POCKET SOUND RECORDER MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

POCKET SOUND RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

On-the-go is a synonymous phrase with our world as a whole and anything that isn’t convenient is written off as inefficient. If you’re looking for the best portable audio and music recorders, we drank a bunch of coffee and read as many reviews as we could to search high and low for the best of the best. POCKET SOUND RECORDER MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

POCKET SOUND RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

There are quite a few variations of models out there to check out. I like to film most concerts and live shows I go to and my video camera audio typically isn’t feasible (even my DSLR), so I like to bring a portable audio recorder with me to capture a higher quality music track with. I then go into my video software editor and sync up the tracks and boom, a beautiful moment of some of my favorite groups are stored away forever!. POCKET SOUND RECORDER MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

WHAT IS A POCKET SOUND RECORDER?

A pocket audio recorder is a pocket device that’s meant for on-the-go or handheld recording of audio of any kind — music, rehearsals, interviews, conversations, live shows, thoughts — you name it, you can record it. As opposed to traditional voice recorders, portable audio recorders offer some better audio quality (semi-pro and even professionals at times use these), more advanced types of microphone builds, additional features, extra memory space, and much more.

In our best multitrack recorders guide, we learned there are numerous types of recorders out there in the music and recording equipment world. But what about some pocket, convenient solutions for those who are on-the-go or travel frequently? In terms of portability, the models focused on in this article are great for recPOCKET SOUND RECORDER MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLESording merely anything you may think of while you’re roaming the world, in the field or even around the house.

POCKET SOUND RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

We know some who use their portable audio recorders for band rehearsals to listen over later as well as when they have some music ideas and they shamelessly hum it into the mic for some future reference. No shame here — you never know when that golden tune is going to come to you! I’ve even used it to record some thoughts I needed to get out or practice talking to my boss for a raise (no joke — practice makes perfect, right?). Even though there are some voice recording apps out there in the world, nothing beats a higher-quality portable audio recorder. POCKET SOUND RECORDER MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR POCKET SOUND RECORDER?

It’s a bit straight forward for picking the best portable recorder and when it comes to your needs it is dependent on a few factors that are subjective depending on the person. Some recorders out there may have jam-packed features that might be a bit overkill for you — maybe you’re just looking for a simple device to record audio with no pizzazz? Or maybe some of you are looking for some XLR inputs, filters, or noise cancellation technologies that are only available in higher models? Here’s the list to take into consideration when shopping.

Your budget – Some of these are relatively affordable, although if you want some of the best, they usually run between $100 to $200.

POCKET SOUND RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

How many tracks? Some record one, two or up to four tracks at a time. If you’re recording just a voice or one large piece of audio, don’t worry too much about having a bunch of channels — it’ll be a waste of money for you if you don’t intend on using the other channels.

What is your intended use? Are you recording some sound FX out in the field to use for songs, interviews, or films later on? You may want to focus on resolution. What about just simple voice memos, band rehearsals, or other uses that don’t necessarily call for tip-top quality? This can allow you to sacrifice some of the price to save some money. Are you interviewing individuals for a documentary or informational purposes and need to use the audio in post-production after finalizing the video? How about just an interview to write down later? Catch out drift here — “the best” won’t necessarily mean super high-priced depending on your use.

How much memory? This is pretty straight forward — some accept microSD and SDHC cards while others do not. Pay attention to how much memory the recorder you’re looking at can support inside of the recorder as it’s important to keep in mind how much audio you can store on your device at a time. If yours supports external memory, most are fine with any size of a microSD card, although others have some large internal memory capacities which is quite convenient as well.

Extra features you’re looking for – Many of these are surprisingly powerful considering their overall size. LCD screens, filters, effects, playback in slow-mo, etc. Who knows, maybe you want it all? Or perhaps you just want to record some simple audio with features that increase the price drastically?

POCKET SOUND RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

An internal or external mic? There are benefits to both and some models (mostly zoom) come with interchangeable mic configurations that can be detached at the top. Others are merely built-in so you don’t have to worry about the extra pieces. There are benefits to both, and the more advanced you are in your use, the more concerned you’ll be with having some ability to tweak the mic configs.

Accessories needed – Carrying bags, popper stoppers, tripods, or windscreens. Some only use a tripod/mount with theirs, but the others may be useful to you as well. Some of the models we list come in bundles around the net and we’ll provide if we found any to help save some cash.

THE BEST POCKET SOUND RECORDER MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

After doing 52 hours of research and testing sound recorders over the past two years (adding four recent models for this update) in real-world settings—a college classroom, a noisy coffee shop, and a quiet office—we’ve determined that the best audio recorder for most people interested in capturing meetings, lectures, dictation, and in-person interviews is the Sony UX560. POCKET SOUND RECORDER MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

It recorded the most intelligible audio of all the recorders we tested and offers the most useful collection of features: It’s rechargeable via USB; it has a legible, backlit screen; and its menu system is the easiest to navigate. POCKET SOUND RECORDER MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

POCKET SOUND RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

The sony ux560 sitting on top of the sony icd px470, demonstrating their sizes.

