Spotlight: AI chat, games like Retro, location changer, Roblox unblocked
Spotlight: AI chat, games like Retro, location changer, Roblox unblocked
What does a Windows audio recorder need to do? In most cases, recording screen audio and microphone voice are the main jobs. But there are multiple factors you still need to consider: pricing, recorded audio quality, interface design, output formats, and more. If you are bothered by looking for an audio recorder that can grab sound played on your computer or through the microphone, you just come to the right place. Here are the 7 best Windows audio recorders for Windows 10 in 2024. This article reviews those Windows audio recording software in detail. You can pick up the right audio recorder to record audio from your computer.
| Steps | Description |
| 1. Testing OS | We picked 4 PCs to run these selected software, they are in Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows 7. |
| 2. Recording Activities | Then, we tested these Windows audio recorders to record sound from various sources: microphone, system sound, browser sound, etc. |
| 3. Recording Process | During the recording process, we set different outputs and used every function to measure their interface and navigation design. |
| 4. Export Audio | When receiving the output files, we checked how many formats they support and whether there was quality loss or unclear audio files. |
Our Top Picks
Best Conversion Recorder for Windows: RecordPad
Recorded audio files can be directly burned into CDs.
Best Multitrack Recording Software for Audio Professions: MixPad
Create an awesome mixing and recording.
Default Voice Recorder Software for Windows 10: Windows Voice Recorder
A free voice recorder for Windows 10 users. You can record sound with Windows Voice Recorder for free.
Best Music Recorder for Windows: Cinch Audio Recorder
Download and record streaming music and save to MP3 format.
Best Spotify Music Downloader for Windows: Audials One
Save songs from Spotify, Deezer, Soundcloud, and many other music streaming sites with top quality.
Best Windows Streaming Audio Recording Software: Apowersoft Streaming Audio Recorder
A one-stop music downloader and recorder.
Best Lossless Audio Recorder for Everyone: AnyMP4 Audio Recorder
Your easy way to record all kinds of sound and voice on Windows without quality loss.
It is hard to say which one can be your best audio recording software for Windows 11/10/8/7. You can read the following reviews to see if the PC audio recorder can meet your demand.
RecordPad
Platform:Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP
Price:$19.99
Key Feature: Smart voice-activated feature to skip long-time silence
Best for: Students to record lectures, musicians to record demos, vloggers to make vlogs
RecordPad is high quality Windows sound recording software released by NCH. You can record computer sound, browser audio, notes, music, voice, and other kinds of sound in MP4, WAV, or TIFF format. Compared with other Windows audio recorder software, RecordPad does not offer many output audio formats.
RecordPad allows users to record audio with 8 to 320kbps bitrates. The RecordPad audio recording files can be burned onto CD directly. Thus, you can download and record online songs and playlists for CD burning by using RecordPad. Moreover, the voice-activated recording function skips long-time silence automatically. However, the interface of NCH RecordPad sound recorder software is not intuitive. Beginners may find that it is not easy to record audio with RecordPad.
MixPad
Platform:Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP
Price:$34.99 (Free for non-commercial use)
Key Feature: Record multiple instruments or vocals simultaneously, edit audio files with various tools
Best for: Professional musicians to create musical pieces, video editors to add background musical elements
MixPad is also an audio recorder released by NCH. You can record and mix multiple audio tracks on Windows. Both music and voice tracks can be mixed by NCH MixPad. Most audio formats are supported. Thus, you can import multiple tracks into MixPad audio recorder and editor for further editing.
There is a royalty-free music library that contains lots of sound effects and music. Moreover, you can add audio effects within MixPad, such as EQ, reverb, compress, and more. The built-in ASIO support is also good for audio processing. The main drawback of MixPad is that you can export sound up to 32 bits and 96 kHz only. Whatever, MixPad can be a good free audio recording software for Windows 10 and earlier.
Windows Voice Recorder
Platform:Windows 10/8
Price:Free
Key Feature: Saves recorded files automatically for easy access
Best for: Beginners to find basic and simple solutions for audio recording
Voice Recorder is a new official sound recorder for Windows 10 users. As for Windows 8 users, you can also search for Windows Voice Recorder and get a brand-new interface. Just as its name shows, you can record voice on Windows 10 only. Windows Voice Recorder is capable of capturing internal sound on your Windows computer. But if you want to record lectures, notes, conversions, interviews, and other events, you can start a voice recording on Windows. The audio recordings are saved into the Documents folder automatically.
Cinch Audio Recorder
Platform:Windows 10/8.1/8/7
Price:$25
Key Feature: Record audio from streaming services like Spotify, Pandora, or YouTube
Best for: Music and online radio lovers to create playlists and play offline
Cinch Audio Recorder is designed for online music downloading. The success rate and audio quality of most online audio downloaders are pretty low. More and more people prefer to download streaming music with audio recorders. If you want to download music from Spotify, Amazon Music Unlimited, iTunes Music, and more, you can use Cinch Audio Recorder to save music in MP3 format. As a result, you can listen to streaming music offline permanently. What's more, the built-in Spotify ad filter, ID3 editor, and ringtone maker are also good to use.
