FAQ Recorder

Recording

[Q] I can only record for a few seconds. What could be the problem?

[A] You are most likely running the application from the .dmg disk image. Drag the recorder.xhead application from the disk image to your "Applications" folder and run it from there.


[Q] I notice that the duration and memory displays are slightly different that what I actually saved, what's the deal?

[A] This depends on the file format of the saved file. There will be discrepancies here. The duration and memory display info is based off of the QuickTime movie format. Once you save it to a different format, a file compression technique may be used, depending on the format, which will result in the differences.


Sound Quality

[Q] Can recorder.xhead record sound in "hi-fidelity" mode?

[A] Hi-Fidelity refers to high quality audio in general and not any specific settings. By default, recorder.xhead records in 44khz, 16-bit, stereo mode, which is CD-Quality for audio sounds.


Getting Sounds to My iPod

[Q] Can I save my voice memos and sounds directly to my iPod?

[A] Yes. You can just use your iPod as a hard drive. In finder, create a directory on your iPod and then in recorder.xhead set that directory as your default sound directory. When you save songs, save them to that directory and they will be on your iPod.


[Q] So, what does the Utilities / Export Playlist menu item do?

[A] It will copy everything in your default sound directory to your iPod and add the files to the playlist specified in your Preferences / default playlist. Once you connect your iPod, the files will get updated to your iPod automatically if you have that feature turned on in iTunes. This is the second way to copy files to your iPod.


[Q] I cannot copy files to my iPod / recordings exported to my iPod will not play? What's the issue?

[A] Apple's iPod supports the following audio formats: AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3 and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF and WAV. You should save your recordings in one of these formats if you want to play your recordings on your iPod. Note: If you use the MPEG4 format (mp4), then you must rename the file extension to .m4p instead of .mp4 or the iPod will not play the file.


Burning a CD

[Q] How can I burn my recorded sounds to CD?

[A] The easiest way is to set your default directory and record all of your sounds there. Also, make sure you setup a default playlist name, the default name is "Xhead Voice Memos". Then choose Utilities / Export playlist. This will create a playlist in iTunes and copy all songs in your default directory to iTunes under the name of your default playlist. Then, in iTunes, click on the playlist (Xhead Voice Memos by default) and then click the burn icon in the upper right hand corner to burn your CD.


File Formats

[Q] I'm getting a bunch of static when I convert a .aif file to.mp3. What's the deal?

[A] First, when you are saving .aif files, make sure you don't have any compressors set. You can check this when saving by clicking File / Save and then by clicking the Options button next to "Export: Sound to AIFF" Options Make sure the Compressor is set to None. That will resolve the issue.


[Q] Can I convert an iTunes AAC protected .m4p file to .mp3?

[A] No. Music files in .m4p format purchased from Apple's Music Store use the AAC Digital Rights Management protection and cannot be converted to other audio formats as that is illegal.


[Q] How do I convert a file from .wav to .avi or another file format?

[A] To convert a saved file from one format to another, open the file and then simply save as a different file type. Supported file types are: .wav, .mov, .avi, .aif, .trak If you have already recorded a sound, then you can save it in different formats. Just save it again with a different file type.


[Q] Can I convert an entire directory of sounds?

[A] Yes. Choose Utilities / Bulk File Conversion and specify the from file format and the to file format. All files, including files in any subdirectories will be converted to the new file type.


[Q] Can I save a sound as .mp3?

[A] Yes, but not directly. Save the file in any format you like, then after the file is saved, click on Utilities, Convert to .mp3 and choose the file. It will get converted to .mp3 format.


iTunes like Searching

[Q] How do I play a sound listed in my playlist?

[A] Double click the file name.


[Q] Can I delete multiple files at the same time from my playlist?

[A] Yes, highlight multiple rows and click the minus(-) button.


[Q] I saved a file to the my default directory, but it doesn't show up. What's the problem?

[A] You probably saved the filename without it's extension. recorder.xhead uses the sound name extension types to display it's list of files. Rename the file to include it's extension and it will show up.