How to Choose a Digital Voice Recorder That's Right for You

There are plenty of advantages to buying a digital voice recorder. They're portable, affordable and perfect for people who need to remember a lot of things or don't like jotting down a lot of notes. It's easy to find a great digital voice recorder, plus accessories, for under $100.

1. Consider how much recording time you need. Newer models are always coming out that have more and more recording time available on them, so even if you plan on using your recorder constantly you should be able to find one that suits your needs. Some can hold well over 100 hours of audio. You can find used, cheaper models that hold much less. One thing to remember, though, is that many recorders allow you to record at different levels of quality. The advertised maximum recording time advertised is typically only available at the lowest quality setting, which might not suit your needs. For example, my Olympus VN-240PC will record up to four hours (hence the "240" -- 60 minutes times four equals 240). My recorder's four-hour capability becomes one hour and 28 minutes on the highest quality setting.

2. Picking a microphone is almost as important as picking a recorder. Of course, recorders come with their own built-in microphones. That's how they record, obviously. And the built-in microphones are fine if you're only going to record while holding the recorder up near your mouth. But if you plan on giving a speech and recording it, or recording someone else's presentation, or recording people more than a short distance away in a room, you should get an external microphone. Fortunately, there are a number of inexpensive models. There are three kinds in particular you should consider. The first is a lapel or tie-clip microphone. This is perfect if you're giving a speech and want to record yourself. The second type is called a unidirectional microphone. This records sound coming from the direction you point the microphone in, which is good if you want to record one person talking when you're sitting around other people and don't want their chatter interfering. The third kind is called an omnidirectional microphone. This records sound coming from all around it, which is good if you do want to pick up audience chatter (perhaps to hear the audience's reaction to certain comments).

3. The third thing to consider is whether you need a recorder that can back up its files to a computer. If you do, you'll have to pay a little more, but it can be worth it. You can copy a recording to your computer and immediately erase it, freeing up more space on your recorder. Otherwise, you'll have to keep the recording until you're completely done with it. Of course, if you have 100 or more hours available, that might not be a problem.

Those are the three main things to consider when picking a digital voice recorder. Other things you'll probably want to buy would be headphones, extra batteries and maybe a carrying case. Then, you're all set!