I'm looking for an easy and free way to get audio into the pc, that I can then convert into mp3.

If it has the ability to do simple cuts, and combine multiple tracks (so I can overlay and combine 2 seperate feeds) into 1, all the better.

Dankes :)

How about using Sound Recorder that comes with Win XP?:one_samur

I'm running windows 2k, and SR is limited on this platform.

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

I have worked a little with audacity....it is a pretty nice program. There is another program I know of that is shareware but does a really nice job converting files and you can edit a lot of music files in it....fades...etc. Can't think of the name but when I see the person who showed it to me I will ask them what it is and the post it.

Check these out....you might find something.

http://www.audio-ware.com/
http://www.freeware-guide.com/dir/audio/ripenco.html
http://www.popularshareware.com/Audio-Converter-transfer-1284.html
http://www.litexmedia.com/audio_wizard/
http://www.blazemp.com/
http://www.audioconverter.net/

Danke!

I use Audacity with great results. Get the LAME mp3 encoder and put the dll file in the audacity folder......bing!

Nice Tip Black Cat....I ought to try that....although I don't use audio stuff that often....

Trying Audacity...have a huge amount of Hum on the recordings. Tried filtering it, and I seem to lose all sound. >_<

Trying Audacity...have a huge amount of Hum on the recordings. Tried filtering it, and I seem to lose all sound. >_<

where are you capturing the audio from, bob?

microphone

i dont know how much or what kind of audio stuff you have done in the past....but the most important thing is to have properly shielded and grounded cables to cancel out electrical noise. the second thing to check is your input levels.
in your preferences, make sure you have your soundcard as the preferred recording device. if it isnt a stereo microphone, make sure you have it set to record only one channel.
anything else i think of...i'll post it

Found my problem. Microphone was bad. Swapped it out with Susans, and hum went away. The joy of the $9 boommike. LOL

...and he always says me and mine are defective... 9_9

Ok, so far, using Audacity's worked good. Have to work out how to filter out the breathing noises now. LOL

The softwares got a few challenges, but overall is a simple, quick editor, and it makes nice and tight mp3's. I'm very happy with it so far.

tell me more about the breathing, bob.
sound processing is sort of my specialty.........i did my bands sound for 10 years.

listen to the files. I can't hear it myself, except in a few spots. A few others though said they hear me breathing.
(deadparrottavern.com/forum in the comedy forum)

I just started playing with audacity about 4 months ago...i don't need it for much so i don't use it...but tips on how to reduce outside noise are always helpful.

I'm thinking it might be that I need to use a mike stand, and maybe get one of those spongy thingys for the end.

ok...
you do need to use a mic stand......there is a lot of movement noise that wouldnt normally be heard in a live situation due to background noise being picked up and amplified.
hold the mic further away from your mouth and increase the input level, this way most of what the mic will pick up will be loud sound like talking and not the sound of your breath moving over the screen.

Thanks! I'll give that a try. :)

There is a filter on it but I've never used it. Maybe BlackCat can explain the filters.

the best thing to do when recording sound or mastering it, is to have the cleanest, least effected, balanced, and undistorted input or track.
filters,EQ's, and effects are the last thing you should do to a sound to enhance it.
with audacity, the best thing is the "undo" function.....something that isnt possible on analog tape.
play with every filter after you have a clean, uncompressed bed track.

remember to always normalize the level's before completing your project. this will ensure that you wont have to crank the volume when listening to it......then you forget, next time you boot you get that loud ungodly windows theme.

Thanks...that is helpful. Maybe we can start a thread about Audacity in the open source area and talk about the program there....

Audacity thread started... http://www.buffaloit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=723