Help me pick a digital voice recorder.
March 2, 2010 6:07 PM   Subscribe

I'm about to graduate from journalism school, and that means I'll soon lose access to the equipment I've been borrowing for the last few years. Is it worth purchasing my own Olympus LS-10 voice recorder, or should I be looking at something else?

I've been using the LS-10 for about a year and I really like it. I like the quality of the recording, I like how easy it is to use, and I love that it downloads to my Mac with no hassle.
My budget is $300 max (about what I see the LS-10 going for on eBay). Is there another brand or model I should be looking at that would give me more bang for my buck?
posted by OLechat to Technology (7 answers total) 6 users marked this as a favorite
 
As a stop-gap you can get a mic for your iPod fairly inexpensively.
posted by Galen at 6:12 PM on March 2, 2010


I don't have any experience with the LS-10 but Transom Tools is my go-to site for audio journalism equipment reviews. I have a Zoom H2 and it is quite nice, although the LS-10 looks a lot smaller. This question has also come up previously.
posted by ChrisHartley at 6:26 PM on March 2, 2010 [1 favorite]


the Oli is user-friendly, however a Zoom H-whatever or a Tascam (dr-1) both offer _a lot_ mroe in terms of functionality and versatility. More inputs/outputs, etc etc.

Frankly, though, unless you're going to be using it for podcasts, etc. There are much much cheaper options than any of the 3 if you're using it to record interviews for written pieces, or note-taking.

Those are all good quality field recording instruments, and a bit overkill if you just need audible, reasonable audio.
posted by smoke at 6:50 PM on March 2, 2010


I've only had it for a couple months, but the Olympus VN 6200PC is a $40 recorder that has been just dandy for my note-taking. It comes with a USB cable that has worked fine with my Mac. The files are .wmv which is not ideal, but I think there are converter tools out there.
posted by pantarei70 at 6:56 PM on March 2, 2010


Unless there's more than one Olympus LS-10, it's currently $238.61 on Amazon, shipping included.
posted by Nameless at 7:21 PM on March 2, 2010


Response by poster: Should have added -- I already have a cheap recorder for written interview and notetaking. This is for podcasting, recording interviews that I need a high-quality copy for, etc.
posted by OLechat at 7:27 PM on March 2, 2010


I'm still in J-school but I have a Zoom H2. I love it. I did a lot of research and couldn't find anything that compares for the price.

Your future employer might provide a voice recorder, though. A/V equipment seems to be one place newsrooms are still investing.
posted by chris p at 8:26 PM on March 2, 2010


« Older For The Record, You're An Idiot.   |   Which iTunes songs aren't in a playlist? Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.