How to record
- Decide whether to Clean up the sound (on for speech, off for music).
- Press Start recording and allow the microphone when your browser asks.
- Speak. The timer counts up and the level meter moves with your voice. Pause and resume as often as you like.
- Press Stop, then listen back with the player.
- Choose MP3, M4A or WAV and save. Not happy? Press Record again.
Getting a clean recording
Watch the level meter. Green is good; the odd flicker of amber on loud words is fine. If it turns red and says it is too loud, move back from the microphone or speak a little more softly, because sound that is too loud gets clipped and crackles, and that cannot be fixed afterwards.
- Choose a soft room. Curtains, cushions and a bed absorb echo; a bathroom or an empty room with bare walls adds it.
- Keep a steady distance. With a phone, hold it a hand's width or two from your mouth and slightly to the side, so breaths do not pop.
- Switch off fans and coolers if you can. Noise reduction helps, but less noise to begin with always sounds better.
- Use earphones with a microphone for the clearest voice on a laptop, since the built-in microphone also picks up the keyboard and fan.
Which format to save
| Format | Good for | Size |
|---|---|---|
| MP3, 128 kbps | Sending, sharing, playing anywhere | About 1 MB a minute |
| M4A, 128 kbps | iPhones and Apple apps | About 1 MB a minute |
| WAV | Editing software, transcription services that ask for it | About 10 MB a minute |
WAV is made directly by your browser, without downloading the engine. MP3 and M4A are made by the FFmpeg engine on your device, which is downloaded the first time and then kept by your browser.
What people use it for
- Voice samples and self-introductions requested in job and college applications.
- Practising a speech, an interview answer or a language, and listening back.
- Recording a song idea, a poem or a story for a child.
- Narration for a presentation or video. To record your screen as well, use the screen recorder on a computer.
Afterwards, trim the start and end with the audio cutter, put several takes together with the audio joiner, or change the format with the audio converter.
The engine behind this tool
Video and sound are processed by FFmpeg, the open-source engine behind most of the world's video software, compiled to run inside your browser as ffmpeg.wasm. It is downloaded from this site (about 31 MB) the first time you use a video or audio tool, and your browser keeps it for next time. FFmpeg and ffmpeg.wasm are free software, licensed under the GNU General Public License version 2 or later; their source code is at github.com/ffmpegwasm/ffmpeg.wasm.