How To Record A Microphone On Computer?

Sound Recorder is an app you can use to record audio for up to three hours per recording file. You can use it side by side with other apps, which allows you to record sound while you continue working on your PC.

Connecting Your Microphone

You can connect your mic by plugging it into the appropriate port. In general, this means:

• If you have a mic with a 3.5mm jack, plug it into a mic-in port.
• If you have an XLR mic, plug it into an XLR-USB audio interface and the interface into the USB port.

Many laptops and notebooks feature built-in microphones. While they may be good enough to record your voice properly, other recordings that they produce will often be somewhat unpleasant.

Most microphones are in mono, and mono is generally the best choice for recordings. Only use stereo if you do need directionality.

Giving Sound Recorder Permission to Use Your Microphone

If it's your first time using this app, follow the on-screen instructions to give it permission to access your computer's microphone.

To manually give Sound Recorder permission to use your microphone, go to the app's settings and enable microphone access. Under Input Settings > Input Volume, use the slider to adjust the microphone volume.

Recording Computer and Microphone Sound Simultaneously

Bandicam's audio only recording mode gives you complete control over your audio recording experience. You can selectively capture computer sound from any application, record your voice through a microphone with professional noise suppression, or record both simultaneously.

Computer Sound Only

Capture audio from any application running on your PC.

Microphone Audio Only

Record your voice through a microphone with professional noise suppression.

Record Both Computer and Microphone Sound Simultaneously

Perfect for commentaries, interviews, or music production. Use the REC button to start/stop recording. Adjust volume levels separately for system audio and microphone input for perfect audio balance.

Quick Start Guide: Record Audio in 3 Simple Steps

1. Download a free audio recorder for Windows 11/10/8/7 such as Bandicam.
2. Open the application, choose audio-only mode, and select your microphone from the input list. Adjust volume levels if needed.
3. Press REC to start recording, and stop when done. Your voice files are saved automatically to your recordings directory.

Saving and Scheduling Recordings

Bandicam gives you flexible options for saving your audio recordings in the format that best suits your needs. Use WAV format for highest audio quality when recording music or important voice recordings, and MP3 for everyday recordings that need to be shared or stored efficiently.

Set recordings to start and end automatically at specific times on a daily or weekly basis — perfect for capturing regular broadcasts, online classes, or recurring meetings when you're away from your computer. Configure audio recording schedules by choosing the 'Audio Only' recording mode and setting your preferred schedule in the scheduled recording settings. Select audio sources, quality settings, and file formats in advance for completely automated recording.

Bandicam supports continuous audio recording for more than 24 hours — perfect for capturing long events, overnight recording, or extended monitoring. Use Windows Task Scheduler to automatically start recording when Windows launches, or utilize Bandicam's 'Auto-Complete Recording' feature to automatically start audio recording hourly or stop after detecting silence.

Noise Suppression and Mute Controls

Bandicam's advanced noise suppression technology ensures your voice recordings sound professional by automatically reducing unwanted background noise. Record clear voice audio without distracting keyboard clicks, mouse sounds, computer fans, or room ambience.

• Choose from low/medium/high noise suppression levels to match your environment.
• Perfect for podcasts, voiceovers, online meetings, and lectures.
• Maintain natural voice quality while eliminating distractions.

Need to temporarily silence your recording without stopping it? Simply click on the speaker or microphone icon in the Bandicam window while recording to instantly mute that audio source. This allows you to prevent unwanted background noise or interruptions from being recorded, mute system sounds while keeping microphone recording active, pause microphone input while continuing to record computer audio, and resume audio recording with another click when ready.

Audio Recording Tips for Best Results

For voice recording:

• Use noise suppression: enable low or medium noise suppression to eliminate background noise for clear voice capture.
• Proper microphone placement: position your microphone a few inches away from your mouth for optimal sound quality.
• Test before recording: always do a brief test recording to check audio levels and quality.
• Choose MP3 format: for voice recordings, MP3 at 192kbps provides excellent quality with smaller file sizes.

For music recording:

• Use WAV format: choose WAV for lossless audio quality when recording music.
• Disable noise suppression: turn off noise suppression when recording music to preserve full audio fidelity.
• Adjust volume levels: set appropriate volume levels before recording to prevent distortion.
• Schedule automatic recording: use scheduled recording to capture streaming music when you're away from your PC.

Recording Two Audio Sources

A basic Windows computer will only have one input. You'll need a mixer or interface or another mic to record from two sources. One thing you won't be able to do is use speakers as an input.

You could record the two different sources and then edit them together in a DAW such as Cakewalk. This is a preferable way to do it — you can always mixdown to one track later when you output the file. Use Virtual Audio Cable if your audio interface doesn't have a loopback feature. Some audio cards like Creative Labs have an audio source of "What-U-Hear," which will record the output of the speakers.

Once you've made your recording, make sure to save your work. This applies regardless of whether you intend on editing it later or not.