Digital Recorders
There are a multitude of digital recorders on the market. We recommend the Olympus VN6200PC which offers a quality recording, ample recording time, and is relatively inexpensive at $59.
Digital Play-back Options
There are several options for controlling the playback of digital audio files for transcription. If you're doing a lot of transcription, invest in a good foot pedal control as it will reduce the transcription time and improve the overall accuracy of the transcript. If you're just getting started or your budget is limited, check out the software options.
Start-Stop Foot Pedal Transcription Systems
Foot pedal transcription systems to control playback of digital video or audio files. Use the foot pedal to control the playback while you type directly into the SALT editor. 2010 prices: $189 (audio) and $269 (audio and/or video).
Sound Scriber: Eric Breck, University of Michigan
Software to control playback of digital audio files with options for variable speed and a feature called "walking" which plays a small stretch of the file several times, then advances to a new piece, overlapping slightly with the previous one. Use the software to control the playback while you type directly into the SALT editor. 2011 price: free download.
Express Scribe: NCH Software
Software to control playback of digital audio files using system-wide hot keys to allow control of the playback while you type the text into the SALT editor. 2011 price: free download.
Digital Transcription and Coding Systems
Transana: David K. Woods, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Software to analyze digital video or audio data: transcribe it, identify analytically interesting clips, assign keywords to clips, arrange and rearrange clips, create complex collections of interrelated clips, explore relationships between applied keywords, and generate reports. 2009 price: $50
Procoder: Jon Tapp, Vanderbilt University
Software to control digital video or audio files: track and easily find and replay events, code events, output data into several formats including SALT format. 2009 price: $1,499