Audio Recording (Capture) Software Suggestions?

[rkr1958]

The Requirement: My wife plays piano and wants to record her practice sessions.

The Plan: Use a microphone attached to our laptop to record her music.

Audio Editors I own: Goldwave

The Need: A free or cheap software solution that I can configure to record her music easily. For example, I can use Goldwave to record, however, each time you do you have to define a new file name and then after you stop recording you have to save that file. If not ... you lose it ...

What I want / need is a program that I can configure to automatically define a file name and save as it's recording to a predefined location. It this possible with Goldwave? If so, how? If not, is there a low cost solution out there that I can use?

Thanks.

[bhbuckeye]

? for you. What kind of quality are you looking for?

Miking a piano in a living room can be problematic...

Need a half decent mike...

recording is subject to unintended ambient noise...doorbell, phone, AC clicking on and off, etc...dog barks right as she almost completes a perfect perormance of B-toven's 5th...never mind that you have to be quiet while she's recording...

Buy her a digital keyboard w/sequencer built in...

used...maybe $200...maybe less...

I have Yamaha DGX 300 ($400 new) and it will do everything you want...auto generates filenames, etc (you can rename if you like) save to disk..SD cards on newer models... (saves as midi files...which can be converted to .wav and burnt to cd...)

She can do it all wearing headphones...while your watching TV...as loud as you like...

[vcdforme]

auto-generate a filename?
AND send to a preset location?
I don't believe computer technology has crossed
that hurdle yet. And it would probably not be worth the
hassle to set a default. Maybe if you have Soundforge
and friend with a computer science degree you could get Soundforge
to do it. It just seems too complex.
How about just using a cassette machine?

[Ghtpua]

Hi,

I do not know much about goldwave. Is there like settings or preferences with goldwave that you are able to change to do what you want?

I agree with bhbuckeye also about the door bell and stuff like it, however, it depends on how good a quality you are looking for also. Do they have piano's that will hookup to the computer and play the sound in the computer and if so does yours do that, that would cut out like the door bell and so on, however, do you want the talking with the lessons also. Does your goldwave cut out the stuff like the bell and so on? I have no clue how to do that stuff my guess it is hard and more trouble then worth.

For recording audio what I use is mp3directcut, it works great and it is freeware. It might do what your looking for! I tell it to record in 192 quilty. You have to be careful though with letting your computer pick which file name and where to put it and stuff like that that you will be able to know where the files are and which music is what, however, you are also able to go back and change the file name if you like also always if that helps.

I hope it helps. If you have more questions just ask!

[rkr1958]

Thanks guys ...

For clarificiation ... my wife wants to record her piano as part of her practice ... mainly for listening for technique, etc.

We realize that all ambient noises will be caught too ... like our four-year old son or our 10-year old dachshund.

@vcdforme, when I use virtualvcro capture TV or Ulead Videostudio 6 to capture VHS tapes via DV passthrough these programs automatically name the file and save to a specific location. Both the naming format and location are set by me in the program preferences. It's this type of functionality that I'm looking for in audio capture software.

[Bjs]

This can be accomplished by using audiocity in combination with autoit , both free , though creating the autoit script will require some learning from the help files .

If you are technically inclined , you will be a master of autoit in no time .

To start of with , use Scitool , the recorder for autoit , too start the app , and go through the motions of clicking the options required to start the new recording off and running.

Middle - needs tinkering .
This part is the wait component (I define this as "esc key struck = stop")

More info in the autoit forum will help here .

You can then build the final part of the script , where it can stop , encode , and save file .

Once the script is initially created , it can be modified for other recordings , or setup to record X number of recordings one after the other .

[dphirschler]

This might sound crazy, but VirtualDub will do it. I use it to record audio all the time. Of course, there is also video to go with it. Just set the size very small and Virtual Dub will record as your default filename, "Capture.avi" for me. The next file will be named "capture(1).avi" or something close to that, and so on.

By the way you can open avi in Goldwave, or you could open the avi in VirtualDub and save the wav audio.


Darryl

[corwin102]

I think Total Recorder will do this. The auto file naming seems to be present. However can't personally speak to the utility of the program as I have never used it.