Ok, so I got a microphone for my computer, but now I guess I need some recording software or something so that I can record something for Clips and Snips?
Anyone have advice, preferably of the kind that doesn’t involve taking out the credit card?
I had goldwave on my computer for awhile. (I might still, but I haven’t recorded in a long time.)
It is free, and the version I had supposedly let you save them in mp3. I didn’t use it, but I think it could work.
You don’t get all of it for free though, but it works well enough to record yourself in a decent sounding file.
I imagine Sound Recorder (windows standard) would work too, you just need an mp3 encoder…
I use both Goldwave, Multitrack Studio, and I’m starting to use Audacity.
Goldwave is a very easy recording / editing tool, it gives fantastic recordings and does a good job cleaning them up.
Multitrack Studio has a little steeper learning curve but lets you record and edit multiple parts for harmonies or layering or remixing.
I’m still learning Audacity, but I would say that although the learning curve seems steeper to me, it is quite a bit more powerful than Goldwave. Audacity also includes the multitrack capability that Goldwave lacks.
So far I’m very impressed with Audacity, and I like using open source software when I can, so I’ll probably be using it more and more as I learn its capabilities.
–James
If you want to get started RIGHT NOW why not use the recording software that is a part of Windows (are you on Widows?) It is in the Accessories section of All Programs. Simple, but it would give you a first run and might even satisfy your needs. Best of all, it is already there and no credit card!!! 
There’s a limitation with windoze Soundrecorder though… It’ll only let you record for 60 seconds, unless you first open a file longer than 60 seconds and record over it. And it only saves in pcm wav format, which is pretty huge (and would then require further conversion to mp3).
Audacity works fine as a replacement for Soundrecorder, and will let you save direct to mp3, and has no soundfile size limitation other than the size of your hard drive. Audacity can also be configured to record anything that your soundcard plays, so if you’re playing a streaming file (.rm or .wma -or even video- from a website for example) that you otherwise can’t download and save, you can record it on the fly to your drive.
Personally I use Cool Edit Pro, but that’s a hefty sound processing application I need for video editing work.
Gary, it sounds like you are fairly familiar with CoolEdit Pro, so may I pick your brain? 
I’m kind of a newbie with mine and basically just know enough to open a file, record something, and play with the fun sound effects. What I can’t seem to figure out is why my sound files are all so large, even when it’s just a simple whistle or vocal recording with no sound effects or accompaniment. I see other people get 3 minute files that are a little over a megabyte, where mine come out to be almost three megabytes. 
When I open a new file I have the settings as: Sample Rate=44100, Channel= Stereo, Resolution= 32-bit (float). Can I change any of that to make the file smaller, but not lose any sound quality? I am using a cheapie little computer mic-- does that make a difference?
Best,
Andrea
Another vote for Audacity.
Though I do use Transcribe to split large files (like an hour long set) into separate tracks.
Regards,
jb
Pick away by all means!
It sounds to me like you’re saving a .wav file in raw .pcm format. Cool Edit Pro (I assume you’re using version 2) has an MP3 compressor built in.
When you’re done recording, click on “file, save as” and in the pop-up box that appears, select “mp3PRO(FhG)(*.mp3)” in the “save as type” box.
Your ‘raw recording’ will be in .pcm wav format, but when you save as type MP3, your saved file will be compressed and you should notice a heeyooge improvement in filesize.
Just try opening any .wav file you’ve already saved and click on “File, Save As…” and have a look at the ‘Save as type’ list you have. Let me know if you don’t see an MP3 entry in that list.
You can PM me if you like (but I’m off home shortly, it’s the end of the day here)…I’ll get back to you tomorrow if you have any problems 
Hope this helps!
Check out the Shareware Music Machine for lots of recording/editing encoding/ripping programs for all OS.
For a good all around prog for a Windows machine, do a Google and see if you can find a download of cooledit96.
I consider lame (Lame Ain’t an Mp3 Encoder 
) to be the best wav to mp3 encoder. It is open source, but I think it is available for Windows too.
Thanks everyone! I’ve got audacity now, and I’m experimenting.