What are good Free softwares to record audio with timestamp?

JoeyD714 · #1 (**permalink**) 10-02-2009, 04:43 AM

We need to record the dispatch channel 24/7 with time/date stamp, automatically break files into 1 hour or smaller and be able to play them back with the time stamp.

VRS recording system is great but COSTS money.

scanner recorder pro screen shots look good, but again is not free.
scanner recorder basic will not do. tried it just to see, but it didn't do anything? plus the description tells me it aint what I need.

We have a feed on here, but their online archiving is not what we need. We need instant access to the traffic in question, locally- with time stamp.

So with all that hopefully understood, does anyone have any ideas or suggestions on Free software that can do this?

Thanks for any help.

Evert · #2 (**permalink**) 10-02-2009, 10:05 AM

Maybe you are asking too much for free? Sometimes to get all the features you need/want you have to put some cash on the barrel head.

rdale · #3 (**permalink**) 10-02-2009, 10:08 AM

ScanRec Pro is GREAT software. If $10 is too much for you to pay for it, then I'd suggest writing your own as you won't find comparable for free.

rvictor · #4 (**permalink**) 10-02-2009, 03:53 PM

If you are going to playback instantly locally and still continue to record whatever's being dispatched as you are playing back an earlier transmission, you'll need a program or a pair of programs that can do two things at the same time. This may get a bit tricky since it is often difficult to play a file that is still open in another program.

Just something to keep in mind.

Dick

JoeyD714 · #5 (**permalink**) 10-02-2009, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evert

Maybe you are asking too much for free? Sometimes to get all the features you need/want you have to put some cash on the barrel head.

Damn sorry man, I just thought i'd ask. You never know what's available until you ask.

$10 aint much for scan rec pro... unless you consider that my acct. balance is Negative $2.35 at one bank and Neg. $2.40 at another. ... plus I'd rather see it work before shelling our dough for something that i may not be happy with.

JoeyD714 · #6 (**permalink**) 10-02-2009, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rvictor

If you are going to playback instantly locally and still continue to record whatever's being dispatched as you are playing back an earlier transmission, you'll need a program or a pair of programs that can do two things at the same time. This may get a bit tricky since it is often difficult to play a file that is still open in another program.

Just something to keep in mind.

Dick

one of the specifications is that it break the file every hour or less. By the time someone is charged and we have to pull out recordings to defend them, well more than a hour will have passed. But Good observation.

Brings up a more likely concern... The same machine is also transmitting a feed to RR.
IF the Oddcast program were to get it's input from the sound cards output, then it may broadcast a mix of current traffic & what's being played back. Fortunately I THINK it can be told to just get just input from the Line in.... same concern applies to the recording program.

If there's a problem in that area we MAY have to use a 2nd machine for retrieval & playback off of the servers HD. That would in turn require making the recording file directory shared & adding a switch.

The switch will most likely be needed any way since this machine will be dedicated to the radio function and located at the union office where other computer(s) need to go online for various reasons.

IF we had SEVERAL HUNDRED dollars to pay for the full license plus a few hundred more for the remote access module, the VRS system would be the perfect answer.

Alas it always comes down to Money!

APSN556 · #7 (**permalink**) 10-02-2009, 05:22 PM

Scanner Recorder Home Page

The free version does everything you need...even time stamps. FREE

JoeyD714 · #8 (**permalink**) 10-02-2009, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by APSN556

Scanner Recorder Home Page

The free version does everything you need...even time stamps. FREE

Tried the free version last night & it wouldn't even run, Just stood there looking at me.
I read both the free and pro descriptions. According to the free version It would require a separate player that would not show time stamp info.
The Pro version sounds like it MIGHT do what I want,But Costs $10 that I don't have access to right now and I don't want to spend money on something before I know it will do what I need,other wise it's just money donated.

I think I addressed al this in my original post.

rdale · #9 (**permalink**) 10-02-2009, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by APSN556

Scanner Recorder Home Page

The free version does everything you need...even time stamps. FREE

I think if you look over his request and compare features, you'll see the free version doesn't do all he wants.

ka3jjz · #10 (**permalink**) 10-02-2009, 05:45 PM

How about XCorder or Wavosaur? I don't know much about either of these, but they've been mentioned here as being very easy to use...you can find the links in the recording utilities section of....

Recording Software and Tips - The RadioReference Wiki

73 Mike

Evert · #11 (**permalink**) 10-02-2009, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeyD714

Damn sorry man, I just thought i'd ask. You never know what's available until you ask.

