Olympus VN-480 Voice Recorder Review - Hearing it in Action
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By pressing and holding the menu/folder button you will be brought to the menu screen.
Your current selection flashes, which is why you don't see HQ.
Starting from the top your options include the ability to change the recording quality from High Quality (HQ), Standard Play (SP), and Long Play (LP), each with a slight degradation in quality respectively (check out the samples below). Though the quality worsens, the amount of memory taken is also lessoned. HQ only gives you 2hrs and 57mins, SP 4hrs 27mins, and LP a lengthy 8hrs and 13mins.
HQ
LP
SP
These samples merely show you the difference between quality settings. The sound is coming from my little monitor speakers, so it's already a little tinny.
Next you have microphone sensitivity, which can be set to either high or low. High records sounds in all directions, while low is more suitable for dictation. The manual says to always do a test recording first, which is pretty good advice since you don't want to end up with lot of background noise or no voices at all depending on what situation you're in.
Variable Control Voice Actuator (VCVA) is just a fancy name for voice activation. When this function is turned on and the record button is pushed once, it will only record when a substantial amount of audio can be heard. This can be handy in a classroom setting, for example. The instructor is speaking, but then turns and writes on the board for semi-long durations. With the VCVA turned on, instead of ending up with a lot of marker (or chalk) noises you'll be left with only the speaking. The Beep selection turns on/off the audible beep you'll hear whenever you press a button. Time allows you to set the current time of day.
The second option from the bottom, represented by a dot with a pair of parenthesis around it (the universal symbol for "alarm" apparently), allows you to set an alarm. When the appointed time is reached the recorder will emit a soft beep and the little LED will flash red for 5 minutes or until someone presses any of the buttons. When a button is pressed it will automatically play a selected recording. I'm not really sure when this would be of use, since the beep is hardly audible enough to get someone's attention--let alone loud enough to wake anybody up.
Finally, there is a timer feature which allows you to set up the VN-480 to start recording at an appointed time. It's a good feature, though the option to set a stop point would have been nice as well.
Next: Main Screen and Conclusion >>
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