I want to be able to record lectures

... to playback and take notes later.

[sunandoghosh]

MOST crucial decision - please please help me...!

please please read the whole post....please have patience....

WHAT I WANT:

To be able to record lectures delivered by my professor so that I can later on listen it while commuting and also make notes.

WHY I WANT:

Because our professor delivers lecture at a very very rapid pace and although it is great listening him and understanding his concepts...its so so fast that its impossible to write or make note of anything...

This creates problem because although I am able to understand everything while he teaches BUT later on I forget everything as I am unable to make any notes.

The net result is I am where I was when the classes started.

WHAT I AM THINKING:

I gave a thought to my problem very deeply and discussed with some people and the only solution that appears is TO RECORD THE ENTIRE LECTURE DAILY....so that I can make notes from it later on at my ease...

WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS:

After doing a very thorough and deep analysis on net and gathering as much information as was possible for me...I concluded that I am having the following options:

A. To record the lectures using Apple iPod along with either griffin italk or belkin voice recorder.

OR

B. To record the lectures using Nokia mobile handset using its inbuilt microphone (or attaching some external microphone)

OR

C. To record the lectures using dedicated digital voice recorders such as Olympus DM-10 and DM-20, or say Panasonic RR-US006.

OR

D. To record the lectures using a laptop which is having inbuilt microphone or attaching the laptop with external microphone.

OR

E. To record the lectures using flash based MP3 player like those of transcend etc.

OR

F. To use dictaphone (I have never before even heard that term)

WHY I AM CONFUSED:

Because

1. I do not own personally any of the devices in all options referred above and therefore unable to make a choice which one suits my needs best

AND

2. Dont know which one would be MOST suitable for purpose of recording class lectures from a reasonable distance (say 5-10 feets away) for 3-4 hours lectures.

AND

3. Dont know which device would be MOST reliable and durable

AND

4. Dont know which one provides Best Value for Money as there are extra benefits associated with each device and extra costs too.

EXAMPLE:

I have heard that

# Griffin italk or Belkin Voice recorder at times may NOT record properly always (I have just heard NOT at all sure)

# Again Apple Ipod which allows extra voice recording functionality is NOT mini or shuffle so Again I dont know whether its better to have Nokia Mobile which has so many extra features as well and would cost less than Apple ipod.

# Again if Nokia Mobile is to be purchased which particular model suits my needs best.

# Or is it that dedicated digital voice recorders are best as they have one single function of digital voice recording.

And so on........................

BOTTOM LINE:

There are so so many variables involved that I am really unable to decide. This is further complicated by the fact that I have never used such gadgets and NOt sure.

PLEASE HELP ME DECIDE..........................!
PLEASE HELP ME DECIDE..........................!
PLEASE HELP ME DECIDE..........................!
PLEASE HELP ME DECIDE..........................!

My budget is very very flexible (which means that I am ready to spend upto Indian Rs 50000 which is roughly USD $ 1000, if required).

The single most imporatnt reason I am intending to buy such a gadget is to record the class lectures daily which are normally of 3-4 hours duration and the professor and my sitting distance varies from 1 feet to 10 feets.

If i get extra features Its welcome BUT this digital voice recording feature is something which I do NOT want to be compromised.

Please suggest me out of A, B, C, D OR E what should be my ideal choice and what costs i would incur. If possible please specify the exact product number or detail or specification.

I Know I have written a very very long story and it must have tested your patience and consumed a lot of your valuable time. I genuinely and most sincerely appreciate your time and effort with me from the bottom of my heart and trust me I am really in serious trouble or else would NOT have written such a long story.

I am very anxiously awaiting the words of wisdom and valuable advice from more knowledgebale and experienced (and most importantly helpful) members here.

I am sure that someone here will be able to help me out with his advice and suggestions.

Again I express my deepest sincerest appreciation and gratitude for reading this post and possibly replying.

Please reply in detail and advice to your best as your decision may be very very crucial and infact the whole basis on which I am going to make the purchase. So please be concerned and kind.

Thanks and best of regards

Most sincerely

Sunando Ghosh

P.s. If u wish to add anything which i might have missed or suggest differently please feel free to do so.

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[edited by: tedster at 1:50 am (utc) on Aug. 22, 2005]

[zulu_dude]

I'm not really sure that this topic even remotely relates to 'Webmaster General', but I'll offer my opinion (for what it's worth).

Whichever recording option you end up opting for, you're going to need a good microphone. The actual recording medium is of secondary importance to the quality of microphone. You'll need a very directional mic, probably a condenser microphone. A standard singing/karaoke mic simply won't do the job.

As far as recording goes, I don't have experience with any of the options you mention. I would imagine that a laptop would be way too bulky to take into a lecture. I'd be inclined to go with the digital voice recorder (if it has a microphone input) or the iPod (never recorded with one of these though).

Have you been to your local electronics shop and asked for their advice? They might have some useful insight. Or search the web for solutions that other people have used.

Hope this is even slightly useful, good luck...

[Beagle]

People do this all the time around here. Unless there's a "No Recording" request, you'll rarely see a lecture where at least one person isn't recording it. There's no way you should have to pay $1000 USD for a good recording device!

I agree with the advice about a good microphone. And something that's dedicated to voice recording, rather than being primarily made for some other purpose, is usually best. I also agree with the suggestion about asking in an electronics store. I've gotten a lot of help this way.

I'm more familiar than I'd like to be with dictaphones, and would give that a definite "No". They're made to be spoken directly into, with the microphone right at the speaker's mouth, and wouldn't work very well at even 5 feet away. I don't know what a Nokia handset is -- if it's like a phone I'd vote no for the same reason I would for the dictaphone. Anything that's meant to be spoken directly into won't do a good job for you.

[lZakl]

Sunando,

I am employed in the media industry. For what it's worth, all of our reporters here have a company-provided Olympus WS-200S. I have never used the item personally, but our reporters regularly use this item to record speeches, interviews, public meetings, etc... I do know however that they are heavily used, so that tells me they work for what they are intended to do. I have heard openly in the newsroom that the micorphone is very sensitive and is great for quiet speech, also that this device is best used laid out on a table while recording to reduce the amount of noise caused by movment in the hand (again sensitive mic).

Hope this helps!

-- Zak