Voice recording in WAV format is unacceptable

My test recording of about 1 min occupied about 9 MB of space. This is unacceptable.

It’s a WAV file, not a compressed and lossy .mp3. Yes, WAV’s take up a lot more memory space. For long-term storage of these files, you might want to convert them down to .mp3 format. But there’s not way to do tht on the player. You’ll have to transfer them to your computer, run the conversion, then transfer to smaller file back to the player.

Besides, 9mb is nothing (memory-wise) these days.

It’s a WAV file, not a compressed and lossy .mp3. Yes, WAV’s take up a lot more memory space. For long-term storage of these files, you might want to convert them down to .mp3 format. But there’s no way to do that on the player. You’ll have to transfer them to your computer, run the conversion, then transfer to smaller file back to the player.

Besides, 9mb is nothing (memory-wise) these days, don’t sweat it.

Other voice recorder manage to store recordings directly as mp3 files. So, it is possible. There just needs to be the will at SanDisk.

I think you’ve misunderstood me. 9 MB is for just one minute of recording. I foresee needing to record hours of speech before getting to my computer to transfer the recording. One working day of a seminar, for example, will take more than the capacity of memory in the model I purchased (4 GB). And this also means that I won’t be able to have anything else on it while recording long sessions (lectures, etc.). Converting WAV files of hundreds of megabytes or even bigger to mp3 will take a long time too. No matter how I look at it, the approach SanDisk has taken to voice recording is bad and unjustified (other small voice recorders are much better at it).

If the primary purpose of the Fuze+ were voice recording I would agree with you.  Sony Voice recorders run anywhere between $40.00 to $300.00 depending on the feature set you require.

The primary purpose of the Fuze+ is a media player, specifically music files.  In addition to music playback you also get Video playback, FM Radio playback and recording, Audio Book support, Subscription Music Service support, Voice Recording, and  Picture Viewing.

Add the ability to add up to 32GB additional memory via Micro SD card all for the price of $65.00.

That’s a pretty good deal.  It is not an issue of “will” on the part of Sandisk, it is the issue of a feature set/price point.  For a majority of us, we purchased a media “player” for playback.  Recording is a nice feature that we have on the side.  Therefore it is unfair to compare the Fuze + with other devices who’s primary purpose is to record voice.

It has always been true that “multi-function” devices rarely perform each task as well as a device designed for a single application.  Try carving a roast with a Swiss Army Knife.  It can be done, but a quality Carving Knife will certainly do a better job.  However a carving knife doesn’t do as good a job at opening a bottle as a Swiss Army Knife.

The Fuze+ is a Jack of All Trades, but master of none.  Audio playback is it’s primary design, and that it does with the best of them.  The Fuze and Clip family players have playback quality that equals or surpasses other media players offered at 3 times the price.

How do you think Sony would react if you nailed Sony because their voice recorders don’t handle gapless playback or won’t support subscription .wma files from Rhapsody?

I think you would get a similar answer.

I purchased the Fuze and Clip players specifically for affordable high quality audio playback, and for that purpose the product excels.  With a 4GB Fuze + and 16GB card, I can have a 20GB player for under 100 bucks.  Please tell me where else you can get a 20GB flash player for under a benjamin.  I doubt you will find it.

Now if only Sandisk would address some of the navigation lags and touch sensitivity issues, I’d be in heaven.

You’ve convinved me, p_opus :slight_smile: I’ll just add my request to a list of nice-to-have features.

In reading your post I ran across your mention of audio books.  I am a new Fuze + user and am interested in installing audio books.  How do I get started?

Cratchit

petehyser@verizon.net

@cratchit wrote:

In reading your post I ran across your mention of audio books.  I am a new Fuze + user and am interested in installing audio books.  How do I get started?

 

Cratchit

 

petehyser@verizon.net

Smiley    Smiley

  1.  Download audio books from on-line service, library or rip from CD’s.
  2. Transfer to player either through said service’s software or if from CD’s like any other audio (music) file.
  3. Listen and enjoy.

For any other audiobook questions, see here.

More questions? Start a new thread. :wink:

@cratchit wrote:

In reading your post I ran across your mention of audio books.  I am a new Fuze + user and am interested in installing audio books.  How do I get started?

 

Cratchit

 

petehyser@verizon.net

Smiley     Smiley      Smiley

  1.  Download audio books from on-line service, library or rip from CD’s.
  2. Transfer to player either through said service’s software or if from CD’s like any other audio (music) file.
  3. Listen and enjoy.

