Sound Capture

Modern devices are fitted with microphones, and Windows already provides a basic tool you can use to capture any audio input. With the right configuration, it can even capture speaker sound. However, you might want to use better alternatives like Sound Capture, which can also save recordings under the MP3 format.

No installation is required to make Sound Capture work, so you can run it right after download. By default, the microphone is selected as the default recording device, but having system sound routed to speaker sound, you can grab anything playing on your computer as well.

The application starts monitoring the selected input device right from the start, with a constantly updating waveform panel. Needless to say that a simple line is built in silence, and you instantly know if audio is playing by simply studying changes in the waveform shape.

There’s no start, or stop buttons, with the process toggle operation being automated. However, you do get some control over the operation by adjusting the trigger volume slider. If audio input gain is greater or equal to the trigger value, sound starts being captured, and ends when the value goes below the limit.

Once recording stops, a new WAV file is created in the application’s source directory. Every new file is numbered so there’s no risk of losing any captured audio. There’s also the possibility to record to MP3, but some tweaks need to be made first.

The source folder also contains a configuration file under the CONF format. It can easily be opened in notepad, offering a straightforward, yet intuitive way to handle behavior options. Descriptions make sure you always know how values need to be changed.

Needless to say that there’s an option to enable MP3 saving. You can configure connection options to a FTP server in order to automatically have files uploaded there, or even to set up a SMTP connection to send emails.

In conclusion, Sound Capture looks and feels rather rough at first, but giving it a try reveals it’s a lot more than meets the eye. Audio trigger method is neat, having files automatically saved under WAV or MP3 files, and even though options are configured through a text editor, it’s lightweight, and pretty practical overall.