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Recently, I discovered a fantastic computer program called Total Recorder that easily records copies of any and all sounds coming from my computer speakers. What’s so great about that? Well, for me I really like listening to radio stations from around the country and the world on my computer with high-speed cable. Besides radio, Total Recorder can create WAV or MP3 files of your CD’s, DVD’s, or anything playing through your computer’s input or microphone jacks like a cassette player, reel-to-reel or record player. (Does anyone still have one?) It can record program sounds including game sounds and can save web conference discussions. And, it can even be set up to record and stop at specific times, which is great for recording streaming content. There’s lots of possibilities. Programs like Microsoft Media Player, Real Player, and Music Match Jukebox not only can play back your CD’s but they can stream web content. As I write this, I’m listening to web radio via Music Match Jukebox. Not long ago I recorded a CD of bluegrass music streamed over the Internet using Total Recorder. Total Recorder v4.4 is available from High Criteria Software located at www.highcriteria.com. It comes in Standard and Professional versions. The standard version sells for $11.95 while the professional version goes for $35.95. The professional version allows you to edit, split, and merge your recorded sound files and has a built-in browser to make automatically timed Internet recording even easier. It’s a very straightforward, no-nonsense program. Total Recorder is so efficiently designed that, unlike other recording software, it pulls the sound to be recorded directly from Windows instead of the sound card. That way, it is capturing the pure sound before any conversions or alterations are made. The recording level meters allow you to adjust your volume settings for maximum volume without distortion. By default, Total Recorder records in WAV format. The documentation includes information about downloading Blade or Lame drivers to record in MP3 format, which creates much smaller files than WAV’s. I found that the Lame driver worked perfectly and was easy to install. After taking the time to read the documentation, you’ll be ready to do all sorts of great recording. I’m sure you’ll like Total Recorder if you’re into this sort of software. If you’d like to search the web for broadcasts you may like, check out Radio Locator’s website located at: http://www.radio-locator.com/. See you next month! Jerry Wonderly |
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