Audio Enhancement Built-In Feature for Eliminating Background Noise on Windows 11

I have to say that I’ve been waiting this kind of feature for quite some time. No matter it is built in on macOS, Windows or any free sound recorder app I’ve been testing. None was available at that time until I’ve found on Windows 11.

1. I use USB mic to record my voice with Microsoft app ‘Sound Recorder’. 'Sound Recorder' comes with Windows 11.

This feature makes ‘Sound Recorder’ not to record sound of fan, engine, finger snap, cough and I think it should be more than this that I haven’t found out.

Sometimes it records noise and then stop recording it (I can tell by looking at the wave shape in ‘Sound Recorder’) while that noise continues. I think it learn that that sound is unwanted sound so it decides not to record it.

What it records (based on my usage): human voice and bird sounds.

This feature can be turned on/off. If you want that noise you can turn it off in ‘Settings’.

To access this feature, connect USB mic then open ‘Settings’.

Search ‘sound settings’

 

Set output if you want.

 

At input, click your USB mic.

Allow apps and Windows to use this device for audio.

At ‘Audio enhancement’, if you want to turn it off, select ‘Off’.

If you want to turn it on, select ‘Device Default Effects’.

2. Open ‘Sound Recorder’ and start recording.

I have 2 laptops, audio wave shape in ‘Sound Recorder’ of the one that is cheaper is shorter than another laptop. When I playback that audio, sound level is lower. Other factors are the same – USB Mic, volume setting, gain setting of USB mic …

The noise I mentioned is not recorded but the cheaper laptop of mine gives me lower level of loudness.

 

ReloadMatic: Automatic Tab Refresh (FREE) – Simple Add-On to Set Time to Reload Tabs in Firefox

You can use it via right-click menu. If you set to all tabs, then meaning is all tabs in all windows.

I have no idea how to set for selected tabs.

The test steps – ReloadMatic: Automatic Tab Refresh 1.7.1resigned1

On: Windows 11 Home

Install from https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/reloadmatic/?utm_content=search&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=addons.mozilla.org

1. Go to link above then click ‘Add to Firefox’.

A new pop-up window shows, click ‘Add’.

A new pop-up window shows, click ‘OK’.

In the picture below, click the icon at number 1, then click a gear icon near the name of this add-on and click menu ‘Manage Extension’.

 

The new page shows.

Click ‘Options’.

I used the default settings. You can see pictures below.

2. Open the target page in Firefox.

Right click on the page, you can see all menus.

In the picture above is the part of preset time and custom interval.

When I set time to every x, at the tab title, a new icon in the picture above will be added.

In the picture above, target tab is reloading (you can tell by the moving blue dot).

The target tab will be reloaded. It’s not matter that tab is active or not.

To stop reloading, right click on the target page then click ‘Don’t reload’.

Or you can click ‘All tabs’ then click ‘Disable on all’.

3. Custom Interval

 

Go to ‘Custom interval’

Hover a mouse pointer over text ‘Examples’, you will see patterns for entering numbers of time in the box.

 

I set to 1 min.

Then I set to all tab by going to menu ‘All tabs’ > ‘Set to all’.

The icon that indicates a tab is set for reloading automatically will show on all tabs in all windows even Firefox add-on pages don’t have that icon, the pages will reload at the time I set.

That’s it for the simple interface of this add-on.

The test steps – ReloadMatic: Automatic Tab Refresh 1.7.1resigned1

On: Windows 11 Home

Install from https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/reloadmatic/?utm_content=search&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=addons.mozilla.org

OneFolder (FREE!) – Photo Collection on Windows

This app is all I wanted to collect, view, tag and search images. And one important thing is go to the original file easily. I need it for some reasons.

The test steps – OneFolder 1.1.2

On: Windows 11 Home

Download from https://onefolder.app/

1. Go to the link above to download file. Install it and open the app

I store photos in one folder. In that folder there are many folders. This app impressed me because it won’t show sub folders but it only shows contents.

In the picture above, folder ‘Images’ contains one sub folder and other photos. I will add this folder to app ‘OneFolder’ by clicking ‘Add Location’

There is a dialog box, you may want to read it.

I click ‘Confirm’

You can see in the picture above that there is no folder showing in this app.

You can change view to ‘Grid’.

You can change ‘thumbnail size’.

I set to smaller size.

You can use filters.

I use filter ‘file size’

You can show file name by clicking ‘3-dot’ icon then click ‘settings’

At section ‘Appearance’, I show ‘file name’ and set shape to ‘Letterbox’.

Here is the result.

2. If you add more photos to folder your target folder, in may case is folder ‘Images’, this app will automatically detect that photo.

New photo will show in the app but numbers of photo won’t be changed immediately. You can see in the picture above it shows 6 images.

I think it’s because it is still in the search mode.

In the picture above, look at the box above text ‘desktop’ is in the search box. This thing makes me think that it is in the search mode. When I click x to clear text ‘desktop’, the numbers of photo is changed to 7.

I tested I again without any text in the search box, the result is what I expected – the app shows new image and changes numbers of photos immediately.

To add tag, select photos.

Right click and select ‘Open Tag Selector’ or select photos and press ‘T’.

You can type tag in the box.

Press enter.

Your tag will show in the left pane.

Next time you can check to add tag in the ‘Open Tag Selector’ window

When you click at the search box, you can check tag you want to search.

When you check the box, tag will show in the search box.

In the search box, you can search name of file and tag.

3. To use advanced search, follow steps.

a. Select target folder at section ‘locations’

Path will show in the search box.

Click that path, dialog ‘Advanced Search’ will show.

At query editor, if you want to search images that have filename that contains ‘one’ AND

tag contains autohotkey.

You should set things like picture below.

In the picture above, to add more condition click icon +

You must select tag by checking the checkbox, you can not type part of it in the box

In the picture above, when you click the box, tag will show.

In the picture above, at ‘Match’, if you want to search photo that meets all condition, select ‘All’.

If you want to search photo that meets any condition, select ‘Any’.

The weak point of this thing is when you click search. You are in the search result page. There is no ‘Match’ type showing. You can not tell where the search result came from - ‘All’ or ‘Any’. You have to remember :-)

In the picture above, If you want to enter the page, double click image. You can add description and view more info. But you can not search image with description.

The test steps – OneFolder 1.1.2

On: Windows 11 Home

Download from https://onefolder.app/