How to record internal audio on Mac
If you are looking for a solution to record internal audio on Mac but without sound, then this guide will show you how to properly record Mac internal audio step by step.
Aileena Ivy Updated on Feb 16, 2023 8:56 PM
- You can't record internal audio easily on Mac because it doesn't give you permission to do so.
- QuickTime Player, the Mac's built-in recording tool, can only capture external audio. However, it can record internal audio in conjunction with the sound driver configured on the Mac.
- Other third-party software, such as Audacity and Easy Audio Recorder Lite, can record internal audio on your macOS, but they all require extra plug-ins.
- AppGeeker Screen Recorder is a professional recording software that quickly helps you capture internal sound on a Mac without any plug-ins.
Follow this guide to record internal audio on macOS using the correct method and steps.
Recording internal audio on a Mac is not an easy task at all. It's more complicated than you might think. Plus, it has become quite an issue for people who need to capture their internal sound, like when recording YouTube videos, webinars, etc.
Although Mac has a built-in tool called QuickTime Player, it is only helpful for capturing external audio, such as from a microphone. It has its limitations when you want to create an internal audio recording on Mac. If you're going to record system audio on a Mac, you need to go through the extra hassle of configuring a third-party macOS audio driver.
Also Read: How to record audio on Windows 10
The frustrations faced by Mac users prompted this guidance, which discusses different ways of recording internal audio on your Mac. Thankfully, there are some third-party applications on the market that give you the ability to do internal audio recording on Mac.
Table of Contents
How to record internal audio via QuickTime Player
The QuickTime Player is a built-in recorder that comes loaded with every Mac by default. You can create new screen and audio recordings with QuickTime Player. However, there's a catch—you cannot use it in its default state to record internal audio on a Mac. It can, however, be used in conjunction with Soundflower (a plugin) to capture the internal sound of the system.
The following steps will explain how you can configure Soundflower to transform QuickTime Player into Mac internal audio recorder.
1. First, you need to download and install the Soundflower plugin.
2. To change the audio output of your Mac, head over to System Preferences and select the Sound option. Next, you need to choose the Output tab, which will show you a list of output options. From here, you need to select Soundflower (2ch) as the output source.
Navigate to System Preferences > Sound > Output and select Soundflower (2ch) as the output device.
3. Now launch QuickTime Player on your Mac. Click File on the top menu bar and select New Audio Recording.
Click File on the taskbar at the top of the desktop to create a new audio recording.
4. Click the small down arrow next to the red button and select Soundflower (2ch) here.
Click on the arrow next to the recording icon and choose Soundflower (2ch) as the audio source.
5. Run any program that makes sound and click on the center red dot icon to start recording. All the sounds from your Mac will be recorded. Then stop whenever you want and save it by clicking the File tab at the top.
Note:
- Installing Soundflower can be tricky since it requires changing the output channel of your macOS, and many people show installation failure during the installation process.
- To avoid this tricky and troublesome process, you can jump directly here to see how to quickly master the art of recording audio inside macOS without installing Soundflower and other configurations.
How to record internal sound on Mac via Audacity
One of the most popular sound-recording tools is Audacity. It's a free, open-source sound recording and editing program that allows you to easily record sound from any internal or external sound sources on Mac. However, just like QuickTime Player, Audacity also requires the help of Soundflower or other macOS sound drivers to record internal audio on the Mac.
Read More: What if Audacity can't record from your computer
1. Download and install Audacity from the official website. Apart from that, you should also download the Soundflower plugin.
2. Once done, open the System Preferences > Sound > Output. There, select Soundflower (2ch) as the audio output device.
3. Now, run Audacity and select Soundflower (2ch) as the recording device from Audio Setup.
4. Click on the red recording button and start recording your internal audio with Soundflower. You can press the Pause and Stop buttons at the end.
5. Once you are done recording, you can use Audacity's numerous features to edit your audio file, or locate File > Export to save it as it is.
How to record system audio on a Mac via Easy Audio Recorder Lite
Another great third-party tool that can help you record internal audio on a Mac is Easy Audio Recorder Lite. It's a straightforward and user-friendly program that allows you to quickly capture system audio with just one click. The only thing that needs to be done before recording is to set up Soundflower, just like QuickTime Player and Audacity.
