After several years of daily jostling in my pocket, my Olympus WS-200S stereo voice recorder started distorting in one channel. So I cracked open the case and discovered this scary dust-bunny invasion. Perhaps it was shorting out the mic?
Grabbing an old toothbrush, I flicked off most of the linty debris. But then, with a sickening snap, I accidentally severed the wire to one mic as well. Fortunately, I'd taken the artsy photo at right prior to brushing, so I could see where the wire was supposed to connect, but I haven't had a chance to haul out my soldering iron.
Olympus has released several improved models since the 200S, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to check out the one with what looked like the friendliest combination of features and price, the WS-311M. It sells online for as little as $65 yet has four times the memory of the 200S, the ability to play back MP3s, high-speed USB 2.0 transfer, and better audio specs. (Olympus boldly describes these as "ultra high quality," but that's in voice-recorder terms. Still, recordings I made with the "sorta high quality" WS-200S were good enough to end up on a feature film. A birdsong in the voice recorder is worth two you didn't get because you left your high-res field recorder at home, as the saying goes.)
The WS-311M just arrived today; let me know what sounds you'd like me to point it at and I'll try to work them into the review. Incidentally, Olympus also makes two more capacious models, the 321 and 331, which double or quadruple the 311's memory and don't cost much more. It also offers a sister series with a DS- prefix; those models have better mics but a bulkier design.
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@Thelma: I am looking for a recorder so i can improve my singing.
Please see my blog "Your Top Voice Recorder Questions" and the discussion that follows.
David I am in a singing group and we sing four part harmony acapella, I am looking for a recorder so i can improve my singing. I have a mini mac, could you suggest a recorder - not too expensive and any software i might need.
Thanks Thelma
curious if there was a reply to Noel's comments on May 31, 2008 about his daughter attending a Broadway camp. I have similar needs and constraints. Any recommendations? Also, I typically use a MAC.
Thanks Ed
David,
Your site is proving to be wonderfully helpful for me, but after having read most everything you've written about voice recorders, I still need some clarification. I am interested in buying an affordable portable recorder that can be used to record both conversations and in the field. In short, one that won't always exclude ambient sounds. Also, I work on a Mac. I don't need an enormous amount of storage space either. What would you recommend?
Thanks!
Adam
What do you say about the sound quality when comparing the Olympus WS-311M to Sony ICDUX70? They have similar features and comparable price.
Sound quality is my main concern, as I will use it most often to record our band practice (singing and music playing at the same time) and also for recording lectures. I can't afford the higher quality field recorders that you mentioned, so out of these stereo voice recorders which do you think is best sound recording quality for my use? Or you have a better one to recommend?
David,
Curious to see what you have to say about the Sony UX series of recorders. I'm looking at those and the WS Olympus at your behest. I do want to be able to use it with Dragon Naturally Speaking and Nuance rates the Sony better than the Olympus but the Olympus seems to have more features, low cut, the Sony though has a powerd mic jack to use an external condenser mic
How do you use your recordings? Are you transcribing any of them or use voice recognition? What features do you use when making records or playing back?
TIA
I've had the Olympus DS-30 for about a year. Got it on sale at a big box for $100. For what it is - the sound quality is very, very good. I use the built in mono mic instead of the detachable stereo mic. I've even taken it to very small music venues and gotten decent results.
It's fabulous for recording phone calls. I've tried umpteen devices over the years for phone recording, and this is by far the best. You'll need a custom cord - sometimes available on Ebay for less than $10. The results are excellent.
It records only in WMA, but will play MP3s also.
My only complaint with the DS-30 is that Olympus forces users to manage the storage space through a silly folder system that cannot be deleted. Otherwise, it is a fine product.
I always try to leave a comment. Sometimes I might go to a blog and it's all advertising and a product I'm not interested in, so I don't say anything, but otherwise I try to leave a comment. If you don't leave comments, how are you ever going to meet people? On my other blog, I've made some wonderful friends because of visits and commenting.
Hello...I am in need of a recorder for my daughter. She auditioned and was accepted into a program in NYC called "Destination Broadway" this summer, which concentrates on singing and dancing. For the voice segments, she will need a recorder that will record the piano accompaniment as well as her voice singing. These recordings will be later used for critical analysis of the voice/singing quality. Some of the recordings will be accapella, and others will contain piano. Would you recommend this WS311 or is there another one that would work better? Cost is definitely a concern as attending the program costs a great deal! Any words of advice here?
thank you kindly,
Noel =)
@Terrie:
I'm interested to see what you think of this recorder after using it. I don't need a lot of features...just good recording and the ability to capture about 80 hours.
I'm really liking the 311 so far — it starts up much faster than my older WS and has numerous friendly improvements ranging from a more informative display to a backlight. I haven't listened to the recordings closely enough yet to compare the sound quality, but the WS was certainly adequate in the quality department.
If you're concerned only with remembering what was said at the event, the lower-resolution/longer-duration recording modes should suffice. I try not to dip below HQ mode, which still provides 35 hours on the 311. (Of course, your battery will run out well before then.) And as long as you have access to a computer, you can quickly offload your recordings to free up space. I think it's a great buy.
As I've noted in other forums, you'll get the best quality recordings (particularly outdoors) by putting the recorder close to the source.
I'm interested to see what you think of this recorder after using it.
I'm taking a class in June and would like to record the lectures, many which will probably be held outdoors. But this is likely to be my only use for a digital recorder. If you have any specific recommendations for something suitable, especially at a real bargain basement price, I'd love to hear them!
I don't need a lot of features...just good recording and the ability to capture about 80 hours worth of stuff.
@Jenni:
not sure what's best for my needs.
We've reviewed a number of recorders at both ends of the spectrum: voice recorders and field recorders.
I haven't done critical listening tests on this voice recorder yet, but for nature recordings, I'm positive you'd want something in the latter category. You'd get better mics, less data compression, and more durability.
That said, if you can spare $75, this is almost a no-brainer. There are so many times when having the audio equivalent of a point-and-shoot camera in your pocket will let you capture wonderful moments.
As always, one tool may not be right for every task. Check out this podcast reviewer Mark Nelson and I did about choosing recorders.
David,
What do you do if you use a voice recorder for your day-to-day work (making podcasts) but you also want to use it on the weekends to making field recordings (nature ambience, coffeehouse readings)?
I'm thinking about the Zoom H2 and the Olympus LS-10 and this one you mention here but I'm confused, not sure what's best for my needs.
Thanks for your help!
jenni
@sfberglund:
Your comment reads like a pitch for your product, but there is some useful information in the blog link, so thanks for sharing.
For the recording of meetings, you may want to consider the Acappella Conference Audio Recorder which records in CD quality sound and reduces the time and cost of transcription by telling the typist the name of the person speaking.
http://www.acappella.com.au
You may also want to visit this blog on selecting a digital dictation solution.
http://audiorecorder.wordpress.com/