The UX560 is half as thick as the PX470, making it easy to fit in a shirt or pants pocket.

Like all of the recorders we tested, the UX560 also comes with a strap loop if you want to add a wrist strap or lanyard; you’ll need to provide your own, though it’s easy enough to find an inexpensive option.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

The screen on the UX560’s fades and eventually shuts off during recording, which is a little disconcerting, but an LED indicates that you’re still recording. This recorder also lacks a convenient erase button, so you’ll need to navigate through its menu to delete recordings.

Runner-up: Olympus WS-853 Voice Activated Tape Recorders

A hand holding the olympus WS-853 voice recorder.

Runner-up

POCKET SOUND RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

Olympus WS-853

Olympus WS-853

More storage and longer battery life, lower-quality audio

Although its audio quality isn’t as good as our main pick’s, the Olympus WS-853 has more internal storage and longer battery life.

$70 from Office Depot Deal

If you can’t find the Sony UX560, or its price increases dramatically, we also like the Olympus WS-853 for its superior combination of storage space and battery life, each of which was better than with everything else we tested. The Olympus didn’t do as well as the UX560 in our listening tests, ranking lowest overall for audio quality by our panel, though its recordings are still understandable and it scored well on the lecture test, tying with the UX560.

A close up of the olympus WS-853 interface showing the internal memory storage.

With 8 GB of internal storage, the Olympus has the most memory of the recorders we tested.

The Olympus has one of the largest screens of the models tested, larger than that of our main pick. The larger screen makes the menus slightly easier to see in daylight, but the Olympus’s screen isn’t backlit, making it harder to use in low-light settings.

POCKET SOUND RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

As with the Sony UX560, a pop-out USB 3.0 plug lets you easily upload files to a computer and recharge the two replaceable AAA batteries, which takes about 3 hours. The Olympus doesn’t have quite as many high-quality recording options as the UX560, but it still has a range of formats that let you optimize quality or maximize storage space.

It also has a low-cut filter to reduce excess low-end rumble. Although the Olympus doesn’t have a scene setting aimed at recording music like our main pick, it has presets that tailor recording settings for dictation, meetings, conferences, and telephone recordings. Like the UX560, the Olympus has a voice-activated recording setting to automatically stop and start recordings based on volume levels so you don’t have to manually pause if you’re recording a lecture or conversation with lots of breaks.

While playing back audio, the WS853 can compensate somewhat for problems you might have run into while recording: a noise-cancellation setting can reduce overall background hiss (though this comes at the expense of battery life), while a voice balancer setting can even out recordings that were made with the mic sensitivity set too low or high by compressing the overall level for a more even sound (though you might run into increased noise). POCKET SOUND RECORDER MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

The olympus WS853 voice activated tape recorder next to its black case. POCKET SOUND RECORDER MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

A neoprene case protects the Olympus from bumps and scratches. POCKET SOUND RECORDER MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

The Olympus is made of shiny plastic and has raised buttons that some people will find easier to use. It’s the only recorder we tested to come with a case—a neoprene sleeve—which is useful for protecting the recorder during storage.

POCKET SOUND RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

Budget pick: Sony ICD-PX470

A hand holding the Sony ICD-PX470 voice activated tape recorder.

Budget pick

Sony ICD-PX470

Sony ICD-PX470

If you mainly record in quiet environments

The PX470 is a bit bulkier than our main pick, and its audio quality isn’t as good, but it has a similar layout and navigation system. It does best in quiet settings with minimal background noise.

$80* from B&H deal

*At the time of publishing, the price was $60 deal.

If you mainly record voice activated memos in your office, or interviews in quiet rooms, you can save some money by choosing the Sony ICD-PX470. While our panel ranked the Sony PX470 lower than the UX560 in overall audio quality, the PX470 did get the highest scores for our interview recorded in a quiet office. It rated poorly in the lecture test, however, as listeners said that background and foreground noises overpowered the speaker’s voice activated tape recordwers.

POCKET SOUND RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

Pull Quote

If you mainly record voice memos in your office, or interviews in quiet rooms, you can save some money by choosing the Sony ICD-PX470.

The PX470’s menu system is similar to that of the UX560 and has an identical button layout. The screen, however, is pocket, dimmer, and harder to read than the UX560’s. The PX470 is also slightly larger and bulkier—while the UX560 is about the thickness of an iPhone, the PX470 is closer to the thickness of two iPhones.

