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Recorder Mode

This mode is similar to the Windows "Sound Recorder" utility in the Accessories group in that it allows you to record and playback sound files.  Unlike "Sound Recorder" however, you have control over the sampling format and sampling rate.  The program will also display the spectrum of the signal while recording or playing although priority is given to the recording process.  

When using the RAM file access mode, the program will attempt to allocate enough memory  for the recording and will reduce the recording length if not enough memory is available.  The recording length is specified in the File Options dialog box.

When using the Hard Disk file access mode, the program will record and playback directly from your hard disk.  Temporary files are created during hard disk recording.  Use the <File><Set Paths> menu command to specify the directory to be used for these temporary files.  All temporary files are removed when the application closes.  

The amount of memory required for each minute of audio varies widely depending upon the sampling rate and sampling format.  Some typical values for mono recording are shown below (multiply the values by 2 for stereo recording):

Sampling Rate (Hz)      Sampling Precision (bits)      Bytes/Minute
      11,025                                                   16                                              1,323,000
      22,050                                                   16                                              2,646,000
      44,100                                                   16                                              5,292,000
      44,100                                                   24                                              7,938,000
      96,100                                                   24                                            17,280,000


When a .WAV file is opened, the sampling rate and format are changed to match the rate at which the file was recorded - the Sampling Rate must remain constant within a single .WAV file.  The current sampling rate is always displayed in the status bar along the bottom of the application.

Continuous Recording Capability
Wave files can store up to 2 GB of data in a single file (the corresponding time depends upon the sampling format).  When this limit is reached, the program will momentarily stop recording, save the file and then start recording again in a new file.  If the file is does not yet have a name, the program will give it a name using the computer date and time.  The file will be stored in the \wave folder as specified in the <File><Set Paths> dialog.  This feature applies to the hard disk recording mode only.

Example: c:\spectra\wave\recording_2002_11_26_102011.wav                     
(in this example the date and time were 10:20:11 Nov, 26 2002 when the file was saved)

Important:
During hard disk recording sessions, do not perform other disk intensive operations (such as opening a major application).  Although Windows is a multitasking operating system, it relies on the cooperation of individual applications and cannot guarantee immediate access to system resources.

See also: Basic Operation , Sampling Rate, Device Options , Working with Audio Files