Using a Pocket Audio Recorder with Linux? 30
"The Olympus series of digital voice recorders seem to be the most popular hardware in this category, and they're cheap, but they write files in a proprietary DSS ("Digital Speech Standard") format that can't be converted under Linux. It looks like people have been wondering about this format for years, but as of today it remains inaccessible for free software users.
Solutions I've come up with are (1) to get a pocket MP3 player that can also record, like the MPIO DMG MP3 Player (expensive for my task, though, at $200); and (2) the handheld multi-track recorder, the Korg PXR-4. An ideal setup would have a headphone or speaker jack for playback, and a mic/line input so that it could be used to make digital recordings from another hardware source (like TV or radio), and used with special microphones like a parabolic mike."
MP3 player (Score:3, Informative)
Re:MP3 player (Score:1)
Yes, the iRiver iFP-180T [iriveramerica.com] can be used as an mp3 player, AM/FM radio, dictation device or USB drive. The 128MB version costs roughly $100US, there are 256 and 512 MB players available. No removable memory though.
Samsung has a similar line: Yepp YP-55I (192MB) [samsung.ca] or a 256MB model, Yepp YP-55V [samsung.ca].
For Smart Media support check out the Yepp YP-700H/XAC [samsung.ca].
That's a ted more expensive but hey, you might as well indulge yourself this Christmas! *:o)
If you were using Windows... (Score:2)
However, Microsoft did not get everything right. *grr* They use a com
Re:If you were using Windows... (Score:2)
Re:If you were using Windows... (Score:1)
then why did you suggest it? really...
Re:If you were using Windows... (Score:2)
So he could consider finding a PDA that does all that for him?
OpenZaurus (Score:2)
What many people forget is that the Zaurus is a computer, you can do anything on it that you could on a desktop with similar resources. You could even oggenc
Archos... (Score:4, Informative)
It is a little pricey ($175-$220US on eBay), but with everything else it does - MP3 recording and playback, text file viewing, bookmarking, and a host of others, it's well worth it. You can also get 10GB models for a little less.
The filesystem is FAT32 and it connects seamlessly to most OSs which have USB support. Most of the Rockbox team develops on Linux.
So while it may be a little more than you wanted to spend, it's a worthwhile investment!
Mattcelt
The industry standard... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:The industry standard... (Score:1)
Re:The industry standard... (Score:1)
3. Assuming you have a decent sound card and respectable software, that's not a problem.
Also keep in mind that the microcassette has the nice features of a built-in mic and speaker. And that built-in mic picks up a lot of motor noise.
It may seem like just plugging in external accessories for these functions isn't a big deal, in practice it might make it so you don't want to use the thing.
Have you ever been interviewed -- or seen some interviewed -- for a radio br
Re:The industry standard... (Score:2)
The link between all Sony-licensed MiniDisc players and computers (USB, usually) can only be used to transfer audio from the computer to the MiniDisc, not the other way around.
Why? Who knows.
Re:The industry standard... (Score:2)
Re:The industry standard... (Score:1)
Re:The industry standard... (Score:1)
I don't even OWN any MiniDisc stuff (I abstain from Sony shite except when necessary) and I can answer that question:
Minidisc SPDIF out ----> SB Live! Value (about $40) SPDIF in
Yes, SCMS will only let you make one SPDIF/TOSLink copy. Too bad that the copyright tag in
Re:The industry standard... (Score:2)
Re:The industry standard... (Score:1)
Run that by me again...
I do think you are mistaken [minidisc.org]. Look closely at the diagram.
Re:The industry standard... (Score:1)
Re:The industry standard... (Score:1)
Maybe not, but if you're planning to invest in proprietary and overpriced equipment, one should expect to have to pay large amounts of cash to complete the solution.
If you go with the Korg, (Score:3, Funny)
Stick it (Score:4, Insightful)
Second, just because an MP3 device happens to have a record function and a cheap built-in mic, doesn't mean it's a decent voice recorder. How good is the encoding firmware? What's the sampling rate? Is the mic a decent one that won't break down, or just some piece of crap they threw in to make the product more marketable?
As for Linux compatibility: Sony makes a couple of voice recorders that record to a memory stick. If you have a memory stick reader supported by Linux (there are several), you can mount the stick as a VFAT disk, and access the individual voice files directly. But that still leaves you with the problem of decoding Sony's proprietary LPEC format.
I'm not sure you can avoid the proprietary format problem, not if you want decent recording quality. Now, getting proprietary-format voice files into a standard format is a pain even under Windows. The problem is that vendors seem to like to embed the conversion software in the device driver -- which never seems to have been fully tested on all likely system configurations.
