Digital Voice Recorder for Lectures, Burns Electronics Voice Activated Recorder, Meetings, Interviews, 8GB Expandable to 64GB, with Noise Reduction, Mini Tape Recorder, Portable Dictaphone, MP3 Player

I have done professional recordings for audio interviews indoors in large rooms with echos, outside in windy conditions, but mostly outside tropical settings. Usually I use a Zoom H2 (recommended to me by an NPR reporter years ago), but the Zoom H2 is not hands-free. in the jungle or bush I need to do hands-free recording with good audio for interviewing practioners of plant medicine. In that case I can use a Anwenk Universal Tripod Head Clamp to attach the recorder to my backpack strap. This enables me to use the Zoom H2 hands-free, but still awkward.A very important feature of this small, lightweight, recording device is that the small clamp allows it to be fastened to shirt pocket, strap, etc. But the most important feature for me is the ability to monitor the audio level while recording to assess the volume and quality of the recording. This feature is hard to find in a voice recorder. To do this you need to plug in the earphones, and then from the recording submenu select the recording format. You'll want to select several submenu options such as selecting MP3 instead of WAV format. This saves storage space. You can also select mic sensitivity, the location of your stored audio (internal or exteral SD card). Most importantly you can turn the monitor switch to "on". Without having the monitor switch "on" you will not be able to assess the quality of the recording while in the process of recording. You can also set it to record voice activated (select AVR). From experience in the field it is essential to have a back-up recorder, otherwise your data can be lost. I sometimes use two backup recorders, a micro USB recorder and a power bank digital recorder (about $75) depending on the brand.To get to the recording settings submenu go to "Recordings/RecordingSettings/MonitorSwitch" or "Recordings/RecordingSettings/AVR Switch" for Automatic Voice Recording" The manual could use improvement on how to get to the submenus. Once you've worked your way through the manual and by experimenting with the button functions, it is easy to use, but there is a small learning curve to get there.All in all, this is my favorite recorder for recording in the field because of its size, clamp, and ability to record audio while monitoring the audio quality at the same time. People who record professionally need to monitor the audio through earphones or earbuds while recording. It is not clear from the product information on Amazon that you can set the recorder to monitor the quality of recording while recording.

The Operating Manual is absolutely one of the worst I have received from Amazon. The print is so small that I had to use a magnifying glass to read; even then symbols are teeny and more guess-work than not. The only solution is playing around on my own to figure out how it works. I was able to get the time and date set, but could never locate the screen to set the recording format or bit rate. I still do not know how to record, despite spending an hour on the device so far. (Something works, as it recorded several curse words as I was pushing various buttons.) I don't know whether I will keep or return yet - will invest another hour or two, hoping to make it work for me. I could not rate either sound quality or battery life due to inability to figure it out. This may be a great product, but it's an expensive paper clip if it Can't be used.After writing the above review, I was contacted by the President of the company who forwarded a Word version of the User instructions that was easily read and followed. He also offered to spend time on the phone to be sure I was happy. Once I could read the instructions, things were easy. While I would prefer larger buttons due to the size of my fingers (I'[m 6'5"), the recorder works fine for my purpose. Excellent customer service - above and beyond what might be expected.

This looks like a really good product. This is a good company. The owner even contacted me and offered to try to talk me through the procedure for getting it to work. But I had already worked really hard with the brochure and fiddling with the buttons and finally I understood how to use it a bit. But I could not figure out where the voice activated part was, and so I asked a much younger family member who is savvy with devices, and even he could not figure it out. I have to return it. It is too complicated for me to use, but maybe someone with more experience will find it great. Even though I was really impressed that the owner contacted me, I just do not want to spend more time with this and I am returning to Amazon. That is one reason I always order from Amazon. Easy to return things. (I rarely do this)

This recorder is very good and clear for very close proximity of recording, like in your front pocket or directly in front of you. However, it fails a few feet away. I performed an unofficial test with distances of close proximity, 5-feet facing forward & backwards, 10-feet facing forwards and backwards. I spoke a clear and short sentence during each test, speaking towards and away from the device. It passed the close proximity test (defined above). However, I give it a fail on the 5-feet & 10-feet test. With playback volume all the way up on the unit, I could barely hear the 5-feet conversation whether I was facing forward or backward. As you would expect, the 10-foot test failed as well. Personal dictation may be the only use for this unit. So, depending upon your use, it may gain a fail or pass for you.

Liked the idea, but the 'manual' was very abridged and was not very clear. Also the company has no existing website. Apparently this is an old item and not serviced today. Good item, I guess, but disappointed that it is obviously an old, unsupported item. Love to get an explanation of why this is sold as new, when it is clearly 'dated'.

Just received this recorder today and already loving it! Very high quality finish, with a clear easy to read LCD screen. Takes a minute to understand all the functions, but the best is the voice activated feature. To save you some trouble, it's under "Recordings/RecordingSettings/AVR Switch". Once you set this on then pull down the trigger, it starts and stops automatically when there is sound or when it stops. Pretty neat. Overall very happy with the purchase.