Advice Needed: Microcassette, Voice Recorder for Lectures?

[michaelsaxon]

I need some advice... does anyone have any experience with using a microcassette recorder or digital voice recorder to record lectures?

I'm looking for the following:

1) Ability to record five 85-minute lectures each week (so, I guess a digital would have to have that much memory-- no capability of downloading until weekend or a microcassette would have to have several tapes).

2) Ability to pick up lecturer so it is clear

Any recommendations? Should I try digital or should I stick with a tape? Any links to websites that discuss this? I'm having a hard time finding good information and thought that someone here might have some advice/experience. Thanks.

 

[zimmie6576]

Minidisc.

From what I've seen, don't digital voice recorders only record for a couple of minutes at most?

 

[Maetryx]

Get a minidisc player that does MDLP (168 minutes per disc). minidisco. They're way sexier, and if you have the right sound card with an optical digital out, you can record your MP3s to minidiscs.

 

[crypticlogin]

<< 2) Ability to pick up lecturer so it is clear >>


Simple advice: try to get as close to the lecturer as possible so you get the best pickup. If you can do that, either MD or microcasette should be fine, even with the microcasette's built-in mic. And try to put the recorder in a stable place -- it sucks when key words are washed out by noise from the recorder brushing against your clothes, pack, etc.

MD or microcasette... MD for the random access but otherwise, there's no big advantage to either one for lecture recording. I've tried both and just chose the MD since I already had one and a couple of blank discs I could cycle through. And if your MD supports mono recording to double the recording time, that's a cool feature in itself.

(And sleep deprivation bites, especially when you can only remember a half hour's worth of total lecture time in any given week)