SoundHound is a popular music recognition app that allows you to identify songs playing around you. With SoundHound, you can discover song titles, artists, lyrics, and more just by listening to a short audio clip.
While SoundHound is a mobile app, you can also use SoundHound’s music recognition technology on your Windows PC.
This guide will show you two easy ways to get SoundHound working on a PC – either by using the official SoundHound site/web app, or by installing the Android emulator BlueStacks to run the mobile SoundHound app.
Using SoundHound’s Website
The easiest way to use SoundHound music recognition on your PC is through their official website at www.soundhound.com. To use it:
- Go to www.soundhound.com in any web browser on your PC.
- Click on the “Start Listening” button near the middle of the screen. This will activate your microphone.
- Play a short music clip out loud near your PC’s microphone. Make sure the clip is 5-15 seconds long.
- SoundHound will begin listening and analyzing the clip to identify the song. After a few seconds, it will show the song title, artist name, album, and other info.
- You can click the “Lyrics” button to pull up the identified song’s lyrics. You can also play song previews or create custom playlists.
The website offers the same great music recognition as the mobile app. And it’s completely free to use without any downloads or signups required.
However, one downside is you have to play audio out loud for identification, rather than recording clips directly like on mobile. But overall, the SoundHound site provides an easy way to get song recognition working straight from your Windows PC’s browser.
Installing SoundHound on BlueStacks
If you want a more native app-like experience, you can install the SoundHound Android app on your PC using the Android emulator BlueStacks.
Here is how to set it up:
- Download and install BlueStacks from www.bluestacks.com. This will create an Android environment on your PC.
- Open the BlueStacks app and sign-in to your Google account. This gives you access to the Google Play store.
- Use the search bar to search for “SoundHound” and install the SoundHound app.
- The SoundHound icon will now be available alongside all your other Android apps. Launch it.
- You can now use SoundHound’s music recognition features by tapping the orange microphone icon. Simply record a clip by holding the mic icon pressed, just like on mobile.
This method allows you to access the full native SoundHound mobile app on PC. You get complete access to its music recognition, discovery, and playlist features.
The only catch is you need to have BlueStacks running to use SoundHound. But it works quite well and essentially gives you the mobile experience on desktop.
Tips for Identifying Songs on PC
Here are some tips to get the most accurate song matches while using SoundHound for music recognition on your Windows computer:
- Play clips out loud and near your PC’s microphone at a medium volume level. Don’t distort the audio.
- Trim any talking/noise so it only captures the song itself. Clean audio helps recognition.
- Pick a memorable 10-15 second hook with lyrics or melody rather than intros or fading ends. This gives the algorithm more to analyze.
- Humming/singing/whistling works too! As long as you capture the key melody.
- You’ll have better luck identifying popular tracks. SoundHound’s always improving, but can struggle with rarer/remixed songs sometimes.
- Don’t get frustrated if a song isn’t recognized immediately. Just try clipping a different section.
Following these tips will help SoundHound accurately recognize songs playing through your PC’s speakers or from external sources. With some practice, you’ll be identifying songs like a pro in no time!
Advanced Features in SoundHound
While music identification is SoundHound’s main attraction, it also offers some cool advanced and supplemental features including:
- Lyrics – All identified songs showcase synced lyrics so you can sing along karaoke-style.
- Artists Bios – Get familiar with identified artists via short biographies in-app. Helpful for music discovery.
- Song Previews – Preview 30 second clips of identified songs to gauge if you want to add them to playlists.
- Playlists – Create and manage custom song playlists from all your identified music. Great for expanding your favorites.
- History – Revisit your full history of identified songs in case you want to rediscover something again later.
- Notifications – Opt-in to receive occasional notifications about newly released music from your saved artists.
While most people will use SoundHound strictly for song identification, its ecosystem of extra features really expand its capabilities into a more well-rounded music appreciation platform on both mobile and desktop environments.
Summary
In closing, getting SoundHound running on your Windows PC is simple whether you opt for the website-only solution or take the extra step of installing it via BlueStacks.
With song recognition accessible directly on desktop now, you have an incredibly powerful music discovery tool at your fingertips that can enhance playlists, settle debates, and tickle nostalgia in just a few clicks.
So next time you hear something catchy that you need to identify, let SoundHound work its magic!