But in Sony devices, the conversion is embedded in a user-level playback program, which doesn't have all the low-level dependencies of a device driver. Possibly that program will run under Wine.
Neuros (Score:2, Informative)
The Neuros [neurosaudio.com] is currently deeply discounted in preparation for the newer models coming out...
The 128MB unit is going for $150, the 20GB model is on sale for $200 and the combo bundle (128MB/20GB, etc.) is currently only $230.
I bought my combo set for $343, and that was after both a $50 sale discount & a $25 Linux user's discount.
I don't mean to sound like a salesman, but this is a great deal!
Sharp Zaurus or Archos (Score:3, Informative)
A Sharp Zaurus will also do it, recording to a CF or MMC card.
I've got both a Zaurus and An Archos, and will mention that the Zaurus internal microphone may not be superior to the Archos internal microphone, but the Archos internal will pick up the (intermittant) sounds of the hard drive spinning.
The Zaurus, of course, uses a Linux file system; the Archos with Rocbox a FAT32 filesystem. The Archos records to mp3; I've forgotten what the Zaurus records to. Both allow you to trade audio quality for file size, however.
The Zaurus allows one-touch recording in its defualt out-of-the-box configuration, which can be handy if you plan on surreptitious or spur-of-the-moment recording. However, it's also very easy to inadvertantly record, and find you've used up most of your RAM-disk doing so.
Also, like Mattcelt, I'm (pereferally) on the Rockbox team (or at least mentioned in the credits).
Re:Sharp Zaurus or Archos (Score:2)
Look into a PDA... (Score:3, Informative)
Palm
A PalmOS PDA would probably be the best option from a number of standpoints (e.g., it just works usually), but I don't know how hard it would be to find an app that would record to a format you could get at easily from your desktop. I know that a Palm device will leave an SD card in the usual FAT-based format that you buy them in, which would be readable by Linux. However, even if you tell the app to record to the SD card (rather than internal memory), I imagine it'll be in a Palm database rather than a flat mp3 or ogg file.
Zaurus
I'm sure a couple folks are plugging the Zaurus, because it runs Linux. All of the Linux Zaurus models do have a SD card slot, but only one of them- the SL-5600- has a built-in mic, which is pretty crappy. The SL-5600 is pretty expensive, going for $450-500 depending on where you get it. Quite a bit more than a PDA with similar hardware and capabilities should cost. The Linux Tax, I guess. If you're willing to have a potentially fragile microphone hanging out of the dual mic/headphone jack, you could always use [rundel-d.com] a hack. [zymurgy.net] That way, you could get one of the cheaper SL-5500 models- up to $300 cheaper than the SL-5600 for a machine that is about as good. E.g., the CPU in the 5600 is 400 MHz, but only a very, very wee bit faster (if at all) than the 206 MHz CPU in the 5500. (think of a 100 MHz 486 vs 100 MHz Pentium)
The built-in software records as WAV files, but since it runs Linux, I'm sure you could port an mp3 recorder if you're willing to invest the time in writing code for a Qtopia GUI, or some other kind of interface that doesn't require you to type something to record a note.
WinCE/PocketPC
The third real option is a PocketPC device. A lot of Linux weenies are too bigoted to consider it, but if you're just looking for a solution to your problem you shouldn't overlook it.
One I'd reccomend is the Dell Axim X5 Basic, which can be had for around $200. Specs like you'd expect- 300 MHz CPU, 32 MB RAM (being increased in a new model, not sure if its out yet), and dual SD and CF slots. Since it writes to the regular FAT filesystem that comes on SD and CF cards, it's just as easily read on your Linux box. There are a couple software options for recording mp3s, and a million for recording WAV files.
Digital Recording, Analog Transfer? (Score:2)
Consider picking the device based on its stand-alone features, then upload the recording via the line-in on your sound card.
Of course this won't work if time is an issue, but maybe it would be workable for you to just hit play and go to bed.
Anyway, once you do that you can use a sensible, open codec like Speex [speex.org].
-Peter
Zaurus with tkcVox from theKompany (Score:1)
Diva (Score:2)
It works with compact flash cards. It stores about 10MB of voice per hour. It runs about 10 hours on one AA battery, which is enough for most interviews
More About the DSS Format (Score:2, Informative)
I've been meaning to visit my local university's library to resolve this, but since this Ask Slashdot has come up I might as well tell others what I have figured out so far.
Digital Speech Standard (DSS) is not necessarily proprietary in the sense that you or I cannot lay our hands on it. It might not be open source, but it can possibly be available for licensing from the International Voice Association (IVA) on terms that might be practically useful (see below for more on this). IVA is a joint venture betw