Record any sound Windows plays

Freecorder is available in two versions: one for Internet Explorer and another for Firefox. In this Workshop we’ll explain how to install and use Freecorder for Internet Explorer, which is still the world’s most popular browser, but everything regarding the use of Freecorder applies equally to the Firefox version. Start your browser and type www.snipurl.com/8tvpr into the address bar, then click Enter. When the page appears, click the Download button. Save the file called FCSetup.exe onto the Windows Desktop or into a folder of your own choosing.

Close all running programs, including Internet Explorer, and double-click the downloaded file to install it. If you receive a security warning about the file, click Run. This starts the Freecorder Toolbar Setup wizard. Click Next, and then click Next again to read and accept the terms of the licence. Click the Start Install button. On the following screen choose whether to install Freecorder for Internet Explorer, Firefox or both. Simply click to remove the tick from the version you don’t require, and then click Next. When setup is complete, click the Finished button.

Internet Explorer will then fire up with its newly installed Freecorder toolbar on display, and you’ll be taken to the Freecorder welcome page. As you can see, the toolbar seems to have a lot of clutter on it for a recording utility, but this is because it includes a number of optional features that have nothing to do with its recording abilities. You’ll be able to weed out some of these later. For the time being, click on the Settings button to display the Freecorder Settings dialogue box.

In the Settings dialogue box the Freecorder Audio Driver is preselected and should not be changed. The Output Format is set to MP3 at 128Kbits/sec, which is an all-purpose setting for MP3 files. This can be changed to a lower setting if you’ll mainly be recording the spoken word or to a higher setting if you’re an audiophile who is fussy about quality. You can also opt to record Windows Wave (WAV) files at various qualities, but be warned that recording long WAV files uses up vast amounts of disk space.

In the Prompt for Filename section it’s a good idea to select After Recording, which gives you the opportunity to type a descriptive name for a recording after making it. The Recording Destination Directory section displays the default folder that Freecorder uses for its recordings, which is in a subfolder of My Documents called My Recordings. If you don’t like this arrangement, click the Browse button and choose a different folder. You’re now ready to make your first recording, so play something using your favourite media player or visit a website such as www.youtube.com that features audio.

With your choice of audio playing, click the Record button on the Freecorder toolbar. A small Recording window opens and displays a green oscilloscope-like trace. Although it gives every appearance of being a recording level meter, it has no function other than to show you that a recording is in progress. The recording level is actually fully automatic and cannot be adjusted by the user. The Pause button can be used to suspend and restart recording as often as required. To end the recording, click the Stop button.

Assuming you elected in Step 5 to provide a name after making each recording, a box opens into which you can type a descriptive name for your capture. You must click in this box before starting to type, otherwise your keystrokes will be ignored. Having supplied a name, click the Accept button to store your recording on disk. If there is silence either before or after the main part of the recording, Freecorder trims it automatically, which is very handy when recording live material over which you have no start-and-stop control.

Basically that’s all there is to Freecorder, so let’s take a look at how it can be made less obtrusive within Internet Explorer. To change its appearance, click on the inverted triangle immediately to the right of the word Freecorder on the Freecorder toolbar. This opens a dropdown menu on which, if you wish, you can click Shrink Toolbar to remove the textual descriptions that accompany each toolbar button. After making this decision, click Toolbar Options to display the Toolbar Options dialogue box.

Here are the recommended settings for a minimal configuration: Untick Online Radio Player on the Personal Components tab, and then on the Predefined Components tab, untick all items apart from Record, Stop, Pause, Play and Settings. On the Useful Components tab, untick everything. On the Additional Settings tab, untick all items apart from Enable toolbar update and Enable automatic update, and then click OK. Your toolbar will now look like the one shown here (assuming you’ve turned off text descriptions).

If you don’t use Freecorder every day you can hide it completely by clicking Internet Explorer’s View menu and then Toolbars. This displays a list of all the currently installed toolbars, and to suppress Freecorder all you need do is click its entry to remove its tick. Whenever you need Freecorder again, reverse this procedure to enable it. Should Freecorder ever fail to detect the sounds your computer is making, a fix that is recommended on the program’s website is to start Freecorder before activating the audio source.