Recording lectures

elona

I am looking for a multi directional microphone that can be used with a Sony mini disk player for my daughter.

Also looking for a good source of mini disks.

Can anyone advise me please?

Midas

elona wrote:

I am looking for a multi directional microphone that can be used with a Sony mini disk player for my daughter.

Also looking for a good source of mini disks.

Can anyone advise me please?

Make sure she has the permission of the lecturer before making a recording - many do not like their lectures to be recorded.

humphreys8

I have used a sony microphone with a sony minidisc for the same purpose. The one I bought was a little flat one which I think was designed to sort of clip on to a tie or something, anyway it did the job from the back of the lecture theatre place on the desk! it also needed a battery to power it. I bought it 2-3 years ago from comet, i think it was about £10

zodiac

Midas wrote:

Make sure she has the permission of the lecturer before making a recording - many do not like their lectures to be recorded.

She might have to ask the whole class as well, I needed to record my lessons in high school to help me at home. One boy went ape sh*t over it telling me that he was going to get his father to come down to complain and get a lawyer to stop it with a court order if I didn't stop recording. It wasn't like I was mucking around with it or using it for any other use apart from helping me with class/home work.

He was a little s*it tho who spent most of his time builying me. But neadless to say I wasn't allowed to use it in class because of one person. (The school didn't want the "hassle")

lellie

you shouldn't have to ask the class as at a lecture generally no one is going to speak other than the lecturer..

I'm planning on recording mine this year.. I've seen plenty of people using dictaphones in my lectures previously.

You can get mics from maplins - they sometimes have good offers - or ebay for minidisc mic - you'll find hundreds all very cheap. any mic will do the job in lectures - it's only voice you're recording and it shouldn't be loud - not like you're trying to record a band or something..

pavlovs_dog

i know that a lot of mp3 players also have recording facilities, its something i'll be looking into a bit more when the next loan installment comes through

Savvy_Sue

You might get help with equipment through the university if you need to do this because of your special needs.

toastinbowl

Hi there,
I record my lectures and would advise you check that the Minidisc has a "Mic IN" port. Using "Line IN" will result in very very quiet sound unless you use an amplified mic (which would almost certainly need an AC power outlet).

I had to trade my old Line-IN only model for a Mic and Line in one. Two seperate ports and the Mic one has a little red ring around it.

I bought a great mic from Maplin - I can't remember the name but I'll check it at home tonight. It had a two modes (controlled by a simple switch) - directional, where it records only the sound infront of it, and omnidirectional where it records everything around it but has a lower range. It was only about £10 and I think they still sell them.

As for discs, check Comet, Currys and Dixons. They have all sold these packs of 10 multicoloured discs for £7 a pack. They come with a stack of labels and a little plastic box (although the discs are individually wrapped and have their own cases). Again I'll check the brand when I get home but I can say they are very durable and are 80mins ones, not 74!

With regards to the legality of recording lectures - I am dyslexic and dysgraphic so I can't take large volumes of notes in quickly. For that reason, no lecturer is allowed to prevent me from recording as it would be discrimination. I asked that same question when I first found out I was dyslexic (a year into my university studies) and that's the answer the disabilities office at my University gave me. I assume it's some legal thing and not just a uni policy!

If she's just buying a minidisc or is upgrading, go for HiMD! I got one last year and they are really good for recording. To move file from your PC you're stuck with Sony's rubbish software but you can transfer recorded content back to the PC. The HiMD discs are 1GB (As opposed to 300MB like regular ones) so hold much more music. Also they use better compression so 2 or 3 discs should do a whole year of lectures! They have recently fallen in price too.

She should also check if the lecturers record them. In our business school we have some state of the are lectures with telecasting and such - some of the lecturers record the lectures to CD to save students the hassle!

Hope that was helpful
Oh and a brief intro - My name is David and I'm a computer networking student studying at RGU in Aberdeen. I've read the forum for a while but just got around to posting

Dave

BWZN93

lellie wrote:

you shouldn't have to ask the class as at a lecture generally no one is going to speak other than the lecturer..

It is worth asking though, as some lecturers will ask you not to put it in front of them as it puts them off (my Lovely Banking Law tutor - I love her!!) so they may want you to keep it on your desk - getting a stronger mic would be useful, just in case!

JO xx

BWZN93

Hello Dave!!

You should post more often - you seem to know your stuff!

Jo xx

toastinbowl wrote:

Hi there,
I record my lectures and would advise you check that the Minidisc has a "Mic IN" port. Using "Line IN" will result in very very quiet sound unless you use an amplified mic (which would almost certainly need an AC power outlet).

I had to trade my old Line-IN only model for a Mic and Line in one. Two seperate ports and the Mic one has a little red ring around it.

I bought a great mic from Maplin - I can't remember the name but I'll check it at home tonight. It had a two modes (controlled by a simple switch) - directional, where it records only the sound infront of it, and omnidirectional where it records everything around it but has a lower range. It was only about £10 and I think they still sell them.

As for discs, check Comet, Currys and Dixons. They have all sold these packs of 10 multicoloured discs for £7 a pack. They come with a stack of labels and a little plastic box (although the discs are individually wrapped and have their own cases). Again I'll check the brand when I get home but I can say they are very durable and are 80mins ones, not 74!

With regards to the legality of recording lectures - I am dyslexic and dysgraphic so I can't take large volumes of notes in quickly. For that reason, no lecturer is allowed to prevent me from recording as it would be discrimination. I asked that same question when I first found out I was dyslexic (a year into my university studies) and that's the answer the disabilities office at my University gave me. I assume it's some legal thing and not just a uni policy!

If she's just buying a minidisc or is upgrading, go for HiMD! I got one last year and they are really good for recording. To move file from your PC you're stuck with Sony's rubbish software but you can transfer recorded content back to the PC. The HiMD discs are 1GB (As opposed to 300MB like regular ones) so hold much more music. Also they use better compression so 2 or 3 discs should do a whole year of lectures! They have recently fallen in price too.

She should also check if the lecturers record them. In our business school we have some state of the are lectures with telecasting and such - some of the lecturers record the lectures to CD to save students the hassle!

Hope that was helpful
Oh and a brief intro - My name is David and I'm a computer networking student studying at RGU in Aberdeen. I've read the forum for a while but just got around to posting

Dave

toastinbowl

Yeah I do intend to - I've been reading for a while and always find something useful here! About time I help out too

The microphone I've been using (again, I'll check the brand tonight) works from the back of any lecture theatre if it's on uni-directional mode, recording what it's aimed at.

If you've never recorded a lecture before (anyone here), I would suggest recording guest lectures and industry speakers. They tend to cram 2 hour lectures into 45mins and it's usually stuff you'll be writing a report on or referencing in an essay or dissertation! I recorded a week of industry lectures on one minidisc and it's been a handy reference tool ever since!

Thanks for the warm welcome, btw

David :beer: