The Olympus DS-2 Digital Voice Recorder. I know the topic of mics has been addressed in other threads, but I wanted to share my appreciation for this relatively inexpensive miracle.

This mic is FUN TO USE!
I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT! I LOOOOVE IT!!!!!!

The Olympus DS-2 has been awesome for doing podcasts on the road. It records in stereo, it's lightweight and durable, and it's extremely easy to use (among 100 other things). You can also plug in a basic Logitech Desk Mic ($10) or any other mic for that matter, and have a nearly-professional sound ON THE GO or at home. Whichever you prefer. And it runs on 2 AAA batteries.

See the reviews on amazon.
For around $100, this mic rocks!

Listen to a sample:
Our own podcast #5 was recorded with only the Olympus DS-2.
Our own podcast #6 was recorded with the Olympus DS-2 and a Logitech desk mic plugged in.

You be the judge.

Thanks!
- Jake

Sounds good to me!!
Pete
Bud-N-Byte.com

Just a follow-up to this thread. We're getting ready to record show# 18 and so far, The Olympus DS-2 has been awesome! No problems whatsoever.

We're now using a splitter to plug in 2 Logitech desk mics. We always record on location, and the sound is typically top-notch.

Thanks for the interest!
Rock on, and rock hard!
- Jake and Erin

i think steve dupont from teh obtuse angle uses this as well.

Wow! I checked the reviews on Amazon and it looks to be everything you say and more. And then I came across the <a href="Olympus WS-300M</a> which costs only $15 more and has 4 times the memory. I definitely need to get myself an audio recorder soon, but I'm leaning toward the WS-300M rather than the DS-2. Is there something I'm overlooking?

Oops! I screwed up the hyperlink:

Olympus WS-300M

I've now purchased and used the Olympus WS-300M audio recorder. It works quite well. I recorded a short segment with it set to HQ stereo on dictation mode and posted it to Sound Scribbles.

Nice sound. You say a headset mic set up. Do you know if it has a built in pre amp?

Did you have to boast the volume in post, or is that file just straight from the devise?

daryl

For that particular recording I just held the audio recorder up to my face and spoke into it. For all my previous work I've been using a USB headset. In both cases I use Audacity to boost the volume as far as it will go without clipping, and then I apply the compressor effect to balance the levels.

The Olympus WS-300M looks sweet! (Sounds great too.)

I'm still using the Olympus DS-2. I recently took it to NYC and recorded most of the show live on the streets with my brother. Check it out:

http://media.libsyn.com/media/jakespage/ctl-26.mp3


The only real hassle with the Olympus DS-2 is that it records in WMA audio. It's not that big of a deal to convert the audio, but if there were a product that recorded diretcly in MP3 format, and had similar features, it would be AWESOME!!!

Keep rockin!
- Jake

I use the DS-2 for my podcasts. No mixer. Nothing but the recorder with a mic plugged in. It's an awesome recorder. The only thing I wish it had was a true mic level slider. That's a fairly major annoyance.