Digital Recorders

• The Olympus DS-2300 - (highly recommended) readily available on the Internet. ($175.99 as of 09/16/06 at www.newegg.com) The great feature and benefit of this recorder is that it has removable media (XD-Picture card), giving you the capability of up to 1GB of removable storage! That is over 160 hours of recording time in the Slow Play mode, and over 350 hours in the Long Play mode! Note: if you get the 1GB card, you will have to download updated firmware from the Olympus web site - the currently installed firmware as of this writing only supports up to 512MB. The only major drawback to this recorder is you CANNOT hook up an external power supply - it uses 2 AAA batteries. I strongly suggest getting rechargeable AAA batteries and charger (get 4 batteries - two for the recorder and two spares, so you are never without power).
  
  
• Olympus DM-10 Digital Voice Recorder - about $130 -available on the Internet. Compact, take-anywhere size. All-metal body. Records up to 22 hours of dictation or a full hour of MP3 or WMA music with superb stereo sound. Comes with USB docking station for quick uploading and downloading of files and a convenient residence for your DM-10 when not in use. NOTE: The Olympus DM-20 is the same recorder for about $80 more (about $189), and it has double the storage memory (128MB), giving you up to 44 hrs of dictation recording.
  

Accessories:

• Olympus Model A321 A/C Adaptor- about $30 (a MUST! definitely worth it!) - to use with the DM-10 and DM-20.
  
  
• Microphones to consider:
• Olympus ME12 (good for "pointing" at a single person to better pick up what he/she has to say) - very small - about $12
  
  
• Sony ECM-F01 Business Card Size Flat Microphone - about $45. This baby is GREAT to record conference room conversations - I use it weekly to record our training sessions - picks up voices all over our conference room. VERY small, lightweight, and easy to use. (size of a thick credit card). http://www.bhphotovideo.com
  
  
• Olympus AS-2300 PC Transcription Kit - If you are going to want to transcribe some/all of your recordings (has a foot pedal, headphones, etc.) - about $160.
  

You will be saving your files in the Olympus proprietary format (DSS) which has small file sizes, but you can then convert them to a WAV file with the Olympus software and put them on a CD, which you can put in the Client's file. And you can also convert to an MP3 file if you wish (see instructions later in this document). Olympus has free DSS player software that you can download and email to Clients if you want them to listen to something you've recorded, and you don't want to convert to a large WAV file.

Next - Let's dive into recording your telephone conversations. To do this you need two things: Hardware, to connect between your phone and your PC, and Software, to actually capture the recording.

Hardware:

• DynaMetric TMP-636S Telephone Transmit & Receive Patch - around $90 - direct from DynaMetric 800.525.6925. (http://www.dynametric.com/productDetails.asp?ProductID=140)
• Tip: Keep the "Phone-Speaker" switch on "Phone" for the best sound for the person at the other end. On Speaker, it muffles your voice a little. Follow the hookup instructions carefully. If you need help, their tech support department is wonderful!
  
  
• Radio Shack Telephone Recording Device # 43-228 $25.99. This simple device plugs in between the phone base and your handset/headset, with a wire that plugs into a standard microphone jack on either your tape recorder, digital recorder, or the MIC jack on your PC. This would be an alternative to the DynaMetric device shown above.
  

• Audacity (FREE!) http://audacity.sourceforge.net. This is great software, the price is certainly right, and it's easy to use.
  

Finally - Some of you have asked how to move previously-recorded information that is not digital (i.e., recorded onto audio cassettes or mini-dictation tapes) into digital. Here is the process:

• Go to Radio Shack and buy an inexpensive patch cord (about $5-$10) that has a male plug on each end (probably mono to mono or mono to stereo - the guy at the store can help, especially if you take in both recorders). I think mono to mono will work just fine. Standard plug size is 1/8" (3.5mm) for most recorders of this type.
  
  
• Set up your cassette recorder and place your digital recorder beside it.
  
