Digital Voice Recorders

Do you want to record yourself talking? Well.. then , the Digital voice recorder is the answer! The Digital Voice Recorder (DVR) is similar to a cassette recorder in functionality, but the recording is made without audio tape. These recordings can then be easily edited, reviewed, or transferred to a PC. The digital format allows you to hold far more audio than standard 60-minute tapes.

DVR is just the thing for those situations where you don't have pen and paper (or a laptop) handy or for recording meetings or presentations when your fingers just wouldn't be able to keep up. They are perfect for lawyers, doctors, podcasters, students, writers and composers doing a lot of dictating and also for transcribing meeting minutes.

Before taking the plunge to buy one, make sure the digital voice recorder has these important characteristics:

1. Recording time – It should have at least a dozen hours of recording time. So, your DVR must have enough memory to store your recordings, as well as good battery performance.
2. USB PC connection – It should be able to connect to a PC via USB cable so that you are able to quickly and easily transfer your recordings to computer and making CDs as well.

There are so many brands and models having these DVRs. You can choose a model according to your intended use and the level of your technological comfort. A simple or basic DVR will be so very easy to use, but then, you may have to forgo certain functionalities and options in the process.

Certain good models are Sony ICD-SX700($65) Sony ICD-P320 ($55 ) Olympus WS-210S ($60) Sony ICD-MX20 ($200) Olympus WS-331M and so on.You can google search and check out the latest brands.

Digital Voice Recorders & Transcription:

If you want to copy the recorded voice files in your digital voice recorder into text, you will need some type of software that will perform the transcription. Some digital voice recorders come bundled with voice recognition software while in some recorders, you will have to purchase the voice to text software like 'Dragon Naturally Speaking' separately. You will also have to buy accessories such as footpedals and headphones if you want to use manual transcription.

DVR for PC:

You can turn your computer into a digital voice recorder by using the free Audacity software. You can edit, add effects, and convert them into MP3 and other formats. It is so very useful for podcasters, movie commentaries, and those whose work is done primarily on a computer!

So now, that you have the basic idea.. good luck and happy recording!