Conclusion
I was amazed at how easy it is to record audio by using the Java Sound API. Just a few lines of code, and you can record your voice ad infinitum! While some people criticize the lack of an editing capability in the API, I’m not sure that this is a glaring gap. Many tools are available that do a decent job of editing. In any case, the more capabilities you add to a given software technology, the more bloated and complex it becomes. I prefer a software tool or technology that does a few things well, rather than trying to do everything (and then doing it poorly).
Once you’ve captured your audio recording, you can use the Java Sound API to transcode it (convert the recording into a different format). Supported formats include AIFF, AU, and WAV.
By using a good third-party tool such as WavePad, you can edit your sound recording and save it in a format that’s not supported by the Java Sound API, such as MPEG3. The major merit of this latter format is its small size—a compelling reason for making the conversion! The low overhead of this format allows you to use your sound recording for applications such as podcasting.
By the way, don’t forget to visit my blog, [2] and my eBook should soon be available. [3]