Digital Recorder...

[tjbball54]

My digital recorder died the other night during an interview and I went out to buy a new one. I decided to buy an attachment for my video ipod called Micromemo, but before opening it I wondered if anyone else has used this devise and how efficient is it? I will be using it for after game interviews with coaches and players, where there is alot of ambient noise sometimes, and wondered how the quality was for playback???

Does anyone have one of these? Can anyone help me out???

[RedHotChiliPrepper]

Haven't tried it, but I don't trust digital recorders to begin with. It's too easy to just erase everything you have on their.
I'll take the old tape recorder any day.

[BYH]

Haven't tried it, but I don't trust digital recorders to begin with. It's too easy to just erase everything you have on their.
I'll take the old tape recorder any day.

No offense, but that's crazy talk.

You're far more likely to have a tape unspool in the recorder and ruin your day than you are to erase everything you have on a digital.

[tjbball54]

Haven't tried it, but I don't trust digital recorders to begin with. It's too easy to just erase everything you have on their.
I'll take the old tape recorder any day.

No offense, but that's crazy talk.

You're far more likely to have a tape unspool in the recorder and ruin your day than you are to erase everything you have on a digital.

I agree. I always have my freehand notes to back it up anyways, but much more easy to work with and store clips in different folders and stuff.

[TheMethod]

For me, a digital recorder is like the cell phone. Before I had one, I  wondered what the big deal was. Now, I can't imagine how I lived without it.

[Rumpleforeskin]

I have the iPod attachment for recording and I love it.  The playback is very clear and it's easy to archive the material right on it.  There is a silent whirring sound at points of the interview, but that's because the attachment faintly picks up the sound of the hard drive.  I have also used the iPod itself during an interview as a conversational piece, to open up a player a little more.  Often times they ask what music is on there and it leads to another discussion.

[fishwrapper]

I have a problem reading anything from "Rumpleforeskin."

[RedHotChiliPrepper]

Haven't tried it, but I don't trust digital recorders to begin with. It's too easy to just erase everything you have on their.
I'll take the old tape recorder any day.

No offense, but that's crazy talk.

You're far more likely to have a tape unspool in the recorder and ruin your day than you are to erase everything you have on a digital.

But it's not like I haven't used one before. I used one for about a week when I was out just about every day doing one thing or another and I just didn't feel comfortable with it. More than anything, I was more concerned with it being in my pocket than anything else.

I just prefer the tapes. To each his own, I guess.

[HoopsMcCann]

i've never gone the ipod attachment route -- there's a guy on the beat who uses it and it seems bulky and cumbersome, but maybe that's just because he's a giant douche. also, i like being able to throw batteries in quickly if they run out (and i have rechargeables and they don't last too long, but they aren't too bad)

i have the olympus ds2 and would have babies with it if i could.

[BYH]

Haven't tried it, but I don't trust digital recorders to begin with. It's too easy to just erase everything you have on their.
I'll take the old tape recorder any day.

No offense, but that's crazy talk.

You're far more likely to have a tape unspool in the recorder and ruin your day than you are to erase everything you have on a digital.

But it's not like I haven't used one before. I used one for about a week when I was out just about every day doing one thing or another and I just didn't feel comfortable with it. More than anything, I was more concerned with it being in my pocket than anything else.

I just prefer the tapes. To each his own, I guess.

If that's what you're worried about, just shut the recorder off and make sure it's enclosed in its carrying case. That's what I do. And I've had a digital recorder for four years now and I've never had it erase on me. There's been a time or two when I've forgotten to hit stop after doing an interview, which leads to a riveting hour or so of me walking and talking, but that could happen with anything.

Another plus with the digital: No more stacks of tapes. You can keep everything on your hard drive.

[TwoGloves]

I've had two digital recorders and hated them both. Count me as one of the people who likes the old tape recorders.

[TheMethod]

Like with many things, I've found that you get the recorder you pay for. I bought one for like $25 at Wal-Mart a few years ago. Total piece of shit. Bad sound quality, hard to fast forward and rewind, clunky. Dropped $50-60 on an Olympus and, I too, would have sex with it if that were possible.

