Olympus have just release a new microphone in Australia called the ME-33. The ME-33 is commonly known as a boundary or array microphone and connects to any Olympus digital voice recorder including the Pro DS series dictaphones (DS-7000/DS-3500) and the traditional meeting recorders like the DM-3 (this is the preferred recorder with the ME-33’s) or even the WS series.
The Olympus ME-33 can be used on it’s own or strung together in a chain. When chaining the mics this covers a wide area, ideal when recording a large number of speakers. A maximum of 6 ME-33’s can be linked together either in one long chain or they can be split using the splitter jack plug that is included in the box with the ME33 as shown in the appalling quality image below, taken from the ME-33 instruction book:
For best results Olympus suggest you use the ME-33 with the Olympus DM-3, currently the best digital meeting recorder, but you will also get good results with the recorders we mentioned above. Available from April, 2013 in Australia the ME-33 will retail for AU$159 each incl. GST.
Looking remarkably similar to the Philips LFH9172 which has been around for a few years now looks like Olympus have taken a page out of the Philips book rather than is usual vice-versa. Again smart move on Olympus’ part, this style of boundary mic looks fantastic on any desk and allows you to hide away the recorder making it less noticeable to the meeting attendees. Also the price is right (come on down) when compared to the higher end professional large meeting mics from Olympus the ME-30W costing a whopping AU$649 incl. GST. Yes you do get what you pay for, the ME-30W is an awesome kit but if you are on a budget and need to pickup the best audio you can in a large group setting, a string of ME-33’s is well worth a look.