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This is the excellent dictation product needed for digital dictation product called Express Dictate.jimbo
Prompt shipping, great product.did work with my Mac right out of the box. Sensitive mic great even in public settings.
Only thing is that I always used a compact external microphone to really take advantage of the sound quality.The only problem is the price. I got it a few years ago and was fine for then. If I was shopping today, I would get the DS-30 instead.I just think it doesn't fit any market. This is a fantastic unit -- easy to use, exceptional quality and records for more hours than you will ever need. Plus it is small and light. You will not regret if you buy it, but I would advise either the higher end Olympuses for more quality or lower end Sony for lower price.
This was easily fixed by going to File > Properties and unchecking the 'Read Only' box. Otherwise, your recorder with say that it has zero files, but somehow, the memory is full, and you won't be able to record. If I tried to erase too much of a segment, the software would crash, and when I reopened it, the file became read-only (locked). On Mac OS X Leopard, the software had no trouble reading and editing.WMA format. However, the folder is not visible on the Mac interface (it might be, but I don't know how to find it). I use Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.4 and downloaded the software directly from the Olympus website: http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/software_results.asp.id=1153&os=mThe only trouble I had with the software was that it did not recognize the digital recorder. Make sure you make all of your edits before converting.
I can carry it anywhere, and during meetings or classes, people barely know that I have it, or they mistake it as a cell phone. My computer, however, recognized it just fine as an external hard drive, and all I had to do was import files into the software. I am very happy with this purchase.Addendum 8/22/08With closer inspection, I found that although this recorder is very nice, it can improve in a couple of minor areas (bringing my rating to 4 stars). Bigger is always better.For these reasons, I'm bringing my rating down to 4 stars.
However, this recorder is still very excellent, and I still would have purchased it if I already knew all of the things I mentioned (except I might have gotten the DS-20 rather than the DS-2). The only differences between this refurbished version and a brand new one are slightly less-impressive packaging, a slightly different warranty, and about one-third the price. The first three modes have default files.WMA. From now on, though, I'm only going to use the first three recording modes so that the default format is.WMA (it's better quality sound, anyway).When you convert a file to.AIF, the software can no longer edit the file.
In order to accommodate Macintosh and Windows, this recorder and many flash drives create a folder and a file entitled '._Trash' when it is read by a Mac. To correct my review above, I'd like to go into more detail. The sound quality is very good, even for meetings in large rooms. At first, I thought this would be a problem because I had a Mac, but the DS-2 software reads the files just fine, and Quicktime can also read.WMA. If you want to convert.DSS to something other than.AIF, just put the.AIF file in iTunes and convert from there (.WAV,.MP3,.M4A).One setback is the way a Mac will read this device as an external hard drive.
I also used it during an individual clarinet practice session in a small room, and I heard excellent detail in my sound.As other reviewers have noted, the USB cable is rather unique, so be sure to take good care of it.The DS-2 software was easy to install and easy to use. First, the recorder has five different recording modes: Stereo High Quality (HQ), Stereo Standard (SP), Mono HQ, Mono SP, and Long-term recording (LP). If you delete files from your Mac computer, their memory is still kept in the._Trash folder. I was able to hear a person in a large room talking 20-30 feet away.
Instead, you need to plug the device into a PC and delete the files from there. Plus, I was able to edit the file just fine by erasing small chunks at a time. This whole scenario can be avoided if you simply delete files from the recorder itself by pressing the 'Erase' button for each file (or you can delete them from a PC).Last but not least, I would recommend purchasing the DS-20 model, which is exactly the same as this one but has twice the memory for only about $25 more.
I purchased a factory refurbished DS-2 recorder, and it works beautifully. The.DSS format, however, was a little tricky. The fidelity and recording sensitivity are superb.
The last two have default files.DSS, which is the format associated with the DSS Player software. The default file format is.WMA. If necessary, the DS-2 software can easily convert.WMA to.AIFF.Overall, I'm very happy with this product.
The interface is very intuitive, and I am enjoying this product very much.
This is my third digital recorder by Olympus and they just keep getting better and better. The DS-20 model has plenty of room for recording multiple interviews before I'd need to download them. The quality and feature set are excellent. I'm a freelance technology writer who lives or dies by the ability to record my interviews with chief technology officers and systems administrators of big companies. Having the accuracy of a quote or technical comment is critical. Wish I had one of these in graduate school.
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