A Mac user may need to quickly record audio on their Mac system. It may be to record a voice note, a Skype call, a video conference or any other cases where recording sound is needed. However, not every Mac user is familiar with recording audio on their computer. Let’s dive into how you can record audio on a Mac both internally and externally.
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How to Record Audio on Mac from your Microphone
External Audio means any type of sound such as vocals, musical instruments, simple notes, etc that can be introduced into your Mac PC using a microphone (either built-in or an external microphone). Most of Mac operating systems are bundled with an in-built microphone (except Mac Mini and Mac Pro) which can be used to record audio. However, the quality will be less than stellar in this case. It’s recommended to get a better quality dedicated audio device like a USB Microphone.
There are two ways possible to record external sounds on a Mac. One is to use the inbuilt app Quicktime. The other is to use a good third-party app. Let’s explore both methods.
1. Record Mic Sound on Mac using QuickTime
QuickTime is usually thought of as a movie-viewing application, but surprisingly it has video, screen, and audio recording capabilities as well. This app is an in-built wonder for all the Mac users. Mac doesn’t have any Voice Memos app like the iPhone, so QuickTime is a good substitute that doesn’t require downloading any additional software. QuickTime can easily record sound input from a microphone and save it as a lightweight m4a file. It is perfect for recording quick voice notes, capturing conversations, recording sound effects, making simple ringtones or any other basic audio recording task.
Follow these steps in order to learn how to record audio using QuickTime:
1. Open QuickTime player. You can find it in the /Applications/ folder.
2. Click on the File button to pull down the Menu and then select New Audio Recording.
3. Click on the red Recording button present in the center of the Audio Recording box. The recording will start as soon as you press it. When you want to finish the recording, click on the same red button.
4. Go to File menu and choose Save. Then name the file and select the path to store the file.
2. Record Audio on Macbook using Third-Party Apps
There are several third-party apps available to record audio on Mac like Audacity, WireTap Studio, Audio Hijack Pro, etc. Audacity is the best option as it is completely free and decently powerful. It supports audio recording and you can also edit the recorded clip as well. Follow these steps in order to record audio using Audacity:
1. Download and install Audacity from here.
2. To start recording sound, click on the red circle-shaped button. The recording will begin and it will use the default microphone.
3. After you have finished recording your audio, click on the brown square-shaped button to stop the recording.
4. Go to File menu and export & save the file.
The recorded file will then be saved for future use. You can also edit the clip using Audacity.
How to Record Audio (Internal) on Mac?
Internal audio means the audio that your Mac is playing back, such as an internet stream, song or a Skype call. Recording internal audio is a little different as it’s not audio we can just simply input into the Mac with a microphone. Mac has no in-built app to record what is being played on its speakers. Therefore, you have to use an additional third-party app to record the internal sounds of the computer. There are several apps available to do this like Soundflower, Movavi, Piezo, etc. Soundflower and Movavi are two of the best options.
1. Record Computer Audio on Mac using Soundflower
Soundflower is an amazing audio-capturing app for Mac users. It is completely free and simple to use. When a sound is playing on your computer, Soundflower acts as a source to convert it as if it is coming from an external device. This way it makes it possible to record the playing sound. Follow these steps in order to record audio using Soundflower:
1. Download and install Soundflower from here. Your mac will have to restart.
2. After your PC has restarted, you have to set SoundFlower as your Output Device. To do so, open System Preferences, select Sound and then set Soundflower (2ch) as your Output device. Now any sound that will play on your Mac will not come out from the speakers, instead, it will be routed through Soundflower.
3. Now you have to use Quicktime to record the sound routed through Soundflower. Go to Quicktime, click on File and then select New Audio Recording.
4. In the Audio Recording box, click on the inverted triangle present on the right side of the red recording button. Now in Menu, select Soundflower (2ch).
5. Play any sound, and when you are ready to record it, click on the red Record button in Quicktime.
2. How to Record Audio on Mac using Movavi
Movavi Screen Recorder is an audio recorder that will help you capture any type of audio on your Mac, including internal system sounds, online streaming audio, internet audio players, Skype calls, and radio. It is a great app capable of recording both internal and external sounds. Follow these steps in order to record audio using Movavi:
1. Download and install Movavi from here. Open Movavi Screen Recorder.
2. System Audio recording is activated by default in Movavi (If you want to record external audio along with the internal one, activate Microphone input recording by clicking on the Microphone button. To start recording audio, click on the Rec button.
3. After you have finished recording, click on the Stop button.
4. Now click on the Save as button, select Mp3 to save the file in Mp3 format and then click on Save to save the file for future use.
This content was originally published here.
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