So you finally got a great USB microphone and want to record yourself talking over gameplay. Now you need audio recording software. Most video editing programs like Adobe Premiere and Sony vegas have built-in voice recording software. These are optimal for recording video game commentary because you can easily sync your voice to the gameplay. However, sometimes a stand-alone voice recorder is necessary for improving your production quality. Stand-alone audio recorders tend to have better functionality then your basic built-in microphone recorder found in video editing software. Now what functionality could you possibly need?
The Best Free Voice Recording Software
We recommend Audacity which is a free voice recorder and audio editing tool for PC. This open source software is actually extremely powerful, but also very simple if you don’t need it’s advanced functionality. Simply plug in your microphone, hit “record,” and save your audio recording in your desired format. Audio editing with this tool is a breeze and, for most users, involves cutting and splicing audio tracks. However, Since the software is open source, there are tons of community plugins that add powerful functionality. You can utilize some of Audacity’s coolest features like noise removal to improve your recording quality and remove unwanted sounds. The powerful noise removal plugin for audacity can remove background noise or annoying mic buzzing, which is usually caused by the cheap USB mics.
Audacity Features:
- Record live audio
- Record computer playback on any Windows Vista or later machine
- Convert tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs
- Edit WAV, AIFF, FLAC, MP2, MP3 or Ogg Vorbis sound files
- AC3, M4A/M4R (AAC), WMA and other formats supported using optional libraries
- Cut, copy, splice or mix sounds together
- Numerous effects including change the speed or pitch of a recording
