twin deck recorder

[gnc]

does any one know of a reasonably priced twin deck tape or cd recorder. its for a PIP interview for a friend. and now if you want the interview recorded you have to take your own equipment. must be cd or tape on one machine as police equipment,
geof

[Murph7355]

They want you to take in a dual tape deck or CD copier? In a word, bks.

Take a dictaphone in and tell them it's there. Open the conversation up with noting they all agree to the recording and get them to acknowledge. Or better still have someone attend with them and take notes.

All that said, how much is the job worth? If you're at the point of recording meetings, it sounds well beyond a PIP to me.

[gnc]

its a personal independence payment interview, and that attitude would not go down very well, but thanks for your input.

[hornmeister]

Some good info here:

https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/3671-secret...

[Mr Pointy]

As you probably know Atos requirements are quite specific & probably the only suitable device available is the Neal 9221P:

http://www.neal.co.uk/Products/9221p-portable-inte...

Unfortunately at £2.5k they are out of the reach of individuals & when I spoke to the manufacturer they didn't know of any organisation that hires them out. There is a possibility that some local Facebook groups have one so you could try searching FB - there are a few groups.

It has been suggested that there is very strong pressure for Atos to record every interview given the appalling experiences that have been reported. It is possible that this change will come into effect soon, but this may not be in time for your requirement.

[gnc]

theres a disability organization in Sheffield that loans the equipment out, that says a lot doesn't it !. looks like the only way is secret recording and risk it. we are trying for a home visit because shes got a very weak immune system and liable too infection and already got a chest infection.,other than the walking distance they've told her to use public transport.
thanks everyone geof

[55palfers]

...and I expect they'll want you to prove compliance to Portable Electrical Equipment Regs (PAT).

Under what Regulation are they making their demands?

[Mr Pointy]

55palfers said:

Under what Regulation are they making their demands?

Here (sections 1.6.57 to 60):
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/persona...

[Monty Python]

Depends what you call "reasonable":

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TEAC-W-1200-Twin-Cassette...

[gnc]

good find. was hoping more like half that price, thanks anyway
geof

[Monty Python]

Here you go:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TEAC-W-890R-Dual-Double...

[gnc]

thanks . might make an offer on that one
geof

[Mr Pointy]

gnc said:

thanks . might make an offer on that one

Don't forget you'll need tapes & a suitable microphone as well - one that is suitable for conference or group recording. A normal vocal mic may not give adequate results.

[gnc]

thanks, noted
geof

[gnc]

negotiating a price on a machine, suggestions on suitable microphone would be helpful, not my scene all this audio.thanks.
geof

[gnc]

iv got one of these on the way Coomber 844-7 Stereo Recorder/Copier. just need an appropriate mic now, suggestions appreciated
geof

[Mr Pointy]

gnc said:

I've got one of these on the way: Coomber 844-7 Stereo Recorder/Copier. Just need an appropriate mic now, suggestions appreciated.

For conference & interview use a boundary mic often works well, but it's difficult to recommend one & try & stay on a budget. There's s few on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=boundary+microphone&a...

Note you need one with a 1/4" jack on the cable, not a USB connector. Audio Technica are a known brand but the reviews for this one are mixed:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audio-Technica-ATR-4697-O...

At least if you buy it from Amazon & it doesn't work then you can return it. Ebay have a few but it's a bigger risk: this listing has two for £30 so you could put one near each person talking (although the idea of a boundary mic is that you don't need to do that).
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_n...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/IMG-Stageline-Monacor-E...

A very good alternative would be a tie clip microphone but I'd be slightly wary that the interviewer would decline to wear it & have a cable draping on them. You'd also need to buy two of course:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=tie+clip+microphone&a...

This one comes with the 1/4" adapter you need & seems well reviewed - again being from Amazon you could return it.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Microphone-MAONO-Omnidire...

There are some dual headed versions but I'd be even more wary of them as it's not clear how long the cables are:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Microphone-MAONO-Omnidire...

It would be a neat solution but would need a cooperative interviewer. The advantage of two separate clip mics is that you can record them on left & right channels so discrimination on playback might be easier.

[gnc]

thanks for the suggestions, will look into them.
geof

[gnc]

like the look of Audio-Technica ATR-4697 ATR Series Omnidirectional Condenser Boundary Microphone .
so that may be the one
geof

[Mr Pointy]

gnc said:

like the look of Audio-Technica ATR-4697 ATR Series Omnidirectional Condenser Boundary Microphone. So that may be the one.

Yes, although the reviews are a bit mixed. I'd try it & return it to Amazon if it doesn't perform well enough.