CaptureAudio – An Ultimate Recorder App for iPhone

Bookmark points in your audio recordings!

If you’re a student heading back to school, you may be considering going above and beyond and picking up a recorder to record your lectures. Whether you’re looking at a pencorder, or a handheld USB recorder, you’d be better off saving your money and dropping only $0.99 on the CaptureAudio app for the iPhone and iPad. The app records audio, but also adds the ability to bookmark points in your audio recordings, with up to eight customizable flags for different notices, as well as a large space for text notes.

CaptureAudio works intuitively on the iPad. When a user opens the app, there is a sidebar with a list of recordings, and a blue microphone button at the bottom of the sidebar. Hitting this immediately begins recording, and brings up the recording screen. On this screen there is a time-clock, some EQ bars to monitor, and a big wheel for notes. Around the wheel are eight different icons, which users can change based on the type of information they’re recording. For example, CaptureAudio comes with two sets of icons, one for business, and one for education. There is also a custom set, with no data input. More custom sets can be added as well.

Users can choose from the icons to create different bookmarks in their recording, for points needed to review, assignment information, group project information, reading reminders, even web and book references, for example. Users simply tap the icon of the bookmark they want, and then hit the center ‘FLAG’ button that is in the center of the icons. Inserting a flag in their recording brings up the title of the flag icon below the timer, which users can tap to bring up a menu of the flags available, in case they need to change the flag. It’s also possible, through the use of the list button at the bottom of the sidebar, to bring up a list of flags that have been inserted, while the audio is still recording. Unfortunately, users can’t edit these flags while still recording, but must wait until playback. There is also an option to pause the recording during breaks and other times that continuing to record may be unnecessary.

In playback, recordings can be sorted by date or alphabetically, or filtered by tag. After sorting their recordings, users can pull up their desired recording, and listen to it, while also reading the text notes that they’ve taken. Users can also continue to add flags, with the add button at the top right of the sidebar. While listening, users can skip ahead by hitting one of the existing flags. If users have a particularly slow-talking orator on their recording, there is an option to speed up playback to 1.5 or 2.0 times normal speed, saving time.

Users also have the ability to share files, and automatically sync them to Dropbox, as well. There is additionally a high-fidelity feature, for large lecture halls or quiet speakers. If there was a downside to CaptureAudio, it was that the search function didn’t also search text notes, so finding specific notes may be hard, if users aren’t very good at remembering to tag specific days and subjects on their recordings. G8R Software have created a robust, feature-rich app for students looking to take in-depth notes on their iPad.