At that size, it’s not as convenient to carry around in a pocket. However, with its larger overall size it may be better for people who have trouble using pocket devices like the UX560 and the Olympus. The PX470 doesn’t look as sleek as the UX560 (as you might expect for a cheaper model).

The PX470 has a battery life of 55 hours, which is longer than that of our main pick, but it doesn’t have a built-in rechargeable battery; it uses AAA batteries. It has 4 GB of storage with a microSD slot if you want to add memory—similar to what you get with our top pick, but less than what you get with our runner-up. It also has a built-in USB 3.0 plug for easy file upload.

Best for iPhone

Voice Memos is included free with every iOS device, is ad-free, produces high-quality recordings, and is super simple to use.

Buy from Apple Deal Voice Activated Tape Recorders Miami Beach Coral Gables

POCKET SOUND RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

The best voice-recording iOS app for most people—provided your recording environment is relatively quiet—is the one that comes free with your iPhone: Voice Memos. It’s one of the simplest ways to start and stop recording, it’s easy to quickly share your audio files, and it doesn’t include annoying ads like many free apps. Our listening panel thought the voice recordings it captured in lecture and office recordings were understandable, although the app doesn’t do as well in very noisy environments.

Voice Memos lets you easily trim recordings (left) by tapping the Trim button and then holding and dragging markers to specific locations; the app lists recordings (middle) in a simple list. The third-party Voice Recorder app (right) displays recordings as icons and has annoying ads.

Like all the iOS apps we considered, you can easily share recordings made using Voice Memos via email, iMessage, Slack, Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud, or any other app or service that integrates with iOS’s Share Sheet. The paid version of Voice Recorder offers a few more cloud storage options, like uploading straight to an FTP or using WebDAV protocols, but we don’t think most people need these features.

Voice Memos displays your recordings in a list; they can’t be organized into folders. While this is slightly frustrating, it’s fairly standard for recorder apps—even the priciest app we tested, Just Press Record, won’t let you rename and organize folders. Recordings are still easy to see and find in Voice Memos’s list (easier than in Voice Recorder’s icon grid), and you can label and name files. Voice Memos doesn’t offer any recording options: You can’t change sample or bit rate or file format.

¿WHERE TO FIND POCKET SOUND RECORDERS IN MIAMI BEACH?

POCKET SOUND RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

Miami is a major port city on the Atlantic coast of south Florida in the southeastern United States. As the seat of Miami-Dade County, the municipality is the principal, central, and the most populous city of the Miami metropolitan area and part of the second-most populous metropolis in the southeastern United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Miami’s metro area is the eighth-most populous and fourth-largest urban area in the U.S., with a population of around 5.5 million. POCKET SOUND RECORDER MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

Miami is a major center, and a leader in finance, commerce, culture, media, entertainment, the arts, and international trade. In 2012, Miami was classified as an Alpha−World City in the World Cities Study Group’s inventory. POCKET SOUND RECORDER MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

In 2010, Miami ranked seventh in the United States and 33rd among global cities in terms of business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural experience, and political engagement. In 2008, Forbes magazine ranked Miami “America’s Cleanest City”, for its year-round good air quality, vast green spaces, clean drinking water, clean streets, and citywide recycling programs.

According to a 2009 UBS study of 73 world cities, Miami was ranked as the richest city in the United States, and the world’s seventh-richest city in terms of purchasing power. Miami is nicknamed the “Capital of Latin America” and is the largest city with a Cuban-American plurality.

POCKET SOUND RECORDERS MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

Miami has the third tallest skyline in the U.S. with over 300 high-rises. Downtown Miami is home to the largest concentration of international banks in the United States, and many large national and international companies.

¿WHERE TO FIND POCKET SOUND RECORDERS IN CORAL GABLES?

 Coral Gables, officially the City of Coral Gables, is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, located southwest of Downtown Miami. The United States Census Bureau estimates conducted in 2013 yielded the city had a population of 49,631. Coral Gables is home to the University of Miami. POCKET SOUND RECORDER MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

Today, Coral Gables remains one of Miami’s most sought-after destinations. It’s home to the first art museum in South Florida, along with Venetian Pool, Actors’ Playhouse, and the iconic Biltmore Hotel. The city also boasts the flagship of South Florida’s beloved bookseller, Books & Books, which features hundreds of author events throughout the year. As for dining, hundreds of eateries offer a range of cuisine and experiences, from fine dining to New American and fast-casual. POCKET SOUND RECORDER MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES

Also Coral Gables, is a quiet, lovely neighborhood of Mediterranean Revival homes that was originally developed by George Merrick in 1925. Merrick also established a very luxurious hotel – The Biltmore – in the area. The streets, largely residential, are adorned with classy fountains, such as De Soto Boulevard’s Venetian fountain. POCKET SOUND RECORDER MIAMI BEACH CORAL GABLES