While how to record audio from the microphone on Mac is known by most users, it is a bit obscure to learn how to record internal audio on Mac. There are actually many methods to this, but most of them are going to bother the users with either little or big drawbacks. Therefore, we have concluded the 2 best ways to record Mac system audio only, because we believe that effectiveness and user satisfaction are more important than the number of methods.
Part 1. Record Internal Audio Mac with Joyoshare Audio Recorder
To record system audio Mac, you will need the help of a program. Joyoshare Audio Recorder is a multi-functional audio recorder that is able to record audio from the soundcard, the microphone, the speaker or other audio devices connected to your Mac. So you can replace the default recording software with this program. The high quality of the original audio will be retained in the recording as much as possible, and you can convert the recordings to 16 formats, including MP3, AAC, AC3, APE, AU, CAF, FLAC, AIFF, ALAC, M4A, M4B, M4R, MKA, OGG, WAV, WMA.
It amazes many users with its post-recording editing feature, which allows you to trim the recordings, edit their sound effects and ID3 tags. Besides, it is also worth mentioning that the ID3 tags will be matched by the program when the recording source is music. The auto-split of the recordings will increase the recording efficiency dramatically.
Key Features of Joyoshare Audio Recorder:
Excellent sound quality
16 audio formats available
Powerful post-recording editing features
Record both internal Mac audio and external audio
Step 1 Launch Joyoshare Audio Recorder
Download Joyoshare Audio Recorder for Mac from the link above and run it. In the main interface, press the
icon in the bottom toolbar, and select System Audio. Now Joyoshare Audio Recorder will record the system sound instead of other sounds produced from the Mac
Step 2 Set the output settings
Click on the
icon to open the Format menu. Here you can change the recording-related settings, including format, codec, channel, bit rate, and sample rate. Or you can skip them and select High Quality or Small Size in the Preset option. The rest options will be automatically adjusted according to the Preset. Next, click on the Preferences button in the upper right corner to open the Preferences menu, where you can change the saving folder.In addition, the automatic split function can be turned on in this menu. In the Preference window, go to the Convert column and tick the box under the "Split the Recordings Individually". Next, tick the Recording Is Silent option under the "Delete Recordings Automatically". Now Joyoshare Audio Recorder split the tracks when it detects the silence between audios. Of course, the split benchmark time can be changed according to your own needs.
Step 3 Record audio from Mac
Now, find the audio you want to record first, make sure it is playable but don't play it yet. Press the Start Recording button in Joyoshare Audio Recorder and then play the audio. Upon the audio finishes playing, press the Stop Recording button to stop the recording process. The recording tracks can be found in the folder you choose in the Preferences menu.
Step 4 Edit the recorded internal audios
Tap the
icon at the rear of the track to start to edit the recording. You can trim the tracks and adjust the sound effects. Besides, you can edit the ID3 tags on your own.
Part 2. How to Record System Audio Mac with Audacity
If you want to record Mac internal audio in a free way, Audacity is a good choice. Audacity is a famous freeware that can record sound from your Mac But it should be made clear that this method is more complicated than the last one, since it involves both Soundflower and Audacity. Most guides will tell you to use QuickTime and Soundflower, but it actually makes the already complex process even more complex. Therefore, we recommend you to use Soundflower and Audacity instead of QuickTime, which are both free. Without further ado, let's get into the steps to record Mac internal audio.
Step 1
Search "Audacity" and "Soundflower" in Google, then download and install them on your Mac
Step 2
Go to the "System Preferences" > "Sound" > "Output". Now select "Soundflower" on this menu.
Step 3
Open Audacity, and click on "Audacity" on the upper left on the screen and click "Preferences". In the popping-out menu, click on the "Devices" tab from the left and then the "Device" drop-down menu under the "Recording". Click on the "Soundflower" option.
Step 4
Hit the recording button in Audacity, and then play the audio. You will notice that the audio is being captured by the software. If you want to end the recording, press the recording button again.
