Ways Attorneys Can Record Audio While Taking Notes
One of the better Mac legal technology blogs is the Esquire | Mac blog, which recently published a great analysis of the ways to record audio while taking notes. This skill can benefit almost every attorney, particularly those with an active trial practice. The article is well worth a read, as it examines the following programs/topics:
- Audio Notes in Microsoft Word
- Voice Annotating in Circus Ponies Notebook
- Paper and Pen with the Pulse Smart Pen from LiveScribe
Source: "Practice Tip: Record Audio While Taking Notes" by Adam Greivell, published at his Esquire | Mac blog.
I use a free Mac software called "Audio Recorder 3.2" (search for it in Google). It's very simple, and can store the files in MP3 format. I sit my MacBook Pro on the table during a client interview, and the meeting can be recorded. There is a pause button to stop recording for sensitive moments in the meeting that should not be recorded. The benefit of saving in MP3 is that the file can then be played in iTunes. The MP3 file is easily stored and forms a permanent record of the client meeting.
Also, Apple iLife's Garage Band can also be used, but I find this simple software much more convenient.
I’ve been using the Pulse smartpen for a while now, and love it as well! Thought not a lawyer, or a law student, I’m a bioengineering major here at UC Berkeley, and I use the Pulse smartpen in all my classes where I see a TONS of graphs, equations and strange symbols. The beauty of the pen is that whenever I come across a “stumper,” I just tap my notes to have my professor explain it to me all over again, as if I was in a classroom with him. :)
I'm sure as a lawyer, the need for synced audio notes will make your life a lot easier!
Regards,
Kal
PS. In case you were thinking of buying one of these pens, you may want to use the discount code: PULSE5A10 on http://www.livescribe.com. That’s what I used when I bought it, got me about $10 off. -Kal
I have a few clients who use this: http://www.usefulfruit.com/pearnote/ and thus far they are quite pleased with it's ease of use.
I am a law student and Apple fan. I use GarageBand '08 to record lectures and meetings. I usually set the instrument as "Male Narrator Noisy."
Regarding recording through Microsoft Office, I used to use Office 2004 on a MacBook Pro. Sometimes, Word froze as I stopped the recording, and when I had to Force Quit, I lost part or all of the recording. I suspect this occurred because Office 2004 was built for PowerPC, and it takes a lot of processing power for Mac OS X's Rosetta software to emulate the PowerPC environment. That would leave little processing power to handle the recording. I just use Office 2004, but not to record. Now that I use GarageBand, I believe that the amount of processing power used is less.
If I don't have my MacBook Pro, I will sometimes record meetings from my iPod touch. I use HT Professional Recorder and Apple Headphones with Remote and Mic. It captures audio well. I wish the microphone were built into the iPod touch (as it is with the iPhone) so that I don't have to deal with the headphones' wires.
When you finish recording, you upload the recording to the web and later download it to your computer as a CAF file. From there, you drop the CAF file into GarageBand to be converted to a format playable in iTunes or on an iPod.
Livescribe announced a slight delay on its Mac Desktop which was originally slated for February 17. "Early March at the latest" is their promise. According to Jason at Livescribe the following features will be added to the existing Mac Desktop beta:
• Adding Upload to Livescribe Online
• Adding Browsing of My Livescribe
• Adding Archive your Livescribe paper products (notebooks, journals, etc.)
• Adding Remove Paper Replay™ Recordings from your Pulse smartpen
• Adding Delete Paper Replay Recordings from Livescribe Desktop
• Adding Drag and pan to reposition zoomed pages
• Adding Rename your Pulse™ smartpen
• Adding Rename your notebooks
• Adding ability to Print range of pages via print dialog
• Adding ability to Export range of pages as PDF via print dialog
the pulse smartpen is definitely the best way to take notes in my opinion. it utilized the old fashioned way of using a pen and paper but also throws in the recording technology that links it to what you write.