Microsoft is reportedly upgrading the Voice Recorder app on Windows 11, and is effectively rebranding it as well with the name of the Sound Recorder.
Well, I guess a bit of a rename doesn’t hurt, especially since Voice Recorder refers to just one’s vocal chords doing their thing, while Sound Recorder’s a much more general term that appeals to all. At any rate, Microsoft has been on a roll, updating many other apps that have generally remained untouched with a minor facelift here and there. All of this has been in the interest of having every single piece of original software falling within design sensibilities that much more closely resemble those of Windows 11 itself. Other apps which have been updated in a similar fashion include MS Paint, Notepad, and Clock. Paint and Notepad in particular look like no one’s touched them since the olden days of Windows 98, which makes the massive revamping in the face of the new OS a little notable, at least, and maybe just a tad bit superfluous at most. Well, whatever goes so long as people pay attention, right?
Voice Recorder in particular is an app that seems to have heavily benefited from the inclusion of these new features and whatnot. For starters, the new interface has visual depictions of audio input instead of, well, a massive blank space expanding out and whatnot. Those little squiggly lines going up and down may look useless everywhere else, but it’s so much easier to go through a ten-minute recording to look for a particular sound-byte with the visual rather than without, right?
Another fun addition is the ability to choose an audio file’s format beforehand, instead of settling for .m4a or .mp3, depending on your mic’s quality. Speaking of which, now you can use and switch between different recording devices. The previous iteration of Sound Recorder automatically set the recording instrument as the Windows desktop computer itself, but this current one allows users to attach and use external instruments while switching between them in the app itself.
Other minor changes include a default theme that relies on Mica material, rounded corners, the Share button at the top of the window so it’s more notable, and other such fun inclusions.
Read next: Microsoft To Soon Launch Accessibility Features For Windows 11 And A Range Of Accessories For The Disabled
Well, I guess a bit of a rename doesn’t hurt, especially since Voice Recorder refers to just one’s vocal chords doing their thing, while Sound Recorder’s a much more general term that appeals to all. At any rate, Microsoft has been on a roll, updating many other apps that have generally remained untouched with a minor facelift here and there. All of this has been in the interest of having every single piece of original software falling within design sensibilities that much more closely resemble those of Windows 11 itself. Other apps which have been updated in a similar fashion include MS Paint, Notepad, and Clock. Paint and Notepad in particular look like no one’s touched them since the olden days of Windows 98, which makes the massive revamping in the face of the new OS a little notable, at least, and maybe just a tad bit superfluous at most. Well, whatever goes so long as people pay attention, right?
Voice Recorder in particular is an app that seems to have heavily benefited from the inclusion of these new features and whatnot. For starters, the new interface has visual depictions of audio input instead of, well, a massive blank space expanding out and whatnot. Those little squiggly lines going up and down may look useless everywhere else, but it’s so much easier to go through a ten-minute recording to look for a particular sound-byte with the visual rather than without, right?
Another fun addition is the ability to choose an audio file’s format beforehand, instead of settling for .m4a or .mp3, depending on your mic’s quality. Speaking of which, now you can use and switch between different recording devices. The previous iteration of Sound Recorder automatically set the recording instrument as the Windows desktop computer itself, but this current one allows users to attach and use external instruments while switching between them in the app itself.
Other minor changes include a default theme that relies on Mica material, rounded corners, the Share button at the top of the window so it’s more notable, and other such fun inclusions.
Read next: Microsoft To Soon Launch Accessibility Features For Windows 11 And A Range Of Accessories For The Disabled
