Olympus WS-320M 1 GB Digital Voice Recorder and Music Player by Olympus
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Digital camera reviews of Olympus WS-320M 1 GB Digital Voice Recorder and Music Player
Digital camera Review: Amazing little thing
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this item for my wife as she needed something like this at her office. The recording quality is superb, and the included goodies (MP3, WMA player), direct USB, 1GB space makes it a very attractive all-round package. I am thinking of getting one just for myself.
Digital camera Review: An Olympus WS-320m (1 gigabyte) recorder review
Summary: 5 Stars
This may be the best small recorder available, with high quality stereo and mono recording capabilities. This recorder could be used as a 2nd audio unit if you're shooting a documentary by just leaving it on all day in a shirt pocket of the film's subject, since it records about 8-10 hours with 1 AAA battery, and can hold 71 hours of High Quality recordings. Perhaps the Apple iPods won't offer a stereo mic option because they're afraid it would be used to record live music events; perhaps even worse of friends and groups that are not mass marketed; that would then be freely and legally traded. Well apparently this tiny Olympus can do a good job at high quality stereo recording, and you could still use it to play back tons of Windows Media Audio or MP3 songs.
For voice, information and notes I might just use the internal mics on this Olympus WS-320m recorder. I also recorded from a pair of my AKG studio mics CK93+SE300B with a BeachTek DXA-8 amp, which indeed recorded a full sound spectrum. However with such a pre-amp set the Olympus "Mic Sense" to "Dict" mode; but don't use "Conf" (high-sensitivity) mode or it will distort.
If you're recording speech with the internal mics of someone in a room then definitely do set the Mic Sense option to "Conf" for higher sensitivity. If you're recording from a telephone using the Olympus TP-7 mic, the clarity is best by setting Mic Sense to "Dict" to avoid distortion, since this external mic set-up is too sensitive; and naturally record in Mono HQ when there is only 1 mic involved, or when 1 mic is adequate for the job which may be typical. However recording in stereo HQ mode in an open room did sound a little better, even with the tiny internal mic separation.
The Olympus ME-15 lavaliere mic clearly provides a stronger signal and better recording than the internal mics, something I didn't expect; which is clearly shown on the recorders amplitude meter, which jumps from about 15% to over 50% with the Olympus tie clip mic. So for up-close high-quality recording set the recorder's sensitivity to low (or Dict mode) and if the speaker is always over a couple of feet away set it to high sensitivity (or Conf mode), and generally avoid the internal mics and stay in HQ mono. Also Sony makes a smaller clip-on lavalier mic ECM-C10 (about $27) and stereo mics ECM-719 (about $75), or ECM-MS907; however these have chords which may get in the way in some situations.
The Olympus External Stereo Microphone ME-51s ($60 list) may be a better alternative to using the internal mics altogether or the lavaliere, (it should produce a strong clear signal, as the specifications indicate). Further it doesn't have the problem of dealing with the lavelier's wire, which is generally unnecessary with such a small device.
If you plug in a Sennheiser ME-2 lavaliere (about $125) this recorder's quality does improve a little in the highs and crispness over the Olympus lavaliere ME-15 (about $25) which is also very good. However you may well have a tiny professional recording system with a Sennheiser mic. Both the Sennheiser and Olympus lavalieres produce about the same signal strength. I understand from Sennheiser that some Broadway shows may opt to use the MKE2-EW omni lavaliere (list $350) with their UHF transmitters, or the MEK104 or MEK105 for directionality; or if size isn't an issue the ME-66 + K6 shotgun microphone. However I gather that going beyond the ME-2 is getting into fairly subtle acoustic issues that few would ever notice.
Since the recorder is so miniature, a small cell phone case that has a belt loop provides plenty of space for the device, its external mic and extra batteries. (Home Depot, $5)
Are there any problems with this exceptionally useful recorder? Absolutely, and they're all related to the controls, and they're fairly problematic.
1) Is the battery low? I have absolutely no idea until I look and see that the recorder stopped working maybe an hour ago. The battery level indicator on the display does not work at all, and is too small anyway to be clearly visible.
2) Is the unit recording? Is it in pause? Is it stopped? Again I have no idea by looking at the display; so I tap the mics to see if the volume indicator changes; now that's really bizarre.
3) I press stop and set the unit down and 4 hours later I notice that it's still recording.