  
• Plug one end (probably mono) of the patch cord into the earphone jack on the cassette player. Plug the other end into the microphone jack on the digital recorder.
  
  
• Press "record" on the digital recorder (watch for the red light) and then press play on the cassette. It will transfer the info on the audio cassette into the digital recorder "real time," meaning if it's a 45 min cassette, it will take 45 minutes to transfer. Be sure to remember the cassette will run out of one side - pause the digital recorder - turn the cassette over, then resume recording on the digital recorder, then press play on the cassette finish side 2 of the audio cassette.
  
  
• When you are finished with the audio cassette, save the digital file on the digital recorder and name it, then create a new digital file and repeat the process with the next cassette.
  

Audacity Tips and Tricks:

1. Before starting serious telephone recording, do several test calls with friends, family and/or relatives to be sure you have everything adjusted properly and to get used to recording without messing something up.
   
   
2. In the Audacity main window, be sure that "Microphone" is showing in the small far-right window, and not "Phone," "Line In" or anything else. Adjust your two "sliders" in the main window - 1 for speaker volume (your Client) and one for microphone volume (you), so you get a good balance in the recording. Otherwise, either your Client will be too loud and you too soft, or vice-versa.
   
   
3. To begin recording, all you have to do is click on the "red dot" Record radio button in the main window - the one right next to the green "right arrow" Play button. Once you begin recording, if you want to pause, click on the Pause button just to the right of the Record button. To resume recording, just click the Pause button again, and it will pick up recording from where you stopped it.
   
   
4. If you accidentally click the Stop button (the button to the right of the Pause button, with the yellow square), it will stop your recording. When you click Record again, it will open another window and start recording a different session.
   
   
5. When you are completely finished recording, press the Stop button (this will work even if you have the Pause button pressed).
   
   
6. To save the recording, you have to first decide if you want to save it as an MP3 Recording, or as a WAV Recording. WAV recordings are MUCH MUCH bigger than MP3 recordings, taking up a LOT of hard drive space. But this is what you would use to then burn it onto a CD to listen to it in a CD Player or in your Car CD Player. (some of the newer CD Players, even in a car, will play MP3. If yours will do this, then by all means save it in MP3 - a much smaller file). Both WAV and MP3 will "play" on your PC, using Windows Media Player, RealPlayer, etc. Usually you just double-click on the file and it will start playing.
   
   
7. Once you have decided in which format (WAV or MP3) to save it, be sure you have the recorded selection as the active window and then from the menu at the top of the screen, choose File > Export as MP3, or File > Export as WAV.
   
   
8. A separate window will open and ask you to name the file and decide where you want to store it. For your own organization (and sanity), I'd strongly urge you to make this decision after reviewing your folders on your hard drive, and deciding where to put it. I'd suggest a file name such as "Telephone Recordings" which is easily recognizable. You can then further organize with sub-folders inside that folder, if appropriate.
   
   
9. VERY important: If you are Exporting the file as an MP3 file, after you name it and click "Save," another window will open, which will be titled "Edit the ID3 tags for the MP3 file." DO NOT click "Cancel." Instead, just click "OK." You don't have to fill in any information. The recording will then be converted to an MP3 file. If you click "Cancel," nothing will be saved.
   
   
10. Now, I'm sure at some point this will happen to you: you will save (export) the file as one type (e.g., MP3) and then later decide you need it as the other type (e.g., WAV). Don't panic. You can download a free software package that will do this very nicely!
    
    
11. Go to www.tucows.com and in the small search window in the upper right corner, type in "Acoustica MP3 to Wave Converter PLUS" without the quotes. It will take you to the Shareware software (no charge!) and you can download the small (2.2MB) file and install it. Just download the file (save it) to your desktop, then open and "run" the file to install it. I did it in less than 2 minutes, start to finish. It is EASY, FREE, and FUN! And what's even better, all you do is find the file you want to convert using your Windows Explorer (not Internet Explorer) highlight the file, right click your mouse, and it will give you the option as to how you want to convert the file. Couldn't be easier! If you like it, consider paying the inventor the $19.95 he/she is asking - optional, but it keeps the "little guy" in business! And come on - when's the last time you got a KOOL software program that does good things for twenty bucks!?!?!
    
