Voice Recorder on Windows: How to Capture Sound on Windows Computer

Want to conquer audio amnesia on your Windows computer? The key lies in a voice recorder Windows applications. It can capture sounds of all kinds, from the pitter-patter of rain, the passionate pitch of a presentation to the juicy details of a whispered conversation, etc. But how, you may ask? This guide is your compass for navigating through the simple sound-snatching steps of a voice recorder. Let's dive right in!

How to choose the best voice recording software for Windows

A voice recorder Windows software is a program that lets you capture audio on your Windows computer. It can record anything, such as lectures, meetings, interviews, personal notes, musical ideas, etc. If you want the best voice recording software for Windows, you should consider the following criteria:

• Check if it can record system audio and use a computer's microphone or an external microphone.
• Find out if it has a straightforward user interface with easy-to-access controls.
• Ensure it can record high-quality sounds with no latency and zero lag.
• Verify if it can support various audio output formats to play smoothly on different devices and platforms.
• Check if the voice recorder is 100% clean without ads, bundleware, or malware.

Also, your needs and budget matter a lot, and if you only record simple audio for personal use, the built-in Windows app will likely suffice. However, an advanced voice recorder is a better option if you need more features or want to use your voice for professional purposes. Read on to learn more!

How to capture audio with the recording software for Windows

The Windows voice recorder app is a free audio recording program preinstalled on most Windows PCs and laptops. If you can't find it on your computer, download it for free from the Microsoft Store. It can record sound from a headset or microphone and lets you add markers to identify key moments. You can also trim the recording to retain only the valuable part of the audio. To find any saved voice recordings, open the sound recordings folder in Documents, where all your voice recordings are automatically saved.

Steps to record sound with the built-in voice recorder for Windows audio capturing

Using the Voice Recorder Windows app is easy. Below is the breakdown of the steps to capture your voice with it:

Step
1. Record audio
2. Launch the in-built voice recorder for Windows by searching for it via the search bar on the Windows taskbar.
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4. Click the Record button with a microphone symbol to begin your voice recording session. Remember, if your computer doesn't have a microphone, you must connect an external one to proceed.
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6. Once the session commences, you can pause it whenever you need a break. Also, click the flag icon button to add a marker or several of them at key points of the voice recording.
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Step
8. Playback and trim
9. To end the voice recording, click the Stop button and use the Play button to preview it, and the flag icon to add additional markers. If need be, trim the audio by dragging the timeline's right or left ends. This marks the new start and end, and you can also rename this most important part of the session. Otherwise, you can delete the voice recording if it doesn't meet your needs and start over.
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Step
11. Share

All recordings are automatically saved on your Windows computer's internal drive. But you can share the recorded voice by clicking the share button. This will present you with different apps, including Mail. Click on an app and follow the provided instructions.



As seen, the Windows voice recorder app is quite straightforward. However, it has limitations, such as limited input sources and single file output format, which may hinder your voice recording needs. To get past that, you need an advanced third-party voice recorder to capture sounds like a pro!

6 Best alternatives for the inbuilt Windows audio capture software

With a simple internet search, you'll find a lot of voice recording software, and choosing the most reliable one can be tricky. But that shouldn't be a problem. This list of the top 6 alternatives for the in-built voice recorder for Windows has simplified the work for you.



Free download sound recording software for Windows PC

Do you frequently record sounds on your Windows laptop or PC? Do you want an offline voice recorder to rely on? These are the top three alternatives for the inbuilt Windows audio recording software:

1. CapCut desktop video editor

Compared to its online version, the CapCut desktop video editor offers a high-performance voice recorder with more features. Its voice recording settings allow you to select the voice input device, such as a microphone. You can also adjust the volume to control the voice recording loudness and turn on Echo reduction to avoid echoes from speakers. Also, you can configure the Mute project setting to silence other tracks on the timeline and enhance voice by auto-removing popping sounds, mouth clicks, etc. Here is how it works:

How to record your voice on the CapCut desktop video editor

Step
1. Record
2. Launch the CapCut desktop video editor on your Windows computer and click New Project. This will take you right into the media editing window. Click the microphone icon on the toolbar below the player window, and let the magic begin.
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   Download for free

   

