SoundRecorder - A Simple Recorder

Main Menu

Installation

System

Preferences

Applications

Demos

Development

Advanced

Related topics
3dmix CDPlayer, MiniPlayer and CD Daemon Media Preferences SampleStudio

SoundRecorder - A Simple Recorder

You can use Zeta to record audio from a range of sources. SoundRecorder uses a simple interface with the rewind, stop, play/pause, forward and record.

To make a recording, you must have a computer with the ability to connect a microphone or an other type of audio input. Most soundcards today has an input port. You can then easily connect a wide range of devices, like microphones, radios, CD and tape players.

The quality of your recordings depends highly of the signal being passed to your computer. Therefore a recording made from a radio is noticeable inferior to a recording from a CD player.

The recordings are done in stereo, and you can adjust the maximum time of recording.

To save your recording, press the floppy disc icon. Your recordings can be saved in the formats WAV, mp3 or AIFF, the same formats supported for ripping CDs in CD Player.

The top portion of the SoundRecorder window is a sonogram that shows the sound wave representing the left channel of your file. As said the recordings are in stereo, but the display is in mono. To the left of the sonogram is a level meter; the height of the level indicators tells you whether you're getting the full dynamic range from your sound or clipping it. You can change your sound level in the Media preferences Audio Input panel.

Below the sonogram is a timeline that shows the lenght of a recording or sample. Click the arrow to the right of the timeline to amke a sound loop. If you want to save a portion of a recording, drag the sliders at either end of the timeline in to frame to section you want to save. You can save a portion of a file only with a drag and drop save.

The SoundRecorder's general controls are Rewind, Stop, Play/Pause, and Record. The Record button is live only when you're actually recording from a sound source; click it once to start recording, once again to stop recording (or click the Stop button). The floppy icon is a Save button; clicking it brings up a selection window where you can save your file. The Volume Slider controls the volume in the Media preferences Audio Mixer tab.

If you toggle the switch to the right of the volume control, the bottom of the window opens, with a list of your recorded samples on the right. You can highlight a sample to see file information about it in the area to the left of the sample selection list.

To save a file, either use the Save button or drag a recording clip out of the sonogram portion of the window and drop it where you want to save it.

- Using the Save button only moves the file to the location you choose; it doesn't copy data. Saving this way is quick and doesn't use up a lot of click space (sound files can be very large).
- Saving by drag and drop does copy the file to a location you specify, and also offers some more subtle features. For example, you can save part of a sample by dragging the timeline in from the left and right to mark it off, then dragging and dropping the clip. If you right-click on a sample you drag, when you release the mouse button a context menu pops up that lets you choose a format to save the file in: AIFF, WAV and MP3 sound formats and Microsoft or QuickTime movie sound formats.

So for what can you use the application?
Obviously for harddisk recording the output from your hifi-system, but it can also be used to record your own produced music.

Far fewer of you would think of this application as a office application, but this SoundRecorder is also an ideal tool for making memos!

©2003-2004 by yellowTAB GmbH