    

Here's some good info I got when I installed the program:

"Thanks for installing Acoustica Audio Converter Pro! We hope you enjoy it! With this software, you should be able to simply click and convert. Once you have your desired settings, you shouldn't have to mess with it again.

Operation Tip: In order to use your software properly, you will need to right click on a file within the Window's explorer and select either "Convert To WAV" or "Convert To MP3". Alternatively, you can select the "Convert To" and select another option on the sub-menu.

To rip CDs, right click on a CD or an individual Track .CDA file and then select "Convert To..."

"We had a ton of audio conferences saved on our network as .wav files. We used Audio Converter Pro to convert them all to .wma. By doing so, we reduced the total amount audio file storage space by 75%! AND ... we did it all within just a couple of hours!" - Jennifer

If you have any questions or problems using the software, please check the support area (http://www.acoustica.com/support/index.htm ). If you do not find your question or solution there, please do not hesitate to contact us (that's Acoustica, NOT BAI! - they are in Oakhurst, CA)."

Tucows has LOTS of great shareware and freeware software, and they are all virus-free! So you may want to browse this site for other software needs.
If you need software to "burn" audio files to a CD, I highly recommend Nero6 Ultra Edition. I purchased it off the web for about $29. (By the way - I'm cheap, so the prices I quote you are "street" prices I've found from surfing the web).

Headset Information:

Several of you have asked about good headsets to use. One that I've had good luck with for the past 5 years is the Plantronics Telephone Headset Model H91 Encore. I purchased it from www.ahernstore.com for $89.95. Plantronics 43038-01 QD to 2.5mm cord $10.90 (this is a converter that allows me to use it with a 2.5mm jack on a standard phone) Plantronics 40711-01 Lightweight 10' extension $18.95.

Helpful Listening/Learning Information

Once you have everything recorded electronically, how can you get the most out of your recordings? One Advisor has purchased an Apple iPod Nano. It comes in three sizes: 2GB, 4GB or 8GB. This is the size of the "hard drive" that holds all your info. You can download your recordings into the Nano and listen to them as you run, workout, or do other things where you need a portable listening device. The Nano is VERY small (a little bigger than a credit card) and has a battery life (rechargeable) of up to 24 hours. There are many MP3 Players on the market that will allow you to do the same thing. Again, please don't call or write asking for help in getting this set up and working - we can't help.

Mark Little's Presentations Information

• Mark talked about "Paper Tiger" software to clean up your office. It is available from http://www.orgcoach.net/. There is an individual version and a networked office version. You check it out and decide for yourself. I really like it. Prices: $120 - $200. Probably the Professional or Network Version will be best for your office. Be sure to check out the comparison chart before you order: http://www.orgcoach.net/products/ptcomparisonchart.html so you can figure out which version is best for you.
  
  
• Mark's Financial Planning Software: IAS by Optimum http://www.iassoftware.com
  
  
• Mark's Tablet PC: Toshiba Portege
  
  
• Mark's Portable Wireless Presentation Mouse: Model "RemotePoint Navigator 2.4." www.interlinkelec.com
  
  
• Hire and Keep the Best People by Brian Tracy $17.95 http://www.briantracy.com/catalog/product.asp?ID=145&CategoryID=44
  
  

Jim Rohn Information

You will find we talk about Jim Rohn a lot, and heartily endorse (and follow) his advice. Go to www.jimrohn.com and you will find a wealth of information. If you don't know where to start, order his 6 CD set: The Art of Exceptional Living. It's about $60.

I hope you find this information both useful and productive! Because after all, IT'S ALL ABOUT YOU! Now you have NO excuse not to record your phone conversations and FRM appointments! Good luck. And one last thing - please don't ask us for help implementing any of these software/hardware items. You need to call their help lines.


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