Audio Recorder

How it works

A simple browser recorder — Hit record, get an MP3 to download. Want it sent straight to Google Drive instead? It can do that too!

The basics

1. Hit Record — it starts capturing from your microphone. Already have a file? Click Open an MP3 to edit, or drag and drop it onto the recorder — it opens in the editor just like a recording, and you can punch in on it too. Once there's audio in the editor, a new file is added after it instead (see Adding more audio below).
2. Hit it again to stop — your recording appears as a waveform, ready to edit.
3. Edit it (see below), press ▶ or the Space bar to listen back.
4. Download MP3 saves your edited version straight to your computer.
5. Want to start over completely? Record Fresh deletes everything and starts a brand new recording.

Punch & roll

Once you have a recording, the Record button punches in.

• Place the playhead where you want to pick up from (click on the waveform), then hit Record (or Ctrl/Cmd + R or Shift + Space).
• Your new take replaces only the audio underneath it — from the punch point to where you stop. Anything before it, and anything still left after it, stays exactly as it was, joined to the new take with short crossfades. So you can re-record just a few words in the middle of a take.
• Pre-roll — switch it on and set how many seconds you'd like. It plays back that much of what's already there before the punch point, so you can match your pace and tone, then starts recording right at the punch point.
• Wear headphones for pre-roll, so the playback doesn't bleed into your mic.
• Stop during the pre-roll and nothing changes. Changed your mind after a punch? Undo brings the old take back.
• If a join sits a fraction early or late, Alt/Opt + drag the audio within the item to nudge its audio into place.

Adding more audio

• With audio already in the editor, Add an MP3 after this audio puts the file on the timeline as a new item, straight after what's there.
• Drag a file onto the waveform and it appears just after the current audio — keep dragging to slide it wherever you want, even over the existing audio, then let go. Where it overlaps, the two crossfade.
• Want a blank slate instead? Hit Record Fresh first, then open your file.

Editing

Editing is non-destructive: your original takes are always kept underneath, so nothing is ever lost until you save.

• Select — click and drag across the waveform to make a time selection. Drag either edge of the grey selection to fine-tune it.
• Select an item — click on an item. It gets an orange outline, and the playhead moves to where you clicked. Click an empty spot or press Esc to deselect.
• Delete — press Delete or Shift + D (or the Delete button) to remove the time selection, or the selected item if there's no time selection. Everything else stays exactly where it is, so you're left with a gap of silence and separate items either side.
• Delete & Join — press Alt/Opt + Shift + D or Alt/Opt + Delete (or the Delete & Join button). The time selection (or selected item) is removed, the gap closes up, and the two items either side are joined with a short crossfade (the little X) so the join is smooth. The playhead jumps to a second before the join so you can hit Play and hear it.
• Delete space between items — Alt/Opt + Shift + Space closes every gap so the items sit back to back.
• Adjust the crossfade — drag an item by its orange top bar to slide it. Overlap it more for a longer crossfade, pull it away for a gap.
• Reveal or hide audio — drag the left or right edge of any item. Drag outwards and the original audio comes back.
• Slide audio inside an item — hold Alt/Opt and drag, either way. The item stays put; the recording moves within its boundaries (silence fills any space past the ends of the recording).
• Split — press S to split the item under the playhead into two.
• Undo / Redo — Ctrl/Cmd + Z and Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Z.
• Zoom — use + / −, Fit, or Ctrl/Cmd + scroll over the waveform. Shift + scroll (or a sideways trackpad swipe) moves along it.
• ⤢ Expand — makes the editor much bigger for detailed work (and a plain scroll wheel zooms). It remembers your choice next time.

Stopping playback with Space returns the playhead to where you pressed Play — press Enter instead to pause right where you are. [ and ] jump to the start or end of everything, and Ctrl/Cmd + [ or ] hops to the nearest item edge.

See every key: ⌨ Keyboard shortcuts

Saving to Google Drive

Click Connect Google Drive and sign in with the account you'd like recordings to land in. Once you're in, you'll see your email shown as "[email] - connected", so you always know which account is active.

Note: every so often Google asks for a quick click to confirm it's really you, even if you've connected before — just connect again if Google asks!

Need a different account? Switch account lets you log into another Google account without losing any of your saved folders.

Choosing where recordings go

Click Change folder to open the picker. Pick one of:

1. My Drive (root — no folder) — pinned at the top of the list. Choose this to save straight into the main level of your Drive. Nothing gets removed from your saved list.
2. A folder you've already added — just click it.
3. An existing Drive folder, added by link — open it in Drive in a new tab, copy the address from the browser bar, paste it in, add a label if you like to match your Drive, then hit Add folder.
4. A brand new folder — type a name and hit Create. It's created inside whatever folder is currently selected, and added to your list automatically.

Hit Done once you've picked somewhere. It stays active next time — no need to choose again unless you want to switch.

Sending a recording to Drive

Once you're connected with somewhere picked, an Upload to Drive button appears next to Download MP3. Record as normal, then hit Upload — it lands wherever's active, named however you titled it.

You can still download your MP3 to your computer too.

Share link

Once a recording's uploaded, a shareable link pops up so you can copy it and share the MP3 in your drive.