[sportshack06]

iPod attachment is top notch.

Allows you to have one device if you like to carry your music around.

Also allows for easy storage and management of your clips if you like to save them/if its required that you save them. Plug your iPod into any PC/MAC with iTunes and it loads them into the iTunes library. That could be cumbersome if you were connected your iPod to another computer with audio files on your iPod. But its just as easy to find the files that are loaded onto the computer, so if you'd want to delete them from iTunes and just store them electronically.

Its also good for charges. My iPod keeps a great charge and if it doesnt, just hook it up to the laptop during the game to get enough juice for the postgame.

It can be a good icebreaker on the high school beats too. Many times if I am talking to a kid, he/she is like, what is that and wondering why the hell i'm about to talk to them with an iPod in their face.

The other good possibility is perhaps you could get your company to comp your iPod...(wishful thinking)..

Another alternative I have found is using a newer Blackberry (Pearl or Curve) with a voice recorder. It doesnt dump files onto the PC, but they're very easily pulled off. Gives you an all-functioning device even more so than an iPod (Phone/Email/Web/Music/Recorder)

[Big Circus]

There is a silent whirring sound at points of the interview

How can you have a silent sound?  I know, I'm a jackass.

[tjbball54]

Well thanks everyone, I have a game tonight and figure I am just going to break this bad boy open. I DID have an Olympus as well. I would have had sex with it, but it died on me and I hear the sex wouldn't be all that great once its dead.

I also was wondering about silent sound....ha ha. Ill let you all know how it works out for me tonight.

[Some Guy]

Haven't tried it, but I don't trust digital recorders to begin with. It's too easy to just erase everything you have on their.
I'll take the old tape recorder any day.

No offense, but that's crazy talk.

You're far more likely to have a tape unspool in the recorder and ruin your day than you are to erase everything you have on a digital.

But it's not like I haven't used one before. I used one for about a week when I was out just about every day doing one thing or another and I just didn't feel comfortable with it. More than anything, I was more concerned with it being in my pocket than anything else.

I just prefer the tapes. To each his own, I guess.

I bring my own mini-stenographer with me on all interviews.

[tjbball54]

i've never gone the ipod attachment route -- there's a guy on the beat who uses it and it seems bulky and cumbersome, but maybe that's just because he's a giant douche. also, i like being able to throw batteries in quickly if they run out (and i have rechargeables and they don't last too long, but they aren't too bad)

i have the olympus ds2 and would have babies with it if i could.

I used the ipod attachment last night, and the sound quality came out really well. I do have to say it was a little bulky and did make me feel slightly like a giant douche. Overall though it wasn't too bad. I clipped it to my notebook and just went with it. Plus it gave me something to listen too before the game and during halftime. I'm going to go out and by another Olympus though as well.

[Hammer Pants]

i've never gone the ipod attachment route -- there's a guy on the beat who uses it and it seems bulky and cumbersome, but maybe that's just because he's a giant douche. also, i like being able to throw batteries in quickly if they run out (and i have rechargeables and they don't last too long, but they aren't too bad)

i have the olympus ds2 and would have babies with it if i could.

Agreed on the DS2. It's outstanding. Best recorder I've ever used. So easy to store on the hard drive and upload audio for the web, too, which I have to do most days.

[thebus]

I'm also a die-hard digital guy. The Olympus VN-4100 PC is the best I've found with great sound quality and loads of storage space. I also download files I want to keep on my computer but that is pretty rare. It has a X-high quality of recording, which works pretty well in the wind.
The best feature is the index marker, which allows you to mark quotes in an individual folder. It has saved me a lot of time, especially on deadline. I no longer have to sort through a folder or tape to find quotes for a story. It has also reduced the amount of time I spend transcribing quotes.
We can claim recorders but I also purchase a protection plan, which means I can get a new one with little or no hassle if it breaks. My old one did break but I had a new one the next day. Mind you, I've dropped this one a couple of times and it still works great.
I also know this thread has appeared before but it doesn't hurt to run it again. Especially with a small thing that has made my job a lot easier.