   *No credit card need
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5. Click the Input device drop-down arrow to select which microphone to use, then drag the volume bar to adjust the loudness of your voice recording. If you want to minimize speaker echo, enable Echo reduction and Mute project to turn off sounds from other clips in your project. For better sound clarity, activate Enhance voice to remove distracting noises like mouth clicks, etc., automatically. Now you are all set! Click on the red button to begin your voice recording session.
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7. You will see the voice recording timer, and after the voice recording, click the stop button to end the session. You can also record multiple audios and add them to your timeline for editing!
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Step
9. Edit
10. It is a splendid idea to polish your voice recording(s) before sharing or adding them to a video. For starters, you can trim the audio length by dragging its edges on the timeline, then click Basic to turn the volume up or down.
11. For more volume customization, click loudness normalization to normalize the original loudness of the selected recording segment. You can also add a fade in or out to smoothen your recording's beginning or end, then enable noise reduction and enhance voice functions to clean the recording.
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13. If you want to distort your voice to make it unrecognizable, click Voice changer and select a voice filter such as Deep, Electronic, or Mic Hog, among others. You can also choose that of a voice character like Jessie, Chipmunk, etc., or click speech to song to turn your audio recording into a folk melody. The Speed feature lets you change the voice tone or adjust how fast your recording plays.
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15. For more sound effects or to add moody, vibrant, or other types of music to your recording, go to audio in the top left menu. You can also select TikTok sounds or extract audio from videos stored on your computer.
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17. Once you are done editing your audio, you can go further and integrate it into a video. The CapCut desktop video editor offers tens of cinematic video templates to complement your recording.
18. Alternatively, you can upload pictures or videos and leverage media resources such as filters, transitions, effects, and more for breathtaking visuals. This software offers basic video editing features like cropping, rotation, mirroring, trimming, etc., and a suite of advanced editing functions like mask, split scene, and others. Furthermore, you can leverage AI features like smooth slow-mo for a seamless slow-motion effect.
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Step
20. Export

Once the voice recording meets your standards and you have added suitable visuals, click Export. You can select a resolution up to 4k, a frame rate up to 60fps, and choose between MOV and MP4 formats. To save the recording as audio, select Export audio, then select a format such as MP3, FLAC, AAC, and WAV.

If you've added other sounds or music to your recorded audio or the final edited video, run a free copyright check to ensure it is free of copyrighted materials.



You can now share your media directly to TikTok or YouTube from the CapCut desktop video editor. When posting to TikTok, set the 9:16 TikTok video aspect ratio and choose to allow comments, duets, and stitch.



2. BandiCam

Bandicam is a screen, game, and webcam recording software for Windows that supports an audio-only recording mode to capture sound from your microphone or speakers. It is compatible with all Windows editions from Vista through to Windows 11. This software allows you to schedule automatic recordings.



3. Ashampoo

Ashampoo is a high-quality Windows sound recording software that can capture audio from your microphone or sound card. It supports multiple file exporting formats ranging from lossless high-fidelity audio to MP3s. You can also easily cut your recordings.



Free online audio recording software for Windows

A web-based Windows sound recording software eliminates platform compatibility issues. You can record or edit voices on the go on any device. These are the top picks:

4. CapCut online video editor

The CapCut online video editor is a feature-rich media editor with an advanced voice recorder. Its audio recording button is easily accessible, and you can select your input device, adjust the input gain, and capture system audio. Moreover, it has a teleprompter where you can paste or enter text to guide your speech. Its advanced features let you mute other tracks in the timeline as you record to capture your voice only and reduce echo to make your voice clearer and more focused.

How to capture audio with the CapCut online video editor voice recorder

Recording your voice on the CapCut online video editor is a piece of cake, as shown in the steps below.

