A digital recorder ? Get one in your pocket with these apps

Embedded apps

If you only need a voice recorder from time to time, then you don’t have to spend money on an app. Both iPhone and most Android telephones include one as a standard feature. The standard iPhone app can even be used for basic editing. To remove the beginning and the end of a recording, for instance. You can easily save all these bits as separate files.

Just Press Record

Although the basic functionality is fairly similar – sound is recorded and saved – there are also scores of apps in the Google and Apple download stores for more advanced users, often with useful gadgets and tricks. For instance, Just Press Record for iOS has integrated transcription options. The app tries to guess what was said and notes it down in written text that you can save or e-mail straight away. The program understands dozens of languages.
Just Press Record for iOS

ClearRecord

ClearRecord has another useful gadget. You can slow down or speed up the playback. That’s handy if you want to transcribe the text, because it is easier to follow when you’re typing and it helps decipher mumbled sentences, too. Another great thing is that you don’t pay anything for the privilege, because this app is free. 
ClearRecord for iOS
ClearRecord for Android

OneNote

OneNote – part of the Office 365 package – is not primarily known as an app to record sound, but the possibility does exist. If you make notes as you go, they are automatically linked to the sound recording. Afterwards you can use the search function to easily retrieve that important audio section where you jotted something down. However, there are no transcription or editing options.

RecForge II

For those who record a lot on Android, RecForge II is a must. This is a sort of multi-purpose voice recording tool that creates various file formats, automatically skips silences, schedules recordings and saves them in the cloud. You can even stretch recordings (and adjust the pitch).
Recforge II for Android

External microphone

There is one last tip we would like to give you if you regularly make sound recordings on your phone (especially if you are going to record music, for instance): using a separate, external microphone will significantly improve the quality. A microphone like this doesn’t have to cost a fortune: good ones are available for less than € 50.