The Olympus Digital Voice Recorder VP-10 is a pen-sized digital recorder intended for capturing lectures, conferences, and business meetings. Powered by a single AAA rechargeable nickel-metal hydride battery, the device offers up to 50 hours of recording time or 29 hours of playback. An integrated 4GB USB flash drive on one end of the devices makes it easy to transfer recorded PCM, WMA, or MP3 files directly to a computer by simply plugging the unit into an available USB port. The battery can also be recharged via the USB connection and the unit can double as a USB storage device.
The other end of the recorder features a stereo pair of omnidirectional microphones that have been optimized for capturing speech. Active noise cancellation helps reduce handling noise to improve intelligibility and a low-cut filter switch helps remove infrasonic energy such as from HVAC systems. A threshold can be set to turn the recorder on and off.
Selectable modes such as for language learning, pocket recording, conferences, negotiations, and memos optimize the performance of the microphone and internal DSP for the intended application. An integrated LCD display provides visual feedback for organizing files and monitoring battery life, while a file splitting function helps make large files more manageable.
A one-touch record button instantly starts recording, even from the powered off position to ensure critical information is recorded. A Voice Balancer algorithm helps make the volume of voices recorded from different distances more consistent, which is especially useful when recording conferences or business meetings.
Variable playback speeds between 0.5 and 2x allow for faster transcriptions without shifting the pitch of the speaker's voice. A "Starting Character" mode can be engaged to pause and re-start the recording three seconds back to ease with transcription or for repeating a word while learning a foreign language. Transport controls enable you to skip ahead in the recording by 10 second skips. An integrated clip allows the recorder to rest and record from within a shirt or coat pocket for discrete recording applications without any sounds or light coming from the recorder.