By Glenn Reynolds ofInstaPundit.com .
I have a chapter on podcasting and the corresponding in my just - about - to - seem book , An Army of Davids , which is about how engineering is empowering ordinary people to do things that only big governing body could do in the past . That phenomenon is n’t news to Gizmodo readers , but write about podcasting produce me totry it , and while I do lots of interviews over the headphone ( using a not bad phoneinterface boxthat connect the telephone billet to my social ) , that also got me looking for a portable peter that would be desirable for interview people out in the real world .
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=gizmodo08c-20
There are a lot of expensive professional tools for digital transcription , but they seemed too bulky ( and expensive ! ) for my purposes . So I decided to buy theOlympus DM20,which has a street price of $ 199 , plus another fifty long horse for the plug - in stereo microphone , and give it a try . I ’ve tested it out memorialise my classes , where it does a good task of capturing my articulation as I move around the room , and an adequate Book of Job of capturing student motion even from the back row . I also tested it out in a crowded rule exhibit hall ( you’re able to listen to the whole set of interviewshere — curlicue past the part where Bill Frist talks about avian flu — or you’re able to hearthis 20 - second excerptof Ana Marie Cox talking with crowd disturbance in the background . Her vocalization come through very nicely . )
Glenn ’s final verdict after the jumping .
Overall , I ’m quite impressed . The DM-20 fit in a shirt - sack ( even with the stereo mike attached , it can rest on top of a CD jewel box and not stick out at either goal ) , gives hours of recording time even at its highest quality stage setting , and gets decent barrage fire life using easy - to - detect AAA electric battery rather than some proprietary rechargeable frame-up . It also supports drag - and - drop Indian file transfer via USB , which is a huge advantage over tape- or mini - disc ground recording machine .
I ’m certain that the professional puppet that cost four or five times as much are better , but they ’re usually less ready to hand , and their expense not only makes them , well , expensive , but also might make you less uncoerced to take them with you some post . I would n’t advocate the DM-20 for bootlegging concert — it ’s a “ voice fipple flute ” after all — but for on - the - tent flap consultation for podcasting or even beam , I recall it ’s very good , specially at the price .
Olympus DM-20 for $ 199
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