There are many things to consider when choosing a digital recorder for your focus groups but perhaps the most important of all is ensuring that the digital recorder you choose can cope with a number of participants sitting in various positions in the room and that the recorder can reproduce crystal clear playback, so that your hard work and the work of the focus group participants is not “lost in translation”. So put simply, sound quality is of the utmost importance.

So how do you choose a recorder which meets the needs of focus groups? There are many digital recorder and microphone products out there on the market, but some of the better ones we have come across for this particular function are able to incorporate the important features of crystal clear playback and noise cancellation and voice filter functions for situations where there are many people in the room; for example, a focus group of 4-10 people sitting around a table, or a board meeting with numbers of people anywhere from 4 or 5 up to twelve people.

There are some digital recorders which can manage this number of people in these situations and give you quality sound reproduction.

Things to also consider when choosing the right digital recorder for this particular job are the priority of the functions on offer. For example, for this situation you will want a digital recorder which reproduces extremely high quality sound, but you might not need a digital recorder which also has many playback features. You might want to just hit the record button and let the session begin. In this scenario, playback features like intuitive one-thumb operation, ergonomic design and quick and responsive rewind/review are not as important.

Other features which you should consider include whether or not you need backup battery power, just in case the mains power isn’t available, and find out if your digital recorder comes with a power adapter – it would be a shame to turn up to your meeting or focus group without being able to power your recorder!

Also consider what format you are recording in. For example, one of the most popular and compatible formats in use today is .wma (Windows Media Audio) format, which is easily played back on any Windows or Mac computer. Other popular and easy-to-use audio file formats include .ds2, .dss, .mp3 and .wav, however we have found that .wma is the best format for recording in.

So, what’s out there that would suit a focus group scenario? Olympus produces a great product for this very purpose – the Olympus DM-3 Digital Recorder; and Philips produces the LFH0895 Voice Tracer Meeting Recorder, both of which make recording focus groups a breeze, with optimal sound reproduction.

So, key considerations are:
1. Superior sound quality – does the dictation recorder have superior audio quality such as noise cancellation and voice filter functions for crystal clear playback in a potentially noisy environment?
2. Recording format – does the dictation recorder record in an easily accessible and compatible audio format, like .wma or .mp3?
3. Battery life v’s mains power – does the dictation recorder give you flexibility in power sources and does the battery give you the highest amount of recording time that you need? Do you have a backup battery and a power adapter?

By taking these key points into consideration you will be well on the way to choosing the right digital recorder for your focus group needs.

Remember, the better the quality of your focus group or meeting recording, the better the quality of the meeting or focus group transcription.

Posted in Audio Recording Tips
2 Comments Posted by Cath