Internal Mac Sound Recorder?

July 7, 2007 7:38 AM

Help me find a sound recorder.

This topic has been broached before, but never addressed the question fully.


I'm looking for a sound recorder with the following properties:
1.) Mac compatible
2.) Internal (i.e. does not record the sound as it exits my speakers, instead captures the digital output exactly)
3.) Capable of converting recorded sound into mp3 files
4.) Not limited to online radio stations, must be capable of recording any sounds I play on my computer
5.) Must be software
6.) MUST BE FREE

Can someone help me?

posted by JamesJD to computers & internet (12 comments total)

Audio Hijack Pro does what you want, but it costs $32... There is a free version that does nearly what you want though... Here is a comparison chart.
posted by sindas at 8:01 AM on July 7, 2007

I think Audacity should be able do what you want. You need the LAME MP3 encoder listed below to save as mp3, but it's all free.
posted by waterlily at 8:01 AM on July 7, 2007

Here is another way of doing it, using any old audio recording software (they use quicktime pro), you just plug a cable from your audio out, to your audio in, and record.
posted by sindas at 8:06 AM on July 7, 2007

Oops, sorry, it looks like you may not be able to record everything off your computer with the Mac version of Audacity since their FAQ suggests Audio Hijack or Wiretap Pro.
posted by waterlily at 8:08 AM on July 7, 2007

Have you tried SoundFlower?

It installs itself as a new audio input and output device. In one program (or, for system-wide, in the sounds pref pane), choose the SoundFlower output module instead of your speakers. In the recording program, choose the SoundFlower device as the input.
posted by odinsdream at 8:35 AM on July 7, 2007 [1 favorite]

Note that SoundFlower itself doesn't do any recording - but you can select any number of free audio recording applications to suit your needs. SoundFlower will simply allow you to properly route the audio to the recording program. Also, if you need to monitor the audio being redirected, install SoundFlowerBed as well.
posted by odinsdream at 8:38 AM on July 7, 2007 [1 favorite]

I've been using Wiretap for this for years. Works great. I think I paid $20 for it. It's well worth that price.
posted by neuron at 10:55 AM on July 7, 2007

seconding wiretap
posted by puppy kuddles at 10:58 AM on July 7, 2007

According to this you can record from the sound card with Audacity. Personally I fooled around with free solutions and decided it was worth it to pay a little for Wiretap for the simplicity and stability it's given me, though that article I linked to is making me think I might have to give Audio Hijack a test drive. Is there some technical or project reason it needs to be free?
posted by nanojath at 11:53 AM on July 7, 2007

Audio Hijack Pro is far and away the best option for you. Sometimes you have to pay for the right software. The time and energy you put into finding a free solution will be worth more than $32. I've been using AH for years, and I have a choice of a huge range of audio software. For the purpose of recording streaming sources live on a mac, AH is the shit. It's like Quicktime Pro. Amortize the cost and it's totally worth it.
posted by spitbull at 6:59 PM on July 7, 2007

Audio Hijack (non-pro) stops working and demands money past the trial mere minutes after proving it's astounding effectiveness. I may consider purchasing it, but it certainly is not free.
posted by JamesJD at 10:39 AM on July 8, 2007

Right, they don't give away their software. It's really quite normal. What they do is sell you, cheap, the most effective swiss army knife stream-recording application for a Mac on the market, for a mere $30. Those three minutes are a free sample, which is an old concept from the days before open source free software made people think paying for software was stupid.

You pay one way or the other. Time or money. Often.
posted by spitbull at 4:43 AM on July 9, 2007