Best Headphones and Foot Pedals for Scopists and Transcriptionists

When you’re a freelance scopist or transcriptionist, you need to be able to clearly hear the files you’re listening to. You also need to be able to easily and quickly adjust the speed, or rewind if you need to listen again. It’s very important that you use the very best headphones so you can hear the audio. It’s also important to use the best foot pedals so you can control the audio.

But how are you supposed to know what are the best headphones and foot pedals?

The best way to know what the best headphones and foot pedals are for scopists and transcriptionists is to ask scopists and transcriptionists. 

So I conducted Facebook polls in which I asked freelance scopists and freelance transcriptionists what headphones and foot pedals they use and recommend. I’ve written this post to share with you what they told me. Here you’ll find out what scopists and transcriptionists say are the best headphones and foot pedals out there.

Why do scopists and transcriptionists use headphones?

Scopists and transcriptionists must listen to audio in order to work on their text files. Headphones allow you to block sounds such as dogs barking, kids and traffic. They also enable you to hear the audio files far more clearly than without headphones. Hearing as clearly as possible ensures you will be able to work more easily, quickly and accurately.

Why do scopists and transcriptionists use foot pedals?

Foot pedals allow you to use your feet to speed up, slow down, reverse and pause audio files. This frees up your hands to focus entirely on the text files so that you can work with better focus and more quickly and easily.

My Facebook polls of scopists and transcriptionists revealed that:

52% of scopists and 11% of transcriptionists use only headphones.

9% of scopists and 0% of transcriptionists use only foot pedals.

39% of scopists and 89% of transcriptionists use both headphones and foot pedals.

I also conducted a separate inquiry which revealed the most popular and best headphones and foot pedals for scopists and transcriptionists.

The number one most popular brand of headphones is exactly the same for both scopists and transcriptionists. The second-most popular brand of headphones is different for each group.

A large number of freelancers in both of these professions use a very popular brand of headphones/foot pedal/audio software bundle. (The software enhances audio.) Almost everyone in both groups uses the same brand of foot pedal.

Number One Best Headphones for Scopists and Transcriptionists

42% of scopists and 33% of transcriptionists polled use Bose noise canceling headphones. These are expensive, but the consensus is that they are worth it.

Number One Best Foot Pedals for Transcriptionists and Scopists

100% of scopists and 100% of transcriptionists polled who use any foot pedal at all use the Infinity USB foot pedal.

The Only Headphones/Foot Pedal/Audio Software Bundle Used by Scopists and Transcriptionists

100% of scopists and 100% of transcriptionists polled who use any bundle for their work use the Express Scribe headphones/foot pedal/audio software bundle.

Express Scribe headphones/foot pedal/audio software bundle

Runners-Ups – The Second Best Headphones for Scopists and Transcriptionists

21% of scopists use Apple EarPods, making these the next most popular brand of headphones for scopists.

11% of transcriptionists use Skullcandy headphones, making these the next-most popular brand of headphones for transcriptionists.

Skullcandy Hesh ANC Over-Ear Headphones, Active Noise Cancelling

I hope this information will help you choose the best headphones and foot pedals for you. For more recommendations, discover the top 5 headphones that court reporters recommend here.

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(This post was first published on August 27, 2018.)

Sabina Lohr

Sabina Lohr is a lifelong freelancer turned entrepreneur who created World of Freelancers to help others discover how to work for themselves online and live the freelance lifestyle. She’s always really enjoyed the freedom that freelancing brings, including several years on and off of working online while traveling and living abroad.

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