For any other audiobook questions, see here.

More questions? Start a new thread.

@p_opus wrote:

If the primary purpose of the Fuze+ were voice recording I would agree with you.  Sony Voice recorders run anywhere between $40.00 to $300.00 depending on the feature set you require.

 

The primary purpose of the Fuze+ is a media player, specifically music files.  In addition to music playback you also get Video playback, FM Radio playback and recording, Audio Book support, Subscription Music Service support, Voice Recording, and  Picture Viewing.

 

Add the ability to add up to 32GB additional memory via Micro SD card all for the price of $65.00.

 

That’s a pretty good deal.  It is not an issue of “will” on the part of Sandisk, it is the issue of a feature set/price point.  For a majority of us, we purchased a media “player” for playback.  Recording is a nice feature that we have on the side.  Therefore it is unfair to compare the Fuze + with other devices who’s primary purpose is to record voice.

 

It has always been true that “multi-function” devices rarely perform each task as well as a device designed for a single application.  Try carving a roast with a Swiss Army Knife.  It can be done, but a quality Carving Knife will certainly do a better job.  However a carving knife doesn’t do as good a job at opening a bottle as a Swiss Army Knife.

 

The Fuze+ is a Jack of All Trades, but master of none.  Audio playback is it’s primary design, and that it does with the best of them.  The Fuze and Clip family players have playback quality that equals or surpasses other media players offered at 3 times the price.

 

How do you think Sony would react if you nailed Sony because their voice recorders don’t handle gapless playback or won’t support subscription .wma files from Rhapsody?

 

I think you would get a similar answer.

 

I purchased the Fuze and Clip players specifically for affordable high quality audio playback, and for that purpose the product excels.  With a 4GB Fuze + and 16GB card, I can have a 20GB player for under 100 bucks.  Please tell me where else you can get a 20GB flash player for under a benjamin.  I doubt you will find it.

 

Now if only Sandisk would address some of the navigation lags and touch sensitivity issues, I’d be in heaven.

 

 

Very well said  p_opus

Still unacceptable, previous players (Fuze, Clip+) had a recording size 1/5th of the what the Fuze+ has… wtf did they change?

@al11 wrote:

Still unacceptable, previous players (Fuze, Clip+) had a recording size 1/5th of the what the Fuze+ has… wtf did they change?

they probably UPPED the quality! Do you not like better quality?

Some other players actually record in mp3(they are more expensive though). Even those probably don’t record as well as a good $50 digital recorder.  I guess if the Fuze+ recorded in mp3 though, then some would compain about the mic quality. Perhaps voice recording should have been left off the player entirely or else improved so that it works well(a better mic, a mic jack, recording in mp3 with a user selectable bitrate, having several recording features(mic sensitivity, noise reduction, etc.).

You were too easily convinced.  WAV recording *is* ridiculous!

But it is done for a reason.  Battery life.  Encoding to mp3 or similar

would cut your record time for this other reason.  However, there

is no reason to not be able to record in mono.  And FM recording

on SanDisk players has gone from 256k (e280v1) to 768k and now

with the Fuze+ to 1411k bps.  Sansa doesn’t support recording

to the SD card slot.  But they do want to sell memory cards as if

that feature worked.

The Fuze+ is a unique player using a completely different processor platform from other Sansas.  Granted, at such high bit rates, there is excellent resolution, but it need not be at such a high rate compared against the others.

There are a few other factors in the background, but that’s a discussion in itself.  The recording is made as a PCM (wav) file as that’s the basic output from the analog to digital converter, but tasking the device to encode to a compressed format does also consume some processor time.

The biggest issue may indeed be that compression step,and _the requisite patents and licensing fees _required to do so.  A few years ago (2006) SanDisk had a rather personal experience with this, as devices were confiscated during a consumer electronics show in Germany over an infringement battle.  Obviously, as a major manufacturer, they are quite careful with the issue.  I’m glad that things were settled after some tense moments.  More recently, look at the battles between Samsung and Apple over the new Samsung tablet.

The recorder in the Fuze+ is intended for brief recordings, but its quality does make one want a capacity to use it.  The front end of the voice recorder could use a bandwidth limiter (low frrequencies could be filtered out, as subsonic information is captured too!).

Bob  :stuck_out_tongue: