Olympus VN3100PC Digital Voice Recorder

Maybe I'm just dazzled by this DVR's compactness and overall quality of recording -- it is my first DVR, after all, and I'm seduced by how something so little can work so well. I can press Record, shove this little guy into the bottom of my jeans pocket, and walk around -- and capture everything said around me in probably a 15-foot radius. (If my jeans are loose, I do pick up a bit of rustling noise as the jeans rub against the unit. But it doesn't detract too much.) I primarily use this DVR when I'm taking lots of photos -- I record what each photo is about, so when I upload the photos to my computer later, I'm not scratching my head to remember. It's easier than writing down notes, especially when I'm in my car. My only complaint here is that s-sounds tend to come across harsh, even at the best recording quality. I wish this DVR was configured so that my computer could see it natively like it does my USB thumb drive. Since it doesn't work that way, you have to load some software that always runs in the background to recognize the DVR and transfer files. My chief complaint about this is that I already have five or six things always running in the background waiting for the infrequent times I need them, and I dislike adding any more programs to that list where they just consume memory. The software is easy enough to use, though. It plays the recordings efficently, but you can use any .wav player if you want. The software not only logs the date and time you transferred the file, but also the date and time you recorded the file, which I find very useful. The only way to access the recording date and time is through the bundled software, though; when you view the files through your operating system, they are stamped only with the date and time of transfer.

I love this recorder. It's clarity at XHQ recording quality is exceptional. However the lower quality settings(HQ to LP) leave a little to be desired. A slight swimmy sort of noise is introduced at HQ level and increases as the quality setting decrements down to the lowest setting. If all that is needed is recognition of voice, then the lower quality settings are useable all the way down to the lowest setting(LP). The XHQ setting is very good for even music recording. And with 5+ hours of recording time at XHQ, it is all I need, so I never use the lower quality settings. The recording sensitivity is very good. I most always use the "HI" setting, but even at the "LO" setting you can still hear most sounds in a small room. Especially after downloading to a computer. Then the sound quality is greatly improved over the small built-in speaker. The speaker sound is very good as well. Another great feature is the "slow" and "fast" speed adjustment. There is NO shift in the sound frequency for either setting. If listening to music, there is absolutely no note-change at all. This is a rare but significant feature, as the voices(or music) sound completely natural with no change except for speed. Some devices that offer a stable frequency speed-change feature, also introduce a sort of clicking artifact that is anoying at best. The VN-3100PC does not have that problem. The resulting speed-changed audio(slow or fast) is as clear as the normal speed exhibits. Look around. Lesser recorders are listed at significantly higher prices. Rick

The quality isn't up to par for podcasting but if you need memos.. it's handy.. and the software keeps it all well organized.. if you have a newer ipod tho, you should make use of the [...]

Despite the Olympus web site showing a Mac symbol, there is no software available for download to a Mac. If you want to create audio files you need a friend with a PC.

I bought this product to record interviews for my master's thesis. I found that it works really well. The only thing is that the microphone doesn't pick up really soft voices that well. So you have to make sure that it is right next to the person speaking. The different levels of noise clarity are wonderful and it has loads of memory and different folders. Its hold button is also a great feature along with the index markers. The only thing I didn't like was the three speeds. The slow speed (for play back) really wasn't that slow. This product could use another slow speed that would be better for transcribing interviews. It does have a fast speed as well which was good. It was easy to transfer onto my computer and I burnt the recordings onto a cd easily as well. This product is great for interviews in quiet locations and probably for lectures but I would use it to try and transcribe anything. The other negitive feature is that you have to use the stop button to pause any playback. Everytime you hit play again it plays at the regular speed so you have to reset it to a different speed by hitting play again. The rewind and fast forward buttons are also touchy and if you don't hold them down properly, it will go back to the begining of the recording, which is why I set index markers after every twenty minutes or so. That way if you go all the way back you don't have to fast forward through like 40 or 50 minutes. All in all though I am happy with my purchase.

Like the title says. I purchased this recorder a while back, no longer have the cd. Now the only way to get it is to buy one for twenty dollars from their website. No way to retrieve my recordings.

This small recorder does a great job. It is easy to operate, and picks up conversations with good clarity. It's great for taking notes or recording conversations on speakerphone. It has four folders to store recordings in. I use #4 for personal stuff. While advancing through the folders the unit beeps once for folder 1, twice for folder 2 etc. The controls are easy to memorize and work without looking at unit. The battery seems to last quite a while. The battery level indicator on mine just came off of full after 6 weeks of occasional use. Nice product.

While it may not be professional quality sound, this digital recorder works well for my purposes - basic everyday recording. I like the amount of space it has and the simplicity in transferring files to the computer. I also like the fact that it consumes very little energy (I have been using the same battery for almost a year). Finally, it has a bunch of quality options that make it better than the most basic recorder. Recommended.