( 01 / 01 )Olympus VN-541PCPortable VoiceRecorder
Olympus VN-541PC portable digital voice recorder (OM System / OM Digital Solutions). Intended for first-time digital recorder users, with one-touch slide recording, four scene folders, Noise Cancel playback, and micro USB file transfer. This is the VN-541PC - not the DM-720 and not the WS-883.
Slide the REC switch forward to power on and start recording in one motion (including from power-off). A notification LED stays on while recording is live. Four recording scenes - MEMO, TALK, MUSIC and LP (Long Play) - are linked to folders; the recorder stores each take in the matching folder (up to 199 files per folder).
Key Features
- One-touch slide REC switch; LED indicator while recording
- Built-in monaural microphone; WMA recording
- Four scenes / folders: MEMO, TALK, MUSIC, LP (LP is VN-541PC only)
- 4 GB internal NAND flash; up to approx. 1,570 hours in LP (WMA 5 kbps)
- Noise Cancel on playback; low-cut filter; microphone gain Auto / Hi / Lo
- Playback speed x0.5 to x2.0 in 0.1 steps; A-B and folder/file repeat
- micro USB mass storage; bundled micro USB cable (OM System)
- 2 × AAA (LR03); recording life up to approx. 60 hours in LP
One-touch recording
OM System specifies one-touch recording: slide the recording switch forward to power on and record in one motion. The LED lights and stays on until recording is stopped. The user manual notes that recording can be started immediately from power-off by sliding the REC switch up. HOLD mode disables buttons but still allows the REC switch to be moved on or off.
Recording scenes
The user manual maps scenes to use:
- MEMO - own voice and sounds that are extremely close (place the built-in microphone about 5-10 cm from the speaker)
- TALK - meetings in a small space and other fairly close sound
- MUSIC - realistic audio such as a live instrument or outdoors
- LP - long recording time (VN-541PC only)
Playback
Noise Cancel reduces ambient / low-frequency noise on playback (press and hold Noise Cancel while stopped or during playback). It cannot be used while playback speed is changed. Playback speed is adjustable between x0.5 and x2.0 in 0.1 increments. A-B repeat and folder/file repeat are provided. Up to 99 index/temp marks can be written per file on the VN-541PC.
PC transfer
The recorder appears as USB storage (drive name VN-541PC). Recordings sit under a RECORDER folder with MEMO, TALK, MUSIC and LP subfolders. OM System lists USB Storage class and a bundled micro USB cable. Do not format the recorder from a PC (user manual).
Specifications
Figures below are OM System VN-541PC technical specifications and the VN-541PC / VN-540PC English user manual, Specifications (printed pp. 40-41). Where the shared manual lists both models, VN-541PC values are used.
Recording
Source: OM System VN-541PC technical specifications + user manual Specifications, printed p. 40-41 (sampling, times, frequency response).
| Built-in microphone | Monaural |
|---|---|
| Recording format | WMA |
| Recording scenes (linked to folders) | MEMO, TALK, MUSIC, LP (LP is VN-541PC only) |
| Sampling frequency / bit rate | TALK / MUSIC: 44.1 kHz / 32 kbps; MEMO: 22.05 kHz / 16 kbps; LP: 8 kHz / 5 kbps (VN-541PC only) |
| Maximum recording time (4 GB) | TALK / MUSIC approx. 251 h (WMA 32 kbps); MEMO approx. 495 h (WMA 16 kbps); LP approx. 1,570 h (WMA 5 kbps) |
| Maximum recording time per file | WMA 32 kbps approx. 26 h 40 min; WMA 16 kbps approx. 53 h 40 min; WMA 5 kbps approx. 148 h 40 min |
| Frequency response (recording) | MEMO 200 Hz-7 kHz; TALK 200 Hz-13 kHz; MUSIC 40 Hz-13 kHz; LP 200 Hz-3 kHz |
| Microphone sensitivity / gain | Auto, Hi, Lo |
| Sound control | Low-cut filter |
| Index / temp marks | Up to 99 per file (VN-541PC) |
Playback
Source: OM System VN-541PC technical specifications + user manual printed p. 19 (speed steps) and p. 40 (playback frequency response).
| Playback format | WMA |
|---|---|
| Playback speed | x0.5 to x2.0 in 0.1 increments (OM System also lists 50-200 %) |
| Playback frequency response | 20 Hz-20 kHz (upper and lower limits depend on the recording format) |
| File operations | FF / REW; forward / reverse skip |
| Repeat | Folder / file repeat; A-B repeat |
| Sound enhancement | Noise Cancel (playback) |
| Transferred WMA playback | Sampling 8 / 22.05 / 44.1 kHz; bit rate 5-320 kbps (user manual) |
Memory and PC
Source: OM System VN-541PC technical specifications (memory, folders, USB) + user manual printed p. 27 (PC OS) and p. 30 (folder tree).
| Internal memory | 4 GB NAND flash, internal only (some capacity is reserved for management; usable capacity is slightly less) |
|---|---|
| Folders | 4 (MEMO, TALK, MUSIC, LP) - VN-541PC |
| Files per folder | 199 |
| USB class | USB Storage |
| USB port | micro USB (bundled micro USB cable, OM System) |
| PC OS for USB transfer | Windows Vista / 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10; Mac OS X 10.5-10.11 (as printed; later OS versions are not stated) |
Interfaces, speaker and display
Source: OM System VN-541PC technical specifications + user manual printed p. 40.
| Microphone jack | 3.5 mm diameter; impedance 2 kΩ; plug-in power supported |
|---|---|
| Earphone jack | 3.5 mm diameter; impedance 8 Ω or more |
| Speaker | Built-in 20 mm diameter round dynamic |
| Maximum working output | 200 mW (8 Ω speaker) |
| Display | 1.39" segment display |
Power
Source: user manual Specifications, printed p. 41 (mode-by-mode guideline values). OM System's headline "approx. 60 hr recording" matches LP; TALK / MUSIC / MEMO recording is approx. 52 h in the same manual table. Alkaline cells; figures vary with battery and use (Noise Cancel or speed change shortens life).
| Power source | 2 × AAA dry cells (LR03) |
|---|---|
| Battery life - recording (built-in mic) | TALK / MUSIC / MEMO approx. 52 h; LP approx. 60 h |
| Battery life - speaker playback | TALK / MUSIC approx. 21 h; MEMO approx. 22 h; LP approx. 23 h |
| Battery life - earphone playback | TALK / MUSIC approx. 45 h; MEMO / LP approx. 46 h |
Physical
Source: OM System VN-541PC technical specifications + user manual printed p. 40.
| Dimensions (H × W × D) | 108 × 37.5 × 20 mm (not including largest projection) |
|---|---|
| Weight | 67 g (including battery) |
| Operating temperature | 0 to 42 °C (32 to 107.6 °F) |
| Manufacturer | OM Digital Solutions Corporation (OM System; former Olympus Imaging audio line) |
Manufacturer documents
Public manufacturer links (link only - this does not add a downloads module):
