03/ 14/ 2002
The microcassette recorder is one of the most reliable and functional of all types of business equipment. In today's Workshop, Jeffrey Moses continues last week's discussion of features to look for when purchasing one.
A built-in earphone lets you listen to your messages privately, while a microphone is recommended for important recording sessions, because it picks up better than a built-in mike. For interviews, a clip-on microphone that attaches to a lapel or shirt is highly recommended. The microphone cord should be at least 4 to 5 feel long.
Dual tape speed allows you to record longer than 30 minutes on a side, and any loss in recording quality is hardly noticeable.
You'll find little difference between different brands of microcassette tape. Any of the recognizable names will serve your purposes, with prices ranging from $5.99 for a 4-pack to $9.99 for an 8-pack. Ninety-minute microcassette tapes are available for about $10 for a 6-pack.
If you'll be transferring your recording to a word processing program, you'll probably need a microcassette transcriber. These come with varying features, but since the price of almost all transcribers is around $200, you should find one with the following features:
- Tape counter;
- 3-pedal or 2-pedal foot control for hands-free reversing, stopping and playing of tapes;
- Variable speed control for choosing how quickly you want the tape to play while transcribing;
- 3-position automatic backspace, which provides auto-reverse that allows you to easily re-listen to a specific length of tape. If you're transcribing, this feature is highly desirable; and
- Headset jack for private listening while transcribing. The headset itself is optional in many models.
Many models of transcribers provide a quick-erase feature, so that tapes can be erased easily for reuse. Tape quality is generally not compromised by several record-overs, but because prices for tapes are so reasonable, you may want to store vital recorded information.
Digital recorders are another option, though they are more expensive, ranging from about $49.95 to $129.95 and more. They're more stylish and even smaller than microcassette recorders, often weighing less than 2.5 ounces. The main price determinant is the amount of digital recording time. A recorder that provides 32 minutes of recording time will cost about one-third to one-half of a recorder that provides four hours or more of recording time.
Some digital recorders are highly sophisticated, offering message folders and scheduling folders, providing 99 files or more for storage in four or more separate folders. Some lower cost digital recorders allow recording of a maximum number of messages, usually around 200. Almost all come with LCD display, while some come with jog dials and expandable memory. Almost all are sold standard with voice activation.
Digital recorders don't use cassettes of any type, but the recording can usually be saved directly to a PC. Recorders that download to a PC require cable and software, and both are often included in the price.
