Recording Classes/Lectures Forum

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Due to a slight hearing loss, I can miss some things, especially if it's a large lecture hall set-up with funky acoustics. Does anybody have a recommendation for a voice recorder that would pick up a professor's remarks and allow me to save the files in MP3 format on my computer?

[mikialjan]

I have the Sony digital voice recorder by Dragon. It's definetly not cheap but it is amongst the best and has the features you're lookin for. Only thing I didn't like about it is I kept accidently recording over old lectures. Needs a little getting use to. I'd attach a link but not sure if we're allowed to.

[BattlingBarrister]

A friend of mine uses an iphone. It works really well. Some professors don't allow recording but he feels like he paid tuition so as long as he isn't distributing it and is using it for to learn the material it's fair game.

[macattaq]

A friend of mine uses an iphone. It works really well. Some professors don't allow recording but he feels like he paid tuition so as long as he isn't distributing it and is using it for to learn the material it's fair game.

I'm sure they would make an allowance for a person with a hearing disability. I'd check with the school's disability resource center.

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Thanks for all the responses. I've given the iPhone a shot, and if the prof is using a mic, it probably would work well. I'm sure most profs would use them, but I guess I'd like to have a voice recorder that I can alter for both low and high sensitivities. The Sony looks nice, but unfortunately, it costs as much as my laptop! Anybody have a suggestion for something in the sub-$100 range?

As for recording, if anybody considers doing this, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE get the professor's permission before doing this. With piracy such a huge concern nowadays, almost every school has as part of their honor code or other agreement a section that prohibits students from reproducing a professor's intellectual property. If you're caught violating these agreements, you can bet your ass you'll have to answer for it to the bar.

[engineer]

I recorded almost all of my property law lectures using a $100 Sony voice recorder. Only one prof allowed recordings, but if you have a disability, my school will actually do all of that for you (as in, they'll require the prof to wear a mic).

Anyway, I typically recorded the lectures and then outsourced them for transcription through guru.com or elance.com. The ONLY reason I did this is because my property prof gives take-home finals which are a mind fuck and a half, and he expects us to quote him verbatim in the exam. I was able to do that.

Anyway, since I treated property like a regular class, I read through the transcripts and highlighted the important parts. Then I created my own table of contents (an outline, basically) with page references. It made the exam tolerable, but we'll see if my grade improves at all.

Oh, one other thing: in class, I NEVER would take notes. I'd listen & absorb. That helped me so much, because when I was studying, everything felt very familiar.

[mikialjan]

Check out crutchfield.com I usually get my accessories for my car from there. You can ether use it as a guide or purchase from their because their prices are always good. In your price range I like these two from there: Olympus WS-400S $79, Sony ICD-SX700 $129
Someone mentioned this already, but I'm pretty sure you can get them to record for you or provide you with verbatim notes.

[imchuckbass58]

Check with your school - at many schools you can request that the school record the classes using the school's A/V equipment as long as you have a good reason (and disability almost certainly counts).

[macattaq]

Get something like this: http://www.guitarcenter.com/CAD-U7-USB- ... 1399955.gc, which you can set up in class, and connect directly to your computer. It is a bit conspicuous, but if you want a mic as opposed to recording device, it will be. This particular shape is better, because it is more likely to capture questions posed by students. The upside is that regardless of OS, you can get a free recording program called Audacity. It can export to either .mp3 or .wav format. Plug in your USB mic, and hit record in Audacity, profit.

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Thanks for all the input. I know schools can certainly pull out all the stops to make accommodations, but I don't intend to draw that much attention.

Get something like this: --LinkRemoved-- ... 1399955.gc

Mac, this looks like another product I came across on Amazon. You seem like you have a musical background, and I'm wondering if you've had any experience with this, or if you have any opinion? http://www.amazon.com/Zoom-H2-Portable- ... 480&sr=1-1.

[macattaq]

Thanks for all the input. I know schools can certainly pull out all the stops to make accommodations, but I don't intend to draw that much attention.

Get something like this: --LinkRemoved-- ... 1399955.gc

Mac, this looks like another product I came across on Amazon. You seem like you have a musical background, and I'm wondering if you've had any experience with this, or if you have any opinion? http://www.amazon.com/Zoom-H2-Portable- ... 480&sr=1-1.

I don't have any experience with that product, but I will soon! I'm getting one of those in order to record organic, environmental sounds, and then use them to make music. Ahh...can't wait for school to be done! Right, so my opinion of those devices is that they are great. Specifically, it has a function that allow you to record on left-right channels (XY mic pattern). So, having the left-right enables you to have stereo sound. The other functions allow you to 'target' an audio source within a specific window. I can see this being incredibly useful in class, because you can use the front 90 cardioid pattern to 'target' your professor, and minimize audio outside of that 90º area. So, papers rustling, coughing, etc., will be minimized and the professor's voice will be clearer. It won't cut those sounds out entirely, but they won't be as noticeable as they would be if you used a regular mic (or even the one I suggested previously). Just avoid anything that says hypercardioid, because you may end up with an audio window that is too small to adequately capture the prof's voice from a distance.

[ChewbaccaDefense]

--ImageRemoved--

Heh, I couldn't resist. For seriously though, thanks for the recommendation. This seemed to fit the bill pretty well, and I like how I can have it powered through a USB port.