digital voice recorder

[alidan]

ok, here is what i want to do.

i want to take notes on crap im reading or watching. but i don't want a 3 hour long audio file. i came here thinking that audacity may have some kind of function where i hold down a button thats unassigned in another program, talk, it records, let go or press it again, it stops.

i realy have no idea where else to go to ask this, as most other places i have been have told me to just pay the 100$+ for a real one, and not a computer software solution.

[steve]

If you are recording in a reasonably quiet room you could use the "Sound Activated Recording" function in Audacity 1.3.12
(see the bottom of this page http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/Transport_Menu )

Alternatively, to use "hotkeys" with Audacity, Audacity must have focus, so that would mean bringing it to the front window - you can then use:
R = Record
Shift+R = Append Record (continue recording from the end
Spacebar = Play / Stop
P = Pause/Resume (works with Play and Record).

[alidan]

would sound activated recording work when its not the front thing?

honestly both are ok solutions, ill just use the one that works better.

[steve]

Sound activated recording works even when in the background on my machine. Try it - it's free.

[alidan]

one last thing,

can i set sencitivity? so things that are quiet dont get recorded?

and also can i just start talking? or do i have to make a noise than wait few seconds?

[steve]

If you are recording in a reasonably quiet room you could use the "Sound Activated Recording" function in Audacity 1.3.12
(see the bottom of this page http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/Transport_Menu )

[alidan]

after tweaking the setting a bit, i managed to get it to not record at all when its silent in my room (as in just the ambient noise and typeing, but if i so much as make a sound, it picks it up and records.

now i have no idea how good this will be long term for me as i tend to have so much shit running that my computer locks up randomly for a second or two, but barring those situations, this is great. lucky me i was looking for this at the right time.