[SML] Android audio recording apps for practice

[Joe Dunfee]

My Not 4 died a few weeks ago, and I had to get a new phone. My old
recording app is no longer available, so I have to find a new one.  My
normal routine is to record the dialog, with my own lines being spoken
softly after a brief pause.  That way I can speak over my own dialog,
but listen if I don't remember it. 

The features my old app had, included the sound showing as an
oscilloscope trace during playback.   During playback, you could swipe
the graph back to repeat a section you just heard. And there was basic
editing; cut-paste, change volume of selection.  

Currently I am trying out Audio Evolution by eXtreme Software. Available
for Android and iOS. It does much of what I want, and add multi-track
recording, plus MIDI tracks.  I am just getting started with it, so the
learning curve is going to be a frustration for a while.  The demo is
limited to 2-min. Costs $8 USD to purchase, with some features requiring
an additional purchase. 

My Ideal app; 

I have been imaging what my ideal practice app would be. If I ever
pursed the unlikely idea of writing something myself. I would want the
following features; 

TWO TRACKS;  While recording dialog, a button press would indicate if
the recording should go to main voices track, or your own voice track.
Then, during playback you can control the volume of the two tracks.  The
track with your own character offers the option of pausing for a few
seconds every time the dialog changes to it.  This gives you a moment to
figure out, "Oops I should say something" 

IMPORTED MUSIC TRACK;  Since some dialog is with music and must be timed
to the  music, there is the option of importing a 3rd track, with Audio
or MIDI music.  Playback speed can be adjusted. 

LISTED AND RECOGNIZE YOUR OWN SPOKEN DIALOG.  This would be an advanced
option. But, it might not need to do true speech recognition. Rather, it
would use a rough profile of the amplitude of the sound coming in to the
microphone now, and attempt to match it to the amplitude profile of the
prior recording.  So, this may allow it to follow along, and then say
the next character's line after you are finished speaking your part.  If
you pause too long, it might say "cue", and then also listed if you say
"line", and then play your line, then pause for your to repeat it.  If
you say, "go back" it goes back one line and starts again. If you say
"Go back 3 lines" it does likewise. 

As an aside, getting a new phone used to be exciting. But, now it is
always with dread.  No removable batteries, so a $9 DIY job is now a
$60-to-$90 job, that requires several hours if your time if do it
locally, or sending your phone out-of-town. And some of the newest
phones omit the headphone jack. But the USB-C headphones standard is
such that some USB-C headphones will work with some phones, and other
will be incompatible.  The more they try to make USB a standard, the
more it morphs into a hydra, with many heads. 

Any other app suggestions?

-- 
Joe Dunfee
717-203-8670 Cell
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