged into the “MIC” jack of your recorder and the earphone part is placed in your ear. It is worn between your phone and your ear. You must remember to speak softly since your voice is recorded louder than the person you are speaking to. This device can also be used as a regular microphone. Price between $15 and $20 dollars. This can be used with a recorder or your PC as the recording device as long as you use the included stereo adapter. Olympus TP-7 Telephone Recording Device

__ Digital Voice Recorder: __ Memorex Digital Voice Recorder w/128MB Flash Memory: Can record up to 56 hours of voice recording. It has a built in microphone and speaker as well as a headphone and microphone jack. It uses 2 AAA batteries. A USB cable is included. The list price is $34.99.

  __Ipod __– The iPod Nano Chromatic (4th generation),  the iPod Classic  (120GB), and iPod touch (2nd generation),   become the first iPods with voice recording when you use an optional headset, (not yet available, November 2008). There are two different types of earphones with voice recording capability. One type costs $29 dollars and in addition to the microphone it includes <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Cambria','serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin">convenient buttons that let you adjust volume and control music and video playback. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Cambria','serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"> The other type, I <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Cambria','serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin">n-ear Headphones <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Cambria','serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">has all of the features of the $29 dollar model, but has superior sound. The cost of the headphones is <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Cambria','serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin">$79 dollars.