Voice recorders have been important for keeping notes for meetings, recording interviews, and even in some cases, recording audio for videos. They have progressed from recording onto small cassettes that only could get short periods of time to being able to record to SD cards with endless amounts of memory.
Now these recorders are extremely useful in many situations. I have used some for different reasons. The majority of the time, a voice recorder is made with a single mic or 2 in an XY pattern. But some companies have been adding xlr inputs that allow for external microphones. I have used these to record with shotgun mics for short films or interviews.
Through this article we are going to look at some wonderful voice recorders for both single voice notes, as well as ones that can be used for recording audio from multiple inputs.
Table of Contents:
Best Multi Input Voice Recorders
Zoom H4N
Price (before shipping)- $215.99
This is the mobile recording device I used whenever I worked with others for short films to record audio. We used this for classes as well as freelancing projects and I was never disappointed with the outcome. I primarily used this for its external XLR inputs but on a few occasions I used the built in microphones and was pleasantly surprised. Another feature about this that I love is the gain control for the channels as well as having a headphone jack to listen to what it sounds like as you are recording.
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Price |
Power | Mic Inputs | Built in Mics | Headphone Jack | Memory Type |
| $215.99 | 2x AA | 2 | 2 | ✓ |
SD Card |
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Price (before shipping)- $199.99
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One aspect that I like about this interface is that the built in microphones are able to be changed on their position. But it is very similar to the Zoom in how you can record with only the xlr options or just the built in microphones as well as having the headphone jack.
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Price |
Power | Mic Inputs | Built in Mics | Headphone Jack | Memory Type |
| $199.99 | 2x AA | 2 | 2 | ✓ |
USB/ SD Card |
Best Standard Voice Recorder
Zoom H1N
Price (before shipping)- $119.99
The Zoom mobile and voice recorders are always going to be some of my favorite pieces of gear when it comes to working with audio in the field. I know I can count on them for quality audio when I need it.
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Price |
Power | Mic Inputs | Built in Mics | Headphone Jack | Memory Type |
| $119.99 | 2x AAA | X | 2 | ✓ |
SD Card |
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Price (before shipping)- $47.83
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This is one of the most compact voice recorders on the list. Great for quiet interviews and just capturing quick moments that you need to recall later. It does not use a rechargeable battery, but AAA batteries so it is easy to replace and continue quickly when you need to. It also has a USB connection built in for quick file transfers.
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Price |
Power | Mic Inputs | Built in Mics | Headphone Jack | Memory Type |
| $47.83 | 2x AAA | X | 1 | ✓ |
USB |
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Price (before shipping)- $33.34
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The EVISTR voice recorder is great for keeping track of recordings with a file storage system that have time stamps to show when the recordings took place. Easy to fit into your pocket, this is also has the ability to record on a schedule. That way you can set it up to automatically start recording at any time.
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Price |
Power | Mic Inputs | Built in Mics | Headphone Jack | Memory Type |
| $33.34 | USB | X | 1 | ✓ |
USB |