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Using
the Sound Recorder
By Bill Mann
The Sound
Recorder is a simple utility that you can use to record sounds. Versions
of this program have been part of Windows for a long time, and generally
don't get a lot of attention. But if you need a simple tool for basic
audio recording, Sound Recorder works just fine. The basic format for
Sound Recorder as WAV files, a simple, uncompressed format understood
by Windows. Most of the sounds that Windows XP makes are recorded as WAV
files.
One of the
interesting things about the versions of Sound Recorder that come with
Windows XP (and XP Tablet PC Edition) is that you can use it to convert
WAV files into many formats, including MP3 (formally known as MPEG Level-3).
If you follow the online music scene or the entertainment scene for that
matter, you likely know that there's a lot of controversy around the MP3
format. Specifically, the controversy centers around the way people use
MP3 to distribute illegal copies of music.
While I don't
advocate making illegal copies of music and distributing them as MP3 files,
that format can greatly compress sound files and is an efficient way to
store audio information. If you use your Tablet PC to record conversations
or for audio notes, you might want to investigate the format.
But first,
you need to know how to run the Sound Recorder. To start this utility,
tap Start | All Programs | Accessories | Entertainment | Sound Recorder.
The controls for Sound Recorder look like the controls on any audio recorder
you've used in the past, and work the same way. Since your Tablet PC has
a built-in microphone, all you need to do to record some audio notes is
click the Record button and start talking. Sound Recorder does the rest.
By default,
the Sound Recorder stores everything it records as WAV files. If you want
to change the format, you can easily do so. Here's how:
1. Record
your sounds as you would normall.
2. Tap File
| Save As to open the Save As dialog box.
3. Tap the
Change button at the bottom of the dialog box to open the Sound Selection
dialog box.
4. In the
Format list, select the format you want to save the file in.
5. In the
Attributes list, adjust the recording attributes as necessary.
6. Click
OK to return to the Save As dialog box and save the file as you would
normally, making sure to give it an extension that's appropriate for the
recording format you selected. For example, MPEG Layer-3 files have a
file extension of .MP3.
That should
get you started with the Sound Recorder. If you need help, the Sound Recorder's
help system is pretty comprehensive and should give you all the infromation
you need.
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