4) I slide the Hold switch up to pause recording and it won't get out of pause and so I have to remove the battery to get it out of pause, but then it wants the date and time reset. In all sympathy I do have to ask if the person who designed the controls is insane or a corporate sociopath who needs an agricultural job on a permanent basis? (Something I do with pleasure incidentally.)
5) The control problems are more fundamentally based on a relatively complete ignorance of how such devices are used. This is not just an Olympus problem it's unfortunately true of Sony, Panasonic, Canon, JVC, Samsung, etc. While there is real discipline on the hardware engineering side, unfortunately there is an oblivious quality of irresponsibility on the software/human factors side of most any product being made anywhere.
For example why would I ever need to look at a recorder to turn it on, to pause or stop? Consider that you have your little recorder in your pocket one day and unexpectedly somebody begins threatening your life, or sabotaging your company through lies, intimidation and slander. Why wouldn't you record such abusive or life threatening behavior being made by a thug? Even if it's against the law to document an assault, we also know that such evidence is regularly used in courts; where as we also know that the truth rarely gets a hearing, and justice is never the purpose. Now would I ask an assailant for a ? minute while I turn-on my recorder; which he will then be certain to take with him after the murder; or do I simply slide one switch all the way up, so that I am fairly certain that it's recording without ever looking at the recorder? Why is this such a complicated question for any company that makes all kinds of audio and video recorders, to even consider? It's like the designers have never used the devices they design, or are massively incompetent, and management absolutely doesn't care. Ok, what might such simple controls look like on a recorder?
1) A slide switch with 3 tactile and mechanically stable states: (bottom) off, (middle) pause, (top) record; [which is easy to control; that is not accidentally going from Record to Stop, when you meant Pause.]
2) The Stop-Pause-Record slide control needs to be at or near the top by the microphones for easy and immediate access, with the use of 1 finger.
3) Going to Record always starts recording, no matter what. Going to Pause always pauses the recording, and Stop always stops everything.
4) Going from Record to Pause then back to Record simply continues recording at the end of the same file.
5) Going from Record to Stop then back to Record starts recording in a new file.
6) If the recorder is left in pause for over 5 minutes, then the recorder goes into standby and touching any momentary switch will reactivate the unit, and if there is no action for over 24 hours then the unit automatically stops and shuts-down.
7) If the recorder is left in stop for over 1 minute, then the recorder goes into standby and touching any momentary switch will reactivate the unit, and if there is no action for over 24 hours then the unit automatically stops and shuts-down. (This is assuming that there is no battery drain in standby, otherwise standby would be for a much shorter period, and naturally how long it takes to go into standby could be user reprogrammable.)
8) The display needs a clear and meaningful visual battery level indicator for 4 or 5 states, depicting: Full, ?, Low, Very Low, Dead. Plus an indication in the manual that "?" really means 25% left and "Low" means 1 hour to go, etc. so everybody doesn't have to try to figure all of this out on their own by trial and error.
9) What state the recorder is actually in should be on the display, such as: REC for recording, PAUSE and STOP.
10) If the recorder could automatically select its sensitivity mode, DICT (low sensitivity) or CONF (high sensitivity), without loosing any dynamic range; that would be a really useful improvement.
11) A case for such a recorder would be useful in a light and a dark grey color so it wouldn't be visible through a shirt pocket, and so that the recording controls could be used without removing it from or opening the case, nor removing it from the pocket, nor ever creating any interference with the microphones, and very significantly made out of a fabric that bristles, creating considerable friction that does not allow the recorder to slip out of a shirt pocket when someone bends over to pick-up something.
12) When changing the AAA battery in the middle of recording I really don't have time to set the date and time. Couldn't the last time just be continued, or the clock be sustained with a capacitor, or AA batteries with double the capacity be used?
13) Incidentally all the other menu control features, the recorder's VU meter display, and the USB-2 drive interface are really excellent, and shouldn't be changed.
Yes this is a great machine and definitely worth buying with external mics (ME-51s and TP-7). Amazon is also very good, and Olympus for accessories. But it would certainly be helpful if Olympus could evaluate the control suggestions for the future; so I could buy their 32 GB audio/HD video MPEG-4 version, with a tiny plug-in, clip-on HD pickup head, in some upcoming release. Incidentally, less than 10% of the world's knowledge has ever been documented; such a tiny recorder could help preserve some very useful knowledge that would otherwise be lost forever.
Digital camera Review: Awesome recording solution
Summary: 5 Stars
Well Done Olympus!