If you have already installed and successfully configured Soundflower as a source facility for audio recording in the same way as described above, then the following steps will walk you through how to record internal audio on a macOS using Easy Audio Recorder Lite.
- Download Easy Audio Recorder Lite from the official site and install it on your Mac.
- After you've done that, open Easy Audio Recorder Lite and click the gear icon in the home page to enter the settings menu.
- Select Soundflower (2ch) as your input device in Recorder Settings.
- Click the red recording button and start capturing your internal audio with Easy Audio Recorder Lite.
- Once you're done, click the stop button and save it to your desired location.
All of the above methods, whether it's the default recording software for Mac or third-party software like Audacity or Easy Audio Recorder Lite, require an additional virtual sound card like Soundflower or Blackhole, which is unavoidable and a common problem with the current version of Mac, otherwise you can only use them to record Mac sound from the microphone.
Bonus: Record internal audio on Mac without using any additional configuration
Don't worry, if you don't want to configure an additional virtual sound card, there is still suitable third-party software that can get rid of such hassles, and AppGeeker Screen Recorder is the one that stands out! Unlike many other apps, AppGeeker Screen Recorder doesn't require the integration of any add-ons or plugins to function properly on your Mac.
AppGeeker Screen Recorder is one of the best recording tools with tons of features for you to explore, assisting you in completing your video or audio recording tasks on Mac. The most important feature that makes it stand apart from the other audio recorders is that it allows you to record internal or external audio sources from your Mac, or even both simultaneously, without the use of any additional configuration. Along with that, you can export your audio recordings in many formats, including MP3, MP4, WMA, CAF and more.
The following steps will show you how to use AppGeeker Recorder to make an internal audio record on a Mac effortlessly.
1. The first step is to download and install AppGeeker Recorder.
2. After that, you need to launch the application, and you'll be shown a menu. Select Audio Recorder from the menu.
3. Enable the toggle for System sound in the middle of the window. Turning on System Sound will help you record all the internal audio made by your mac. Alternatively, you can enable the toggle for the Microphone if you want to record both the internal and external sounds.
You can also click on the gear icon and set other audio settings before you start recording.
4. Press the REC button on the right, and the recording will start.
5. Click on the square button to stop the recording. You can then clip the recorded file before ultimately saving it in your computer.
Tip: As an excellent recording software, AppGeeker Screen Recorder not only satisfies your need to record internal and external audio, it also covers the service of recording video on Mac while recording audio simultaneously.
Conclusion
There you have it—a comprehensive guide on how to make internal audio recordings on Mac. As you can see, there are multiple ways to record internal audio. There are plenty of amazing apps available to make the task easier for you with their intuitive and powerful features.
Whether you opt for simpler options like QuickTime Player and Easy Audio Recorder Lite, an advanced one like Audacity, or an all-rounder like AppGeeker Recorder, the choice is yours. We just provided you with a guide to help you get started. So go ahead and choose one of them and record your internal audio with ease.
FAQs
1. Why can't I record internal audio on Mac?
It's a common problem for Mac users that Macs can't record internal audio because they don't provide a recorder or tool for this purpose. QuickTime Player is the recording software that comes with your Mac, but it can only record sound from external microphones or built-in microphones, not from your Mac's internal system.
You'll need to work with QuickTime Player with an additional virtual plug-in to record internal audio, or use third-party software with such features, such as AppGeeker Recorder.
2. How do I record internal audio in QuickTime Player?
To record internal video with QuickTime Player, proceed as follows:
- Run QuickTime Player on your computer.
- Head to System Preferences > Sound to choose audio sources. Select Internal Speakers or Headphones according to your recording needs; or select the installed sound driver plug-in, such as Soundflower, for recording internal audio.
- Select File > New Audio Recording at the top of the desktop.
- Click the down arrow icon in the pop-up window to select the audio output device.
- Click the start button to start the recording process.
- Locate File > Save at the top to export your recorded audio when you think it's ready to end.
3. How to record internal audio and external audio on Mac?
If you want to record both internal and external audio on your Mac, you first have to set a virtual sound card like Soundflower or Blackhole as your sound output device and then combine it with QuickTime Player to record all the sounds. Or you can choose the AppGeeker Screen Recorder, which can capture all the sounds on your Mac without any plug-ins, you just need to turn on the Sound System and Microphone options in the Audio Recorder feature.
