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slider · Jan 31, 2003, 03:26 PM

OK, I have an iPod so I don't need or want another mp3 player. I have a mini tape recorder which I use to record lectures, the problem is is that the sound sucks. I record the lecture to my mac using final vinyl and then convert it to an MP3 in iTunes which I put on my iPod. Anyways really want to get some input from some people that have experience with the some different brands. I looked at the Olympus line of recorders, the M-1 is really nice, but the price is out of my range. Options, price and quality are all important, so basically the best for the least, oh and it needs to be Mac compatible too. Thanks for your input.

butter71 · Jan 31, 2003, 03:44 PM

definitely stay away from the sony memorystick recorders. the files are saved in a proprietary format that can only be converted to .wav with sony's windows-only app. otherwise i liked it.

slider · Feb 1, 2003, 08:35 AM

Here is another thing, I see a lot of them don't have PC connections, but no mac support. Is there built in support on the mac of maybe a thrid party option or even a work around. If it connects via USB, will the mac see it as an external drive which I can just pull the .wav or MP3 files off of?

thanks.

butter71 · Feb 1, 2003, 01:23 PM

Originally posted by slider:
Here is another thing, I see a lot of them don't have PC connections, but no mac support.

(i'm guessing you mean "have PC connections")

sometimes when they say "no mac support" it means that they just haven't tested it or they don't support it even though it works. sometimes it means "no mac support".

i would suggest searching here or google for specific models that you are interested in and also make sure that you buy something that you can return.

let us know what you find.

slider · Feb 15, 2003, 03:57 PM

OK, I have ordered the Olympus DM-1, it was kinda pricey, but I like the fact that I could swap out compact flash cards and it would take up to 128MBs. It is probably more than I can use right now, but it offers room to grow, which while hunting for recorder, I realized was also important. I was able to pick it up for $170. I'll post review of it when I get it. Oh, and thanks for the tip about the sony, would not have consider it. My digicam uses compact flash, so its a plus to use the same media card.

slider · Feb 22, 2003, 08:17 PM

OK, so I got the Olympus DM-1 on Thursday and used it on Friday in school. First the recorder is very intuitive, and I had most of the functions down before I read the instructions. It came with stereo head phones, much like the iPods, a case, usb cable and PC software with MusicMatch, you have to download the Mac software from their website. The software is very easy to use and has features like autodownload. One thing that I don't understand, when the .dss files are converted to aiff, they are no bigger than MP3 files, so I don't bother converting them. When I was using the analog recorder with final vinyl, the files for 50min were like 500MB, guess it's a quality thing. That has to be hands down the biggest difference, the sound quality is far far superior to the analog hardly any back ground noise and crisp. Anyways I have the file converted to aiff and save directly to iTunes and later to my iPod. Simple things like a battery monitor are great, the actual speaker on the recorder is much better too. As this is digital, you are able to index parts of the recording and erase them as well. It's about a third the size of the analog as is the weight. And of course the other big deal is you can record far more and not need to worry about flipping over tapes. Tapes, no more tapes. You can insert 128MB smart media (not compact flash as I said earlier), but it comes with a 64MB which gives you over 10hr on SP and over 22 on LP, this is ample for me at this time. I know that this can be a little steep in price, but the list price is $250, shop around. If you are like me and have come to depend on recorders to take accurate notes, this model is a must, the mac support is good and the sound quality is fantasic. This model is similiar to the DS-2000 and 3000 models.

mattmarshall · Mar 25, 2003, 08:36 PM

do you have to buy batteries for that thing? most that i lookaed at a while ago needed batteries. i won't buy anything without a built-in rechargeable.

thanks for your review

-matt

slider · Mar 26, 2003, 01:36 PM

Yep, you need two AAA batteries which last me for about two weeks a pop. They recommend alkaline batteries at that. And no mention about being able to recharge, although it does have a power port. The thing is, this DSS file format is not natively supported on the Mac, this format uses much less memeroy than MP3 so it has a definate advantage so you need something with mac support, unless there is a thrid party out there that provides this convertion. >>>>>just did a quick search on versiontracker and there is nothing, but there is an update to there mac software, which is a really good sign of mac support. Good luck with your decision and let us know what you decide on, thanks.

I am actually listening to my lectures from the recorder now, it really is just more conveniant with indexing and the way they impliment fast forward and reverse. Plus I picked up a 128MB Smart Media card which gives me just over 21 hours of record time.