Recording from mic to windows PC

[Ensign Steve]

So I usually try to use the Windows utility for whatever task I'm doing, if it applies, rather than bothering to install a third-party application, but the Sound Recorder application only records up to 60 seconds at a time.

Microsoft offers this retarded workaround, so I am now in the market for a free Windows software for recording from a microphone. Any recommendations?

TIA!

[Ensign Steve]

In before and .

[specious_reasons]

You can try Audacity - it's a open source program which I've been using to convert my tapes/records into MP3.

[viscousmemories]

I was going to recommend that too. I haven't used it, but Nullifidian recommended it for recording books.

[Ensign Steve]

Thanks, Audacity is working perfectly.

[specious_reasons]

That was fast!

[Corona688]

My sister bought one of those vinyl to USB devices. It advertised on the box 'advanced automated software for audio conversion'. It came with audacity

[Ensign Steve]

So I finally get all the files recorded, and I convert them to wav, because I want to use WMP to listen to them, because on WMP you can adjust the tempo on the fly. Except it turns out you can only adjust the speed of windows media files, not wav files for some reason. If I wanted to transcribe this shit at full speed, I would have just done it off the tapes and not bothered transferring to the computer.

So I googled and downloaded this one dBpoweramp shitty program that's supposed to convert any audio file type to any other audio file type, but of course once I get it loaded up, I learn that it absolutely doesn't convert from the file type I have to the file type I need, of course.

So then I install this actually really good thing called Pulse Master that can change the speed, pitch, or tempo of a wav file on the fly, and that worked awesomely, except that the trial version only lets you hear the first 10 minutes of the file.

So then I google some more to try to figure out how to change the tempo, and of course Audacity does this, just not on the fly.

God, what a waste of a fucking morning. And then the afternoon was spent rushing to transcribe this shit, because hell I've had two days to work on it, why am I just getting started on it right now?

[ceptimus]

Why aren't you using your mac for this?

[Ensign Steve]

I use a PC at work.

I asked them for a mac, and they considered it, but we mutually decided that the budget could be better spent. So I have a fly new PC instead. Don't think to hard about the man-hours spent on bullshit like this because they don't pay me that much and I waste a lot more of their man-hours fucking off on the internet anyway.

I did bring some of the tapes home to work on last night, but then I decided I don't get paid enough to work at home so I didn't do it.

[Corona688]

This sort of crap is why I loathe crippleware. This includes crippleware that only properly supports its own formats(cd-burning, Real Player, 3D graphics, Real Player, some 2D graphics, Real Player, office suites, Real Player, nearly ALL commercial audio/video), crippleware that works for a tiny amount until you buy it(especially rage-inducing is crippleware disk recovery -- like a fire engine driving up to a burning house and waiting to be paid first), crippleware operating systems(for only $3000 more we'll change the six program bytes that make the 'home' version a tinkertoy system!), expensive crippleware that taunts you with the features of the "advanced" version(and just imagine -- for only $400 more, you could have the version of Fruityloops that can edit notes!!!) And Simply Accounting, which won't let you access some of your own records even in the Pro version -- full access to your own fucking financial history requires Supreme! Pre-installed free trialware(You had sixty days, you should be grateful. You took this deal when you bought this PC, who cares if you agreed? Pony up the dough or we'll fill your PC fulla holes!), trialware that spraypaints ads for itself and other products on your desktop, bought and paid for software that does the same thing, trialware that quietly sneaks in when trying to install other more innocuous things(since you're upgrading a fucking plugin, might you be interested in a stripped-down time-locked reimagining of an already scummy antivirus? And the toolbar-of-the-month club!), software that quietly takes over all your file associations(Nero's not CD burning, it's a god damned lifestyle!!!)... aaaaaaaaaaargh.

Fuck you, beartrap makers! It's a hop, skip, and jump away from being aggressive malware, and is all the worse in that people can become dependent on it without realizing it settning them up for really unpleasant surprises. Captive customers don't have to be happy customers.

No, this isn't an anti MS-rant. I'm stabbing an entire industry here. The OSS movement isn't powered by communism, it's powered by fucking rage.

Originally Posted by Ensign Steve

So I finally get all the files recorded, and I convert them to wav, because I want to use WMP to listen to them, because on WMP you can adjust the tempo on the fly. Except it turns out you can only adjust the speed of windows media files, not wav files for some reason. If I wanted to transcribe this shit at full speed, I would have just done it off the tapes and not bothered transferring to the computer.

See, you said recording, not this windows-media-only pitch shifting thing. :/

A minute of googling "wma encoding" found me this though, perhaps it can convert.

[Ensign Steve]

It didn't occur to me when I was asking that Windows Media Player wouldn't be able to change the tempo. Or even the speed, since the pitch does matter for what I'm doing. I've done it lots of times before when people have actually used fucking digital recorders that record in wma format. Since WMP can play wav, I figured it could slow down wav. Turns out it can't. Who records on fucking analog tape anymore anyway?! Jesus christ.

[Stormlight]

Originally Posted by Ensign Steve

Who records on fucking analog tape anymore anyway?! Jesus christ.

I don't think so. He upgraded ages ago.

[Ensign Steve]

Originally Posted by Corona688

A minute of googling "wma encoding" found me this though, perhaps it can convert.

Awesome, thanks! I'm going to have a lot more of these to do the next couple weeks, so that really helps.