Voice recorders and audio recorders in 2021 are not simple devices that only do sound recording anymore. They have become smarter and more advanced. If you have searched for a new recorder online recently, you probably have heard the function called voice activation.
However, even in 2021, not every digital recorder comes with the voice activation feature. And some people don’t need a voice-activated recorder either as they tend to be slightly pricey. If you are indecisive and want to know more about the voice recorders with voice activation on the market, you are in the right spot.
We’ll be showing you the pros and cons of voice-activated digital recorders and listing some best recorder models with the best voice activation feature.
What Is A Voice Recorders with Voice Activation?
If a digital recorder is voice-activated, it can automatically start recording when sound is detected. And it will save your audio files and will not record when surround sound is quiet. Usually, you can change these voice recorders from “normal mode” to “voice activated mode or sound activated mode” easily to make them voice-operated. And you can quit the “voice-activated mode” if you want to manually press the “start” and “stop” button to start recording.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Voice-Activated Recorders
Pro:
Voice-Activation Saves Device Storage & Battery
For most of the voice recorders with SD Cards nowadays, the storage is either 16GB or 32GB. In fact, most storage is filled up by silence and useless surrounding sound. Voice-activation allows the recorder to stop saving those silent recording, which can give help the recorder’s batteries work longer and save more recording snippets
It Automatically Records In Case You Forget
If you are going to back up an important speech, interview or meeting, you definitely cannot forget to press the record button. Sometimes it is disastrous when it is already halfway through a lecture, and people suddenly realize they have not started recording. Thus, if you are a forgetful person, a voice-operated recorder is going to help you a lot. The only thing that you need to remember is to take the recorder with you.
Cons:
When Voice-Activated Is Enabled, The Recorder Ignore Quiet Sound
Just like we mentioned above, a recorder with voice activation only starts working when there is sound. If the sound is not loud enough, then it can not be detected by the device. So you might lose some sounds that are low in decibels such as whispering and breeze blowing.
Best Voice Recorders with Voice Activation in 2021
Sony ICDUX560BLK Digital Voice Recorder with Voice-Activation
Searching for the best voice-activated voice recorder? Why don’t we just go for a reputable old brand? Sony, one of the top digital device manufacturers, also has excellent recorder models that come with a voice activation function.
The Sony ICDUX560BLK, as one of the reliable digital voice recorders, comes with a great VOR mode (Voice Operated Recording), which allows the recorder to capture sounds automatically once the sound is sensored.
Besides, this worth-buying recorder is equipped with high-sensitivity S-Microphones, making the recordings are pretty true to real voice. It has 4 GB of built-in storage, and you can upgrade it with extra MicroSD cards. Additionally, you have three options to make this recorder suits your recording environment better: wide/stereo, narrow/focus, and normal.
According to Sony, this recorder is super power-efficient. You can use it for up to 1 hour of recording time with a 3-minute charge.
EVISTR Digital Voice Activated Recorder with Playback
If you think Sony recorders are out of your budget, you might be interested in this EVISTR voice recorder. Although this is an affordable recorder, it offers many great features as well.
The EVISTR voice-activated recorder offers a great voice-activation function called “AVR”. By using their AVR feature, you still need to press REC to record first and press STOP to save. But the best thing about this recorder is that you can change its AVR sensitivity easily. For people who need a very sensitive recording with voice activation, set the sensitivity to level 1, the recorder will record minimum noise.
Just like other regular recorders, you can store the recording file in MP3 and WAV format, and you can transfer these files to your PC through a supplied Micro USB cable. I personally think this is definitely a product that worth the money, but it only has a headphone/earphone jack. Since the microphone is built-in, you cannot find an input mic jack.
OLYMPUS Digital Solutions VN-7200 Digital Voice Recorder with Voice-Activation
OLYMPUS’ digital recorders are known for their clear sound quality and reliable recording performance, even though the interface and display are a little bit out of fashion.
This OLYMPUS VN-7200 digital voice recorder comes with smart voice activation that starts and stops the recorder automatically, which can significantly save storage and your time.
The batteries are included, and the batteries last very long in this digital recorder. OLYMPUS claims that the recording time can be up to 1,151 hours. Basically, you can keep using this recorder without change batteries within a year.
The OLYMPUS VN-7200 digital voice recorder offers two speeds in playback, you can choose fast or slow to listen to recording files that you have. Overall, this is a pretty simple digital recorder, it might not have so many fancy features, but its crisp and clear recording sound will not let you down.
TCTEC Digital Voice Recorder Pen with Voice-Activated Feature
If you don’t wanna carry a heavy-duty recording device to your classroom or meeting room, this TCTEC digital voice recorder pen can be your best choice.
The lightweight and versatile design let you take this recorder pen with you anywhere easily, and it is super affordable! Although this is a cheap recording device, the recorder pen still meets your daily recording needs as it comes with a professional intelligent digital noise reduction chip, which makes it a perfect fit for recording voice in lectures, meetings, and interviews.
It has a 16GB internal memory, and it can support up to 260hrs recorded files. The recording pen’s voice-activation auto records and saves audio into files, leaving your recorder more memory space and no blank. Surprisingly, you can directly playback your recordings with a headphone, which is also included in the package. I will highly recommend this recorder to students who need to record lectures and speeches and anyone who need a lightweight recorder.
Olympus VP-10 Voice Activated Recorder with Slim Design
Want an advanced slim digital recorder? this Olympus VP-10 is the one! Most importantly, it is also voice-activated, just like other Olympus high-end recorders.
Don’t underestimate this mini recorder, the Olympus VP-10 recorder features four recording scene modes to accommodate various environments. With Olympus world’s top-level noise cancellation technology, the tiny recorder can make sure your recording sound is clear and natural.
The small voice-activated recorder also has a built-in voice balancer, which can balance small voices and loud voices smartly, making the final audio file can be heard clearly even there are multiple speakers.
What I love the most about this portable recorder is that you don’t need to use a USB cable to connect it to your PC, the USB is built into the recorder body. And you can just remove the cover to connect or recharge the recorder.
