How can I record streaming audio directly onto my Mac using Audacity?

April 18, 2007 4:29 PM

I'm looking for a tutorial on using Audacity to record streaming audio off the net. I can get it to record sound, but it seems to be doing it through my microphone with corresponding degraded quality and ambient noise.

I read instructions to use "preferences" to set the input device, but the only option it gives me in the drop down menu is "built in audio," which I assume is referring to my mac's microphone. I've tried using "system preferences" to turn off the mic's input volume, but it didn't change anything in the Audacity program.

I feel a bit sheepish asking this, since I know it's probably something very simple. I've looked through the other threads on the topic, which recommend Audacity and say that you should be able to record sound without a loss of quality, but they don't give instructions on how to actually use the program. I apologize for my computer illiteracy--how embarrassing! (>_<)

posted by ialwayscryatendings to computers & internet (8 answers total)

It is easy, but I always tend to forget how to do it. Here's a helpful tutorial from the official FAQ.
posted by c:\awesome at 4:38 PM on April 18, 2007

As the FAQ says, your best bet on OS X is to buy Audio Hijack.
posted by chrismear at 5:30 PM on April 18, 2007

seconding Audio Hijack. That's how I record from last.fm etc, and also send it to wireless speakers.
posted by unSane at 5:31 PM on April 18, 2007

Try StreamRipperX. It will download individual streamed mp3s complete with tags. No need to mess about with Audacity. Audio Hijack is good, but StreamRipper will save you time and effort.
posted by lekvar at 6:24 PM on April 18, 2007

*jumps up and down excitedly* thanks guys! audio hijack works perfectly!

I didn't check out streamripperx yet, lekvar, but thanks for the input.
posted by ialwayscryatendings at 7:18 PM on April 18, 2007

best windows equivalent? of streamripper or audio hijack?
posted by imaswinger at 8:47 AM on April 19, 2007

Another alternative might be Soundflower, which is an audio routing utility for OSX -- lets you pass audio from one source to another.
posted by Hankins at 10:36 AM on April 19, 2007

**oh, and for anyone else who checks this out: there is a free version of audio hijack available, and that is what I've used. It allows you to record sound for ten minutes at a time; for more than that you would need to buy the upgrade.
posted by ialwayscryatendings at 2:37 PM on April 19, 2007