best voice recorders for college lectures

Best voice recorders for college lectures for free#

Voice Learning: If the app can learn a specific speaker's voice to improve accuracy in the transcription.

Edit Transcript: Once the transcript is completed, whether or not you can manually edit words the AI or human transcriber misinterpreted.

Import Sound Files: There'll be times where you'll need to transcribe a video or audio recording done outside the Voice Memo app that a colleague shared with you, and having a transcribing app that's capable of converting it from an MP3 or other sound file to a text document will come in handy.

Without punctuation, your transcript becomes one gigantic sentence, which can leave you more confused.

Punctuation: While often taken for granted, punctuation within a transcript significantly aids in readability.

We evaluated these apps by having them transcribe the same recording under the same circumstances, then we scored them based on the percentage of words they got right.

Transcription Accuracy: This element is perhaps the most important feature of transcription apps.

Save Options: Transcriber apps usually store your audio recordings and transcripts within the app itself, though some provide further options such as automatically sending copies of your transcripts to your email account.

Though almost all transcriber apps allow for this as far as transcripts go, some have the added ability to share your audio files alongside your transcripts.

Share Options: There are times where you'll need to transfer a copy of your transcripts and recordings to another location or share with a colleague.

Besides overall accuracy, fast turnaround times are also ideal - no one wants to wait days to receive their transcripts.

Turnaround Time: The amount of time it takes for your to receive your transcribed recording.

Transcription Method: Transcriber apps on the whole basically rely on two methods of transcribing your recordings - either via human-based transcriptions where you have a person manually transcribe your recordings, or AI-based transcriptions.

Naturally, the more options an app has, the better.

Speech-to-Text: This element covers the various ways transcriber apps can record audio, from direct dictation, to conversion of audio and video files.

Account Required: For security purposes, most transcribing apps require you to create an account, though some apps give you the option to sign in using either your Google, Facebook, or Office365 accounts for added convenience.

Most apps on this list, however, are English-only.

Supported Languages: For people taking linguistics classes, it would be ideal if your transcription app worked with more than one language.

Trials are a great way to check how good these apps are in terms of overall service, so you can have a more informed decision on whether they're worth your time and money.

Best voice recorders for college lectures for free#

Free Trial/Allowance: Some paid transcriber apps will let you try out their services for free on some sort of time-based trial.

Fees/In-App Purchases: While having to pay for a transcriber app's services isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's important to distinguish between apps that offer enhanced features - like transcriptions done by actual people - that justify their cost and apps that will basically give you more of the same.Image by Amboy Manalo/Gadget Hacks Key Comparison Points