SimpleRecorder

Windows puts some of the basic tools at your disposal by default to always have a method of performing almost any kind of activity if you don’t have the time, or possibility to look for more advanced alternatives. Recording sound is one of them, but if you do happen to have the chance to look for other means, SimpleRecorder might be what you need.

First of all, the application skips you the whole time and effort required to go through a setup process to make it work. This also enables you to easily carry it around on a thumb drive to use on other computers besides your own. You don’t have to worry about affecting the stability of the target PC, because system registries are not modified to enable functionality.

All detected input devices are shown in a list, so you can instantly select the one you want to use. Unfortunately, speaker sound is not one of them, but this can be tweaked through the system’s audio settings if you want to record anything happening on the computer. If not, a microphone is required, unless you’re using a laptop, most of which coming with a built-in microphone.

Before recording starts, there’s the possibility to specify the save location, and name of the new file. Output is always a WAV file, and it would have been useful to at least have the MP3 alternative available. There are no quality configuration options, case in which you depend on the input device for quality.

Hitting start initiates the recording session right a way, with two channel gain sliders providing a small visual feedback on sound input intensity. Whenever you decide to stop, a simple press of a button is enough, with the audio file automatically saved to the specified location.

In conclusion, SimpleRecorder comes with good intentions, but it’s not a lot different than what Windows already puts at your disposal. Output format is poor, with only the WAV format to use, while recording sessions must be assisted, because of the lack of a built-in scheduler for when you’re not around.