Audials One
Platform:Windows 11/10/8/7
Price:$59.99
Key Feature: Download music from streaming services, music video platforms, and online radio station
Best for: Podcast listeners to automatically download favorite podcasts for uninterrupted listening
Audials One is your new video and audio downloader. You can grab TV shows, movies, songs, playlists, podcasts, and many other live streams. As for Windows audio recording, you can use Audials One to save songs from Deezer, Amazon Music, Soundcloud, and many other sites with the original audio tracks. Moreover, you can download tracks and entire artist discographies from Spotify with up to 30x faster speed. There is no audio quality loss while recording with Audials One Windows audio recorder software. However, the price of Audials One is kind of expensive. Is it really worth recording music at such a high price?
Apowersoft Streaming Audio Recorder
Platform:Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP
Price:$59.95
Key Feature: Multiple output audio formats in MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV, and more
Best for: Online learners to record different kinds of online courses and applications
Apowersoft Streaming Audio Recorder is capable of recording streaming audio into MP3, AAC, FLAC, WMA, and many other audio formats. You can listen to music offline with any music player and portable device. Your subscription will never “expire”. The Windows audio recording software also recognizes and adds ID3 tags to your music records automatically. There is no need to edit ID3 information manually. Moreover, the Windows 10 audio recorder software also supports many formats and portable devices. You can record and convert audio files in batch for better offline playback.
Key Feature: Comprehensive audio recorder for PC Windows 10 with wide compatibility and various editing functions
Best for: All-level users to do any kind of audio recording on computer
Compared with Audicals One and Apowersoft Streaming Audio Recorder, you can get AnyMP4 Audio Recorder lifetime license at half the price. The Windows 10 audio recording software allows users to record both internal and external audio on Windows with zero quality loss. Thus, you can capture streaming sound and grab your own voice into MP3, M4A, AAC, WAV, and many other formats.
There is a wide range of output audio settings. For example, you can get multiple choices to set the preset audio quality from lowest to lossless. The built-in audio trimmer can help users cut out unwanted audio clips directly. Later, you can save or share audio recordings based on your need. Well, it is not only your Windows audio recorder but also an audio editor for daily uses. The budget price and powerful audio recording functions are attractive.
1. Price: It is true that you can find free audio recording software for Windows 10, just like Windows Voice Recorder. But you can get limited features in recording Windows 10 audio. As you can see, the price of the above paid Windows audio recorders varies from $19.99 to $59.99. It does not mean that expensive audio recorders are better than those cheaper recorders. Actually, most beginner-level users don't use many advanced features. So figure out what you really do before buying an audio recorder for Windows.
2. Audio Recording Features: What's the difference among the above desktop audio recording software? Despite recording audio on Windows PC, you can get many other features, such as silence skip, music library, ringtone maker, add ID3 tags, etc. Be aware that all those functions are concluded into the final bill. If you just want to capture computer audio and microphone voice, you don't need to spend money on those advanced features. A simple but useful Windows audio recorder is a better choice.
3. Output Formats: For exporting the recorded audio files, you still need to consider its output format compatibility. Most Windows screen recorders support the common MP3 format output. But if you want to use the audio file for other uses or further editing on other platforms, you may need more format options. Besides, the lossless formats like FLAC, APE, and APE.
4. Editing Needs: For some audio professionals, you may need to edit the recorded files to create your own work. Therefore, multiple editing tools can be a great bonus. These functions allow you to cut, merge, add effects, and do more customizations to make the audio files closer to your imagination.
5. Easy to Use: A simple interface is also a necessity. No matter you are an audio professional or a beginner, a clear and intuitive interface design can easily guide you on where to start. Additionally, the smart navigation can also help you improve audio recording efficiency and make the recording smoother.
Does Windows 10 have a built-in recorder?
Windows 10 does have a built-in screen recorder, it’s called the Xbox Game Bar. You can press Win + G to launch it. It supports recording screen activities and audio files.
Does the Snipping Tool Record audio?
In the default situation, the Snipping Tool can capture both screen and audio on your computer. If not, you check whether the option is enabled or not in settings.
Can I use OBS to just record audio?
The answer is no. OBS doesn’t support single audio recording. Because it’s a professional screen recorder and broadcasting tool. But you can set it to record low-quality video and high-quality audio with the help of settings.
Conclusion
Here we reached the end of this list. We shared the top 7 Windows audio recorders with their major features and descriptions. Which one is your ideal one? Besides, we shared some factors to help you select a recording software on Windows that suits you the most. You can download one and try it by yourself.
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