Digital voice recorders are essential tools of the trade for journalists and reporters, but voice recorders also have practical applications for students. Recording lessons or tutorials to listen to again later can help you retain the information better. Whatever your intended use, you need to know use your recorder. Olympus produces a wide range of personal recorders with included instruction manuals. The Olympus WS-600s was released in 2010 and sells for $70 as of November 2010.
Instructions
Setup
1. Press down on the arrow on the battery cover and slide to remove. Insert a regular or rechargeable AAA battery as indicated on the recorder. Slide the power switch to on, then press the "+" or "-" buttons to select the type of battery.
2. Set the time and date. If this is the first time you've used the recorder, the "Set time and Date" screen will appear after selecting the battery type. Use the central control pad to select the correct information, then press "OK" to save.
3. Insert an SD memory card, if desired. The recorder has built-in memory, but if you plan to do a lot of recording it's recommended you expand the memory with an SD card. Open the card cover on the side of the recorder and insert your MicroSD card so the connectors line up.
Recording and Playback
4. Press the "+" and "-" buttons to select the folder you wish to record to. There are five folders on the Olympus WS-600S, and you can use them to organize your recordings.
5. Press the "Rec" button to begin recording. A light will glow on the recorder to indicate that recording has begun. Point the microphone toward the source of the recording. As you record, the recorder displays how much battery life and recording time remains. Press "Stop" to end the recording. At any time during recording, press the "Rec" button to pause.
6. Press the "Scene" button while the recorder is stopped to choose the setting. You can set the WS-600S to be optimized for lectures in large rooms, conferences with large crowds, meetings with a small group of people, dictation with a lot of background noise and for settings where music is playing, birds are chirping or trains are passing.
7. Press the "+" and "-" keys to select the folder you wish to hear playback from. Press "OK" to select the folder, then scroll using "+" and "-" to select the file. Press "OK" to begin playback. Press "+" and "-" during playback to adjust the playback volume. Press and hold the forward and reverse buttons to skip ahead or back in the recording.
8. Connect the recorder to your computer with the built-in USB connector. The recorder appears in "Windows Explorer" as a drive, and you can browse its contents and copy the stored Wav files to your hard drive for storage and review. Connecting to the computer also recharges the battery if you're using lithium rechargeables.
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