Here's a great way to ensure you get important messages recorded without spending a fortune. I've used my Olympus 320M with the ME-15 mic at meetings without a sound system to record the speakers and easily transferred to CD and even put seamless tracks in with Nero's CD burning software.
I've also used it in group/conference table meetings where it's worked well too. I quickly bought another one to send with a missionary to Africa to record his Bible school teachings. It was easy to show him how to burn his own CD's for archive and even correspondence courses.
It's really small and light. The added mp3 playback feature and 1Gb memory and simple connection and data transferring system is just great.
Digital camera Review: Battle of the Digital Voice Recorders
Summary: 5 Stars
When it comes to buying a digital voice recorder, I like to try each one out and pick the best one. My primary use is for recording lectures. I initially purchased several Digital Voice Recorders. (3 from Olympus, 1 from Sony). Olympus wins hands down. (Tell Radioshack and CompUSA I'm sorry for returning... Purchasing for keeps Amazon has best price)
1. Background: When I first purchased the DS-2 the sound quality was better than the WS-100 and Sony's $150 DVM also. The DS-2 is able to record in Stereo HQ, Stereo SP, HQ, SP, LP. The only problem was that the DS-2 could only record a little over an hour when recording in Stereo. In HQ it would record 4hrs 25min, which was sufficient but meant I had to always transfer it to my computer when I got home. Reason this is important is because if I need to study, I'd like to have all the lectures on my player. Instead due to memory constraints, I have to download it to my computer and then put it on my iPod. Pain in the butt. The other benefit of the DS-2 is that it came with the Olympus DSS Player software, which allows you to mark indexes, edit, and noise filtration.
2. When the WS-320M came out I decided to try it out because it has much more memory so that I won't have to always be downloading and transferring to my iPod. The WS-320M also records in Stereo but the best sound is Stereo SP. (Note: Although the WS-320M packaging says Stereo HQ, the Olympus DSS Player software classified the recording as Stereo SP... so I will say Stereo SP for the WS-320M from here on.)
3. Comparing the Two: I compared both the DS-2 Stereo HQ vs the WS-320M Stereo SP. What I found was that the WS-320M's quality of recording was practically the same. It seemed to be clearer in terms of treble, while the DS-2 recorded more of a lower sound. I wanted to compare both at their highest level... but like I noted before the DS-2 does not have enough memory for me to utilize it's Stereo HQ. So I compared with the practical HQ mode... and the WS-320M's Stereo SP is clearer than the DS-2 HQ. Main difference I noticed - WS-320M records at a higher treble pitch than the DS-2. It's like adjusting the treble and bass on your car stereo. But they're both sound great. (Note: If I go to a weekend conference the DS-2 would not be able to record all the lectures unless I record at a lower level. The WS-320M would be able to handle everything in Stereo SP mode)
4. Battery: My DS-2 is a battery eater when I'm recording in HQ. I'd say I go through 2 AAA batteries every 2 weeks? I'm recording 2-3 times a week, each time about 3-4 hours. I haven't had extended time testing out the battery life of the WS-320M, but speaking to others who have the other WS-310M and WS-300M they say the battery life is good. Plus it takes only 1 AAA battery.
5. Conclusion: One thing that might not be fair is that I do have the Olympus DSS Player software, so if necessary I can get rid of the hiss noise. But I've never found it necessary to do that, since the sound is very clear on both the DS-2 and WS-320M. I think the size and convenience of the WS-320M outweighs getting the DS-2 or any of the other Olympus models. I'm really curious as to how much of a difference the other guy saw with his DM-20. Can't imagine the DS-2 or the WS-320M having that much of a difference in terms of their stereo microphones. I did note above the difference I heard in sound quality.
I still like my DS-2, but I say get the WS-320M.
The WS-320M is comparable in terms of recording sound quality.
But significantly better in terms of battery drainage, memory space, and size.
After about a month, I noticed another difference. In conference/classroom settings, although sound quality is comparable, the DS-2 recording is louder. Not a huge difference because you can always increase the volume of your speakers, but noteworthy since some may consider that same "louder" sound as "clearer". But it goes back to convenience factor of the WS-320.
Digital camera Review: Best Voice recorder in the market
Summary: 5 Stars
I had a Sony p210, and decided to change it. Ambience noise was too much and the quality of the the voice was somehow distorted.
The WS is a much better device, you can even tape a concert and obtain a very reasonable clarity.
Excellent product by Olympus