Welcome to the community!

1) Before I started to keep a journal, I was unable to recall even a single fragment of a dream for well over a month. One night, as I was going to bed, I said to myself: "I am going to sleep now, and when I wake up tomorrow I WILL remember my dreams!". When I woke up I was able to recall two dreams. I'm not saying it will work for everyone, but it's definitely worth a try.
Also, get rid of any stress you might have. Stress kills dream recall.

2) I used to have dreams like that too. Most of them were like watching a movie: I couldn't think or do anything, just watch as my dream went on. One even had a narrator and ending credits...
Anyways, that is something that should probably change over time. I've heard people say that you can "take over" a dream character's body if you don't have one of your own. But I hope that someone else will be able to explain more about this.

I'm sorry, but I can't help you with the last question. I have never used sounds like that, but a lot of other people here do, so they should be able to help you out with that.

I hope these answers were of any use to you. Enjoy your stay here on Dreamviews!