Mister_e,

Thanks for the audio editing software names; I have just got a copy of sound forge, looks like I might be able to use one channel for control.
I am hoping to put all the audio on one channel and the start/stop recording on the other using a filter.

I am also looking at the dedicated software option too, any one know how much it would cost to write a small application? I've never tried that sort of programming, pic basic is my limit at the moment!

Kind regards
Nick