Step
1. Record
2. Follow the link above or visit the CapCut official website to launch the CapCut online video editor. Find the audio recording button, a microphone symbol, on the media uploading window and click it to open the CapCut online voice recorder.
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4. On the voice recording interface, click on the microphone icon to adjust the recording settings. You can select your preferred audio input source as the default microphone, communications microphone, or other microphones. Also, you can drag the decibels slider to control the input gain or toggle the monitor input audio button if you want to capture system audio.
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6. Also, you can use the teleprompter feature to guide you when recording your voice as you read from a script. Paste your text to the teleprompter or type it manually. You can also click the A- or A+ symbol on the teleprompter window to decrease or increase the font size to make it easy to read and follow.
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8. There are also some advanced voice recording settings to mute tracks and reduce echo. For example, if you are recording your voice and have several tracks loaded on the timeline, you can silence them, with the current voice recording session left only. You can use the reduce echo feature to clean up the audio for an improved overall listening experience.
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10. After customizing your voice recording settings, you can commence the recording session by clicking the red voice recording button. You can pause it at any point and click the play button to continue with the session. Also, there is a time indicator showing the amount of time the voice recording session has been going on, and once satisfied, click the stop button to end the session.
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Step
12. Edit
13. Once the recording is finished, you can enhance and improve the recorded audio using CapCut's cutting-edge audio features. For example, you can control the volume and add a keyframe as a tiny milestone within an audio track. Under Fade in and out, control the fade-in and fade-out durations to create a smooth listening experience. You can also use the one-click noise reduction feature to remove background noise or use the beat detection feature to highlight beat markers if your recorded sound has beats.
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15. If you want to manipulate your voice further, to remain anonymous, or simply change how you sound, you can use the voice changer feature. It offers different voice filtering effects such as Santa, Tremble, Chipmunk, Elfy, Robot, Mic Hog, Distorted, etc. You also have a wide range of stock music and sound effects, such as swish, explosion, cheers, kwek kwek, woosh, etc., to add flavor to your recordings.
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17. Open the Speed feature to adjust the playback speed for different recorded audio parts and turn on the pitch toggle button to auto-refine the pitch. Moreover, just above the timeline, you can split the audio, delete unwanted parts, or download a selected track segment. Click the flag icon to leverage the AI beat detector or add a new beat to your recording.
18. The transcript-based editing feature lets you generate a detailed transcript of the words spoken in the voice recording. It can help identify filler words and get rid of speech gaps. And if you are making music, then use the auto lyrics feature to generate lyrics for your recorded song.
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20. Suppose you want to integrate the recorded voice into a video. In that case, you can leverage the stock videos on CapCut's library, use a preset template for ideas, or upload a video from your local storage, phone memory, Google Drive, Dropbox, or CapCut space to the editor.
21. For video editing, the CapCut online video editor offers basic editing features like crop, reverse, flip, freeze, etc., advanced editing like split-scene, speed curve, etc., and AI tools like retouching, background removal, auto reframe, etc. Moreover, there are various media resources such as transitions, text templates and effects, filters, video and body effects, video elements, etc.
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Step
23. Export

After voice recording and editing, you can export it. To save your media on your local disk, click Export and select Download. From here, you can adjust the video resolution up to 4k, quality (fast exporting, higher, etc.), frame rate up to 60 fps, and video format as MP4 or MOV.



You can also share your media as a link for people in your space to add comments. Alternatively, you can share your media as a presentation for your school, work, interview, etc. This lets you set privacy as everyone or private, allow downloads, allow auto-captions, and add a title and video description. It also allows sharing on X, Reddit, Tumblr, WhatsApp, etc.



Lastly, you can directly post your recorded audio with video on your TikTok, TikTok Ads Manager, YouTube, YouTube Shorts, Facebook group and Page, and Instagram Reels; all without exiting the CapCut online video editor!



5. VEED.io

VEED.io is a renowned AI video editor offering a free-of-charge voice recorder Windows program. It is easy to use and supports audio recording via your Windows computer's built-in microphone. You can use it on any Windows version and share your voice recordings online without downloading it first.



6. Apowersoft

Apowersoft is a prominent provider of multimedia and online business solutions for you to record, improve, convert, and deliver video content. It has a voice recorder that's free to use and allows you to capture audio from various input sources, including system sound and microphone.



Conclusion

Whether you're a podcaster, a student capturing a lecture, a musician recording a masterpiece, etc., knowing how to record sound on your Windows computer is valuable. Remember, choosing the right tool and settings for your task is key to successful sound recording. You can use the built-in sound recording software for Windows for basic voice recording needs.

However, if you want to record audio like a pro, the CapCut online video editor is perfect for its advanced voice recording settings. It has echo reduction and mute track features and supports multiple sound input sources, including a microphone, headset, and system sound. Also, it has basic, advanced, and AI-powered tools and a vast collection of media assets that can help edit and enrich your recorded audio. Try it today for professional results!

FAQs

1. How good is the audio quality when using an online sound recorder Windows app?
2. This depends on various factors, such as the environment you are recording in, your preferred online voice recorder software, etc. With CapCut's online voice recording software for Windows, you can record high-quality sounds and use mute tracks and echo reduction features to make it clearer. You can also refine the recorded audio with the noise reduction feature. This filters unwanted background sounds from a voice recording, ensuring crystal sound quality.
3. What is the best Windows sound recording software?
4. The CapCut online video editor undoubtedly offers the best sound recording software for Windows computers. It is web-based and can be accessed on all Windows versions and other operating systems, including macOS.
5. You can use it without experience and enjoy advanced features such as mute tracks, echo reduction, and various sound input sources. Moreover, it is an all-in-one video editor offering basic, advanced, and AI tools to improve your recorded audio to achieve studio-grade quality.
6. How long can you record with an audio recorder Windows software?
7. This depends on the Windows audio capture software you are using. Some voice recorders may have limited audio recording durations for their online programs. CapCut online video editor offers an amazing voice recorder for Windows with unlimited voice recording durations free of charge. You can record your audio for as long as you want and as frequently as possible without any restrictions.