Voice Recording Systems

Sound or Voice Recording is the reproduction of sound through electric or mechanical systems which create sound waves. Technology divides sound recording into two distinct classifications - analog and digital. While digital recording uses technologies similar to analog recording; the only difference is in the former, the data can be stored and later transmitted using various forms of media.

Micro-cassette tape recorders were largely popular with the masses due to their music playing and voice recording features. The popularity of digital sound recording (DVR) and compact discs (CD) which grew in the 1980's brought significant improvements to the consumer music industry. A digital voice recorder performs the same functions as a cassette player minus the cassette. While most technological advancements are made in the field of digital voice recording, formats which came to be created were MIDI, WAV, MP3 and others.

Voice recording systems have been added onto desktop computers and portable laptops as well. Voice recordings can be sorted into different folders in the DVR itself and with the help of a USB cable it can be plugged into a computer and be transferred. While tape recorders have their uses, a digital voice recorder comes in handy for students who want to listen to a lecture and make notes, or a doctor or a writer who does a lot of interviews, even a secretary who has to transcribe minutes of a meeting. The digital recorder allows you to record far more than the 60-minute time stipulated by a tape recorder.

Companies like Sony, Olympus and Panasonic provide the installing software CD in the package, which needs to be installed into the computer to view and hear the audio format which is uploaded through the USB chord. Software's like Audacity" allow you to edit, transform, add effects and convert audio into MP3's. Purchasing a digital voice recorder depends on what you plan to use the recorder for and how comfortable you are with new technology. Various factors to consider when purchasing a digital recorder include -

• Purchase a digital record player with sufficient memory to record many hours of recording time. A good battery performance and adequate storage space will make it an ideal recorder.

• A recorder which supports the mp3 format is an ideal recorder as it is flexible with most editing software.

• The recorder should also be compatible with a USB cable without having to purchase and install any specific drivers.

• Purchase a recorder which doesn't involve installing specific software. This will limit the use of the voice recording system to just one computer.

With features like forward, rewind, playback in slow or fast mode and even archiving each voice recording into different folders on the recorder, these gadgets are serving their purpose to doctors, reporters, lawyers and even people on the go. A good example of this would be the Olympus DS-4000. So get your hands on a good Voice Recording System and benefit from it.