There are tons of great voice recorders available in the market today but finding a voice recorder that is uniquely suitable for interviews or lectures can be a challenge.
You really need to know what to look for so that you don’t end up buying something that is either too simple or too high-tech/expensive for your needs.
In this post we’ll go over 5 voice recorders that are suitable for recording interviews and lectures. Here’s the list we’ll be covering:
Let’s first understand the basic features one should look for in a voice recorder for recording speech.
Voice recorders can capture sound from one or more directions depending on the directionality of their microphones. Check the technical specifications of the voice recorder to see if it has a unidirectional or an omnidirectional microphone.
Unidirectional microphones capture sound from one direction.
Omnidirectional microphones capture sounds from all directions.
For recording lectures, voice recorders with unidirectional microphones work best because they capture the voice of the lecturer in front and block out other voices around it.
For interviews, voice recorders with omnidirectional microphones work great because they capture voices all around.
Voice recorders with unidirectional microphones can also be used for interviews, provided they are placed facing the participants .
Tip: If you choose a recorder with an omnidirectional microphone, remember that these devices capture sounds from ALL directions, so you can easily end up with a lot of ambient noise on your recordings (doors banging, loud music, cars passing by, etc.). Try using these voice recorders in quiet surroundings to reduce unnecessary noise on your recordings.
If you or your transcriptionist have ever despaired over ‘white’ noise and ambient sounds drowning the voices on a recording, then you would appreciate the low cut filter that some voice recorders offer (a.k.a. noise filter or noise cancellation).
This feature filters out low-frequency sounds (for e.g. distant voices, cars honking, chairs creaking, etc.) from a recording, improving the clarity of voices that are closer or directly in front of the voice recorder.
For lectures this feature is very important because it cuts out the general noise that is present in almost all lecture halls.
For interviews this feature is important when:
What if you used up all the data storage space (i.e. internal/external memory) on your voice recorder and needed to record more? You would have two choices:
Option 2 may not always be feasible, so there must be an easy way to transfer data from the voice recorder to a computer.
Good voice recorders would come with some or all of the following data transfer options:
Some voice recorders require proprietary software to play recordings on a computer. This doesn’t work very well when files have to be shared with others (or if you have to pay extra to buy the software!).
A standard voice recorder would record audio in MP3, WMA, and/or WAV format. These globally recognized audio formats can be played on almost all devices and do not require any additional software. MP3 files are smaller with average sound quality while WAV files are larger with better sound quality.
For lectures, MP3 quality is usually sufficient.
For interviews, WAV format would be better if the audio is going to be used on podcasts etc. For regular playback for research or transcription MP3 format should suffice.
That covers the ESSENTIAL features a voice recorder for interviews and lectures must have. Based on your specific requirements, here are some more features you may consider-
Depending on where and how you use the voice recorder, these feature can simplify audio-recording no end.
Now that we have a good understanding of the various features to look for, let’s review the list of voice recorders mentioned at the beginning of the post and see which key features each recorder offers:
The Zoom H1n voice recorder is probably the best voice recorder for lectures (it’s great for interviews and dictations too). This portable device comes with two highly sensitive microphones and tons of great features like a user-friendly interface, a backlit display, and easily accessible buttons.
Read: Full Review of the Zoom H1n Voice Recorder
The EVISTR L157 audio recorder for lectures is a simple device that’s easy on the pocket. It doesn’t have features like an external microphone jack or MicroSD card slot, but comes with 16GB internal memory and quite good for the purposes of recording lectures.
The Zoom H1n is a great recorder for interviews and lectures because of its dual microphones that capture excellent sound. It also comes with an external mic jack as well as a tripod slot.
The Tascam DR-05 is similar to the Zoom H1n but has a more durable body and comes with two omnidirectional microphones which are great to capture audio with the recorder placed in the center of a group.
If you are looking for a rugged, high quality voice recorder for your interviews, this is the one. Zoom H4N has the same highly sensitive unidirectional microphones as the Zoom H1n, but it comes with XLR inputs and has a stronger body.
We hope this article helps you make an informed decision about which voice recorder is the right one for you. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to leave a comment below.
Happy Recording!
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I am a news reporter. I am looking for a voice recorder for my job and know that there are so many options out there. I am liking the Roland R-26 because of the large display plus it is said to be very simple and easy to use. Thanks for listing the different recorders all together on one page makes my research much easier.
I am looking for a recorder for my lectures and I know the zoom h2n may be a little more than what I need but I like the fact that its not plastic. would this still be good to record lectures? or the zoom h1 would still be better to record from the back of the room
hello,
i am looking for a good but simple recorder for conducting in-depth interviews for my academic studies
hello,
i am looking for a good but simple recorder for conducting in-depth interviews for my academic studies.
let me know how much they can csot from Uganda
thank you for these reviews. i wonder if you are sponsored because you didnt mention Olympus, or are you really not impressed by them. ?
thank you
Good observation. There used to be an Olympus on this list - I forget which model. But it didn't make the list because it was priced higher with fewer features that readers of this blog are usually looking for. (This is not a sponsored post but the links are affiliate).