|
|
Apr
21
Written by:
host
4/21/2009 7:00 AM
 A digital voice recorder is a small device that allows you to capture and replay audio. Better quality devices add additional features, including file transfer to computer and compatibility with computer transcription software. After my laptop and my cell phone, my digital recorder is the tool I wouldn't want to live without. (Actually, I have two of them. My cell phone, like many cell phones, has a basic voice recorder built in, and I have it set up to be activated with the push of one button.)
The uses of such a device are numerous, once you get in the habit of using it (and then replaying your messages) regularly. Here are 10 ideas to start with...
- Memo to self. I make notes of books I come across at the bookstore, things teachers have asked me to do, lists for the grocery store, and lots more.
- Meeting notes. Not only is it handy to have an audio record of some meetings, the transcription capabilities of software such as Dragon NaturallySpeaking make it easy to create a searchable text file.
- Lectures, workshops, and conversations. In the past year, I used mine to record political speeches by presidential candidates, workshops at national conferences, and lectures by some of my favorite authors.
- Church "StorySavers" ministry. My own congregation will celebrate it's 100th anniversary soon, and we are beginning to organize an effort to collect congregational stories. Similar to the StoryCorps project, we hope to have people interview someone else in the congregation and will use digital recorders for this purpose.
- Background audio for videos. Sometimes, you come across some ambient sounds that are perfect for a church video. Audio from a good digital recorder can be edited into videos.
- Find out what that song is. Several applications have been developed recently for identifying songs on the radio with a mobile phone, such as Shazam and Nabbit. But if you don't have a web-enabled phone, you can identify clips of songs on a digital recorder using Tunatic.
- Share a class discussion with absent members. An audio of a class session can be easily saved to a church website or even sent by email.
- Record your singing, acting, or presentations. Hearing your own voice played back to you is unnerving at first, but it's a simple and quick way to learn lines, find out how often you say "um" while you're talking, and tell if your singing is pitch-perfect.
- Sermon aid. A pastor I know who loves to do sermons in character uses a digital recorder to significantly reduce his need for memorization. He records the entire sermon, then uses the costume and wig to hide the earpiece and recorder. As the sermon plays back, he repeats his text aloud.
- Audio journal. If you have a hard time putting pen to paper regularly (or fingers to keyboard using LiveJournal, WordPress, or another computer journaling program or website), an audio journal may be an easy way to think out loud.
~ Tim Gossett
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Get The Daily Voice in your inbox
Subscribe to The Daily Voice, our free weekly email.
|