One iPhone feature that is dearly loved but seldom used by the masses is audio recording. iOS has dozens of audio recording apps that range from free to crazy expensive multi-track recorders. In between are affordable recorders which do more than Apple’s built-in Voice Memos.
Tops on my list is Voice Recorder HD. For less than a visit to Starbucks VRHD’s recorder bridges the gap between low end quick recorder, and high end pro recorder. Low quality audio at 8KHz, Medium quality at 22KHz, and high quality at 44.1KHz.
Not bad for a recorder that fits in your hand, right? VRHD’s controls are simpler than most and intuitive.
Press the big red Record button and the microphone graphic pulsates a glowing red to indicate recording in progress. For settings, press the Settings button. To view all recordings, press the Voice Memos button.
Navigating through recorded files is simple, too. Each recording is time-date stamped and stored in order. Sharing is enabled through the iOS Share button. One touch deletes a selected recording.
Recording time is tested up to eight hours (but I’ve never recorded anything of that length– battery and storage must be considered).
One thing I don’t like is that audio quality settings are universal and must be changed for each recording, and there’s no built-in way to edit or trim audio. But sharing and storing audio files couldn’t be easier, as VRHD uses both Dropbox and SoundCloud, and stores audio on iCloud.
VRHD works on both iPhone and iPad (takes advantage of the larger screen) with controls to match) and supports external microphones such as the iRig Mic and Apogee Digital’s MiC (my favorite).