Sony ICD-UX570 digital voice recorder review: A perfect companion for on-the-go content creators

Sony ICD-UX570 digital voice recorder review: In the world of content creation, audio is the king. Time and again content creators have emphasized the need of right audio equipment that can save mediocre content. The problem, however, is that most equipment is expensive or big in size, the latter making it all tough to carry. The Sony ICD-UX570 digital voice recorder tries to address both the issues by offering an easy-to-carry and an affordable option for on-the-go creators.

The ICD-UX570 digital voice recorder is as small as a voice recorder can get. It fits into the palm, hardly takes any space in your bag and is easy to carry around. The voice recorder comes in black colour option with a rubberized plastic finish which makes it look elite.

The digital Voice Recorder is light and slim. Its size is merely 102.8 mm × 36.6 mm × 12.2 mm and weight is just 48 grams. On the front, you get a digital screen which is not colourful but does its job. The text on it is sharp and readable. The UI is simple and allows you to switch between options with ease. Right below the panel, you get the Record and Stop buttons followed by three mini buttons - Back, T-Mark and Option.

There are few other buttons on the recorder that allow you to play, pause and toggle between tabs. On the right side, you get the power button, a single volume button and USB slider.

The last one adds an interesting element to the design. The actual use case of the USB built-in is actually better. It allows you to plug the device to a PC and directly transfer files from the recorder to the PC. This is actually quite handy as you don't have to carry extra cables with you.

The device comes with up to 4GB of built-in storage that claims to record up to 20 hours of audio. It can be expanded using microSDHC or microSDXC card. The card slot is on the left side of the recorder.

Overall, the buttons are well-placed, allowing you to use the device with just one hand.

Coming to the performance part, the voice recorder has a high sensitivity S-Microphone which allows you to record different types of content like lectures, phone calls, meetings, in high-quality audio. The company claims that the S-microphone allows successful recording of faint, distant, muffled voices without capturing excessive background noise.

Initially, we found out that the microphone was recording the ambiance with the desired sound. However, that can be fixed by changing the settings.

For example, if you are interviewing someone, you can go to settings -- choose 'Select Scene' option and then opt for interview. To reduce the ambiance, I also went to 'Built-in Mic sensitivity' and reduced it to low. The new settings did wonders to the overall quality of the audio. The ambiance was reduced, if not completely absent and the audio was of a much better nature.

There are other scene options of the device as well, which include - Meeting, Lecture, Voice Notes, Soft Music, Loud Music etc. You can also create custom modes.

To test the actual quality, we recently recorded the audio of one of our videos on the Sony ICD-UX570 digital voice recorder. We used the same audio in the final video published on different platforms of Zee Business. You can watch the video below and check the sound quality. You can also see the sound recorder kept on the table as we shoot the video -

Another feature that would come handy for on-the-go creators is the better battery life and quick charging. The Sony ICD-UX570 digital voice recorder with built-in lithium battery which gives up to 20 hours of battery life with 3-minute quick charge for 1 hour of recording.

Sony ICD-UX570 digital voice recorder review: Final Verdict

The voice recorder is selling for Rs 8,490 across Sony exclusive outlets, electronic retail stores across the country and e-commerce platforms. As I said before, audio plays a huge role in the overall quality of any content that you are producing - be it an interview, a video, a podcast or anything else. We know it because its our job.

Sadly, most content creators are often ignorant of this fact and are reluctant to pay any big amount for a good audio device. The Sony ICD-UX570 digital voice recorder offers them an option that gives a superior audio quality for a better price.