$10 aint much for scan rec pro... unless you consider that my acct. balance is Negative $2.35 at one bank and Neg. $2.40 at another. ... plus I'd rather see it work before shelling our dough for something that i may not be happy with.

No need to be sorry and I was not chiding you for asking the question. I was just suggesting a question that you might ask your self, and pointing out a possible reality that you may wind up facing.

It has been a long time since I had to worry about spending $10 but I have been there big time and can have empathy for your plight. I hope you can find something free that does all you ask.

tcg · #12 (**permalink**) 10-03-2009, 08:51 AM

VoxToFile does everything you want for free.

It only records on transmission and can create a new file every hour. I'm not sure what you mean by play back with time stamp but it does create a log file with a time stamp for each transmission.

I record 24/7 and don't always listen to the recordings but if I see a news story with a date and time of the incident I can easily find it in the recordings.

Here is a link to the version I am using.
http://www.rtty.co.uk/download/vtf2.0.2.zip

Matt

jim202 · #13 (**permalink**) 10-03-2009, 09:39 AM

Sounds like you have your priorities in the wrong order here. Most people would go earn some money
before even considering buying anything with a negative balance in the bank.

If your that broke, even Burger King and McDonalds are paying at least $7.00 an hour. Wally World
on the other hand is not that well liked by the employees. They tend to keep most of the workers
on part time status so the don't have to pay bennies.

Jim

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeyD714

Damn sorry man, I just thought i'd ask. You never know what's available until you ask.

$10 aint much for scan rec pro... unless you consider that my acct. balance is Negative $2.35 at one bank and Neg. $2.40 at another. ... plus I'd rather see it work before shelling our dough for something that i may not be happy with.

Forts · #14 (**permalink**) 10-04-2009, 02:44 PM

Also.... it sounds like you want/need to use this program in an 'official' capacity which may not fall into the general terms of use for freeware/shareware software. I would like to think that if this was something needed by an official agency they would be able to free up a few $$ to support a program or author. If this is strictly for home/hobby use then it will likely just take some tinkering with different programs to find what you need, and as mentioned above, it simply may not exist in the freeware world.

JoeyC · #15 (**permalink**) 10-04-2009, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Forts

I would like to think that if this was something needed by an official agency they would be able to free up a few $$ to support a program or author.

Ding ding ding, we have a winner!

Evert · #16 (**permalink**) 10-04-2009, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeyD714

……. By the time someone is charged and we have to pull out recordings to defend them, well more than a hour will have passed.

……. Alas it always comes down to Money!

So are you part of some sort of shoestring lawyer organization? If so, maybe you can find this book in your local library or you could try reading it at a bookstore(that way you would not have to buy it).

rvictor · #17 (**permalink**) 10-04-2009, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeyD714

one of the specifications is that it break the file every hour or less. By the time someone is charged and we have to pull out recordings to defend them, well more than a hour will have passed. But Good observation.

Brings up a more likely concern... The same machine is also transmitting a feed to RR.
IF the Oddcast program were to get it's input from the sound cards output, then it may broadcast a mix of current traffic & what's being played back. Fortunately I THINK it can be told to just get just input from the Line in.... same concern applies to the recording program.

If there's a problem in that area we MAY have to use a 2nd machine for retrieval & playback off of the servers HD. That would in turn require making the recording file directory shared & adding a switch.

The switch will most likely be needed any way since this machine will be dedicated to the radio function and located at the union office where other computer(s) need to go online for various reasons.

IF we had SEVERAL HUNDRED dollars to pay for the full license plus a few hundred more for the remote access module, the VRS system would be the perfect answer.

Alas it always comes down to Money!

It sounds like you are trying to set up a recording system for a union, perhaps the union that the officers' belong to, in order to provide evidence in subsequent court or administrative proceedings. If that's the case, then you need to consult with your attorney to make sure that the system you set up will create information in a form which will ultimately be admissible in those proceedings. This may require meeting certain standards as to dependability, reliability, accuracy of the time stamp, and inability to mess with the recorded information. It may be necessary that the time stamp be accurate to fractions of a second in order to be of any value. If I've got the right idea here, these things are not going to be met by just any system that you find to record the information.

BTW, while I can understand your personal situation regarding money, there seems to be some confusion between your personal situation and that of the organization that you are trying to do this for. I would hope that some of the organization's members have accounts with positive balances. Also if the organization carries liability insurance for its members, perhaps the insurance company could be a source of some funds for the recording system.

Dick