The best part: this voice recorder doubles as a music player, with the ability to play MP3 files through the built-in speakers or by plugging in a pair of headphones. It’s also packed with helpful features, like a voice-activated mode, so it will start up automatically when your lecturer begins speaking, for example. This recorder also lacks a convenient erase button, so you’ll need to navigate through its menu to delete recordings. Voice Recorder for iOS is free and has a wide range of file formats, but comes with ads and has the clunkiest design of all the iOS apps we tested. We like recorders that automatically filter out ambient or peripheral noises to enhance the sound of the voice you’re recording. But the bill … Never miss an important interview, presentation or conversation again. The paid version of Hi-Q has even more features to finesse recordings and scored highest out of all the apps in our listening test. For example, you can access mic source and effects by tapping the on-screen Settings button once. Recording a meeting is generally something you should avoid if at all possible. If you mainly record voice memos in your office, or interviews in quiet rooms, you can save some money by choosing the Sony ICD-PX470. Recorders have built-in storage space, more file-management options, and longer-lasting batteries that are dedicated to recording and playback—you won’t need to worry about saving battery power for sending and receiving texts, emails, or phone calls. Fully Grasp New Projects. Your choice will come down to features versus convenience, and your particular needs. That meant 192 Kbps for all recorders except for the Olympus, which maxes out at 128 Kbps (though even this should be good enough for voice recordings). This voice recorder may look basic but it’s anything but. Editing and Playback Features: You’ll want to be able to easily playback and edit your recordings. The UX560’s extra features make an already-great recorder stand out from the rest. It produces clear, understandable audio in classroom, quiet office, and noisy coffee shop settings. The Parrot app for Android has the best range of recording options and the cleanest interface of the free Android apps we tested. For supported versions, you can synchronize Dragon Anywhere with your desktop and do voice work on your computer as well. The voices were the tiniest bit unnatural, but overall this is definitely my favorite sample so far.”. Its microphones are incredibly sensitive, but in the field this model picked up a lot of background noise. The two read a Seinfeld dialogue, with the mics facing toward the “interviewee,” or main speaker, to mimic an interview. Recordings were understandable enough, however, and if you don’t need the absolute best audio quality, the PX470 will save you some money. This recorder includes many of the features we like about the device … The PX470 is also slightly larger and bulkier—while the UX560 is about the thickness of an iPhone, the PX470 is closer to the thickness of two iPhones. The Olympus VN-541PC is a great affordable voice recorder with lots of features. For listening on the device itself, it has a built-in speaker as well as an earphone jack. The recorder comes with 4 GB of storage, which allows for roughly 39 hours of recording time using MP3 format at 192 Kbps; that’s comparable to what you get with most of the recorders we tested. As with the Sony UX560, a pop-out USB 3.0 plug lets you easily upload files to a computer and recharge the two replaceable AAA batteries, which takes about 3 hours. We previously tested the Tascam DR-05, a music-oriented recorder that allows for recording higher quality MP3s at 320 Kbps (this is high enough that most listeners would find it difficult to distinguish from CD-quality audio; most models we tested max out at 192 Kbps). One panel participant said that audio recorded in the coffee shop was “very clear, the background noises were pleasantly balanced with the foreground, and I felt like actual voices had a pleasing quality to them.” In the lecture setting, listeners commented that while the recording picked up background noise, the lecturer was still understandable. The screen, however, is smaller, dimmer, and harder to read than the UX560’s. We experienced some glitches while testing the $4 Easy Voice Recorder on Android. Anna is a mentor at Girls Write Now and a member of the Online News Association. One-touch button controls. © 2020 Wirecutter, Inc., A New York Times Company, More storage and longer battery life, lower-quality audio, If you mainly record in quiet environments, the best iOS and Android voice-recording apps. If you need to record only occasionally, it may be more convenient to record with a smartphone that you already have (and usually have with you) rather than spending money on a device you’ll infrequently use. Scene selection presets let you optimize EQ and microphone sensitivity settings for lectures, meetings, interviews, voice notes, and loud and soft music scenarios. You can mark locations in your recording on the fly, so you can return to them later as you listen, and voice-activated recording can automatically stop you during pauses in conversation. 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