Recording University/College Lectures – What to buy?

If you are heading to university or college and need a  device to record your classes with – how to you make the right choice of the hundreds of voice recorders on the market?  Here are a few things to think about:

You will need a reliable recording device for recording lectures, as well as taking the usual notes. What you will need for great note taking is a device with a good battery life, a mic that will pick up what is said in the lecture hall easily even from the back of the room, and one that’s easy to use.

The Importance of Battery Life

Everyone has experienced the frustration of a cell phone or recorder with a low battery life. Often while going to school it’s hard to find a way to recharge a device or its batteries.

A device with a strong internal battery, or one which allows reliable rechargeable batteries is the safest option.

A Strong Microphone

You can’t ask a professor to hold the recorder while giving his lecture. The best selection in recorders or mic is one capable of picking up voices from as far away as the back of a lecture hall.

While it should pick up voices easily, there shouldn’t be any distortion, or feedback while in use, allowing for a quietly running recorder.

Ease of Use

The best recorders are those you find easy to use. An easy to use device will start quickly, and you will not need to make adjustments often.

Plug and play options are the best, since there’s no drive necessary. You can concentrate on the lecture, and not the recorder when you have one with easy to use features.

Best Options for Recording Devices

• At less than $20 the Etekcity 2-in-1 8GB Mini Portable Rechargeable Digital Audio Voice Recorder Pen has all the potential of a more expensive recorder.  The downfall is that the microphone is not as strong so you will need to sit at the nfront of the class
• Similar to the Etekcity is the Uqique Digital Voice Recorder 8GB USB Flash Drive Rechargeable Mini Audio Recording Device with MP3 Player, is just over $20, and simple to use.  Again – for quality recordings you will need to be close to the front.
• You can’t go past the Zoom H1 for portability and sound quality.  The best “bang for buck” recorder for univeristy lectures
• At $200 the Sony ICD-UX200 Digital Voice Recorder with Built-In Stereo Microphone, has all the options you need.  This will pick up a higher quality recording – perfect for thost late night study sessions!