Windows 7 - Sound Recorder

I'm using Windows 7 Pro's (32-bit version) Sound Recorder to record vocals through a good mic (SM58 Shure) and Mackie mixer from the mixer's main (mono) output into the mic input on my HP dv7 laptop. It works wonderfully with little or no background noise and good signal level (sound level is set to 50 with no mic boost). However, when I use the same equipment to record on my young friend's HP G60 with Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit, 3 GB RAM) Sound Recorder records with good level but signals seem to be truncated at the top of each sound and are somewhat distorted. I notice that the Sound Recorder executables are different size files. Is this a bug or just "performance deficiency" in the Home Prem version?

there is so much info we need before we can answer that. Is his driver installed and working? does he have a lot of apps starting automatically, etc

Ken J+

You may also want something more than the very basic Sound Recorder. The free Audacity recorder is a very popular recording program and will allow you to record several tracks and from both the mic, line in and streaming audio from the internet (if you have the System Mixer function).
Audacity: Free Audio Editor and Recorder

Yeah, we have a copy of CoolEdit Pro 2.1 which is what I'm viewing the recorded sound with when I say it looks truncated (limited, compressed, ??). He needs to record his church service directly from the mixer into his laptop, then, using CoolEdit, fix volume levels, pitch problems in the solo voices, add some reverb, etc. He just needs a clean signal to start with. The fact that it works fine on my Windows 7 Pro version, but not on his Home Prem version would seem to me to be suspicious.

ZigZag: do you mean the icons at the bottom right of the display or left? Also, which driver(s) do you mean and where would I find them. Other than the distortion in the recorded sound, Sound Recorder seems to be working OK. Thanks for your expert help...Rich

If it's not recorded "clean" to start with, it's almost impossible to clean it up. In my recording studio (I use Sonar) I usually run the singer through a Presonus Blue Tube preamp that also has a limiter. I set the limiter for the maximum level that I want to record and that leaves enough dynamic range that it doesn't cause any problems and then I can concentrate on the recording rather than constantly watching the singers volume level.

Another way is to record at a lower level and then "normalize" the level to whatever maximum (I use 95%) and that too prevents distortion.

I appreciate your willing efforts to help me. If the recording didn't work well with my copy of Windows 7 (Professional) using the same equipment, I wouldn't think it must have something to do with the way Sound Recorder is handling it (he is using the Home Premium version) instead of the signal itself. I normally use an Avalon 737 with a K2 Rode into an ADAT HD24XR but his little church doesn't have the funds for such stuff and since the SM58 mic into a 16 ch Mackie mixer I'm loaning him gives a good clean signal through my laptop with 7-Pro works well for his purposes, I was hoping it would work through the same mic and mixer into his HP G60 version of Sound Recorder. Thanks again for your thoughts! Rich