mistertee

Looking at the release notes for the current 4.0 version, this upgrade seems to be primarily a "bug fix" release. This being the case, are 3.12 users entitled to a free upgrade?

The type of echo/reverb effect you're describing would be difficult even for a seasoned pro to eliminate. It's characteristics aren't easy to identify and isolate (versus distinct clicks, pops, hiss, etc., for example). You might try experimenting with some of the various "Noise Reduction" and "Band" filtering effects. Long term, the key is to optimize the live recording scenario as much as possible. Pinning a wireless mic on the speaker's lapel is the best solution but assuming that's not possible, a highly directional shotgun mic should help.

I agree that a portable recorder is your best bet. I use a device called the "H2 Handy Recorder". Recordings are stored on a removable SD card. These can be transferred to your computer directly from the recorder via USB or SD card reader. Once transferred you can edit them (if necessary) using WavePad. H2 Portable Audio Recorder http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/h2/

To give you a specific answer I'd need to know your operating system and whether or not you have an aftermarket sound card and/or a USB microphone. Assuming you're running Windows XP using your PC's integrated audio device and a standard (non-USB) mic, this procedure would probably apply: Start > Control Panel > Sounds And Audio Devices Click the "Audio" tab. Look in the "Sound Recording" box and make note of the default device. Assuming you don't have an aftermarket sound card this will often be "SoundMAX Digital Audio". Click the "Voice" tab. Make note of the default device in the "Voice Recording" box. Assuming you don't have an aftermarket microphone (a USB microphone for example) this should match your setting from the "Audio" tab. If not, use the dropdown to select the correct device. Click the "Volume" Button in the "Voice Recording" box. When the Recording Control mixer appears make sure that the "Select" box has a check mark and that the slider is at least halfway up. Click the "Test Hardware" button and follow the prompts to complete the test. Open WavePad and click the "Record" button. When the "Record Control" box appears, make sure the selected Recording Device is "Defualt Sound In". If not, use the dropdown to select this. You should now be able to record through your microphone in WavePad. Re newbie advice, there are quite a few helpful tutorials that pertain to recording various types of audio on your computer. Google a search string like "recording audio on your computer" and have a look through the results. Also read the WavePad help files. Hope that helps :-)

I'm a new user myself but I don't think it's possible to specify the type of fade you want. The "amplify" effect can be set to a specified percentage within the selection area but it's abrupt, not a curve. That said, another program from NCH called MixPad can do exactly what you want. See screenshot: