How To Record Streaming Audio Mac Free

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Some people find it challenging to grab audio playing on the computer. But in fact, there’s no secret about how to record computer audio. You just need to get an app that records PC audio. And that’s where problems can start.

If you Google how to record audio on PC, you’ll be shown plenty of programs. They can be free or paid, online or desktop, easy or advanced, with different output formats and system requirements. If you try to explore all of them, you risk wasting half of your life.

The Mac recording streaming audio tool is also a terrific audio converter that has the ability to save audio files in various different formats, such as MP3, M4A, M4B, AAC, WAV, FLAC. You can select the most suitable format you want for your devices or players such as mobile phones, smartwatches, portable MP3 players.

To make your life easier, we recommend you choose one of the following recorders – Screen Capture, Audacity, or Windows Voice Recorder.

Start the recording. Open the Audacity program on your computer and under preferences, set the recording input as Built-in Input (it could be listed as Line In or Microsoft Sound Mapper Input as in this screenshot ). Now play any media file on your computer, or play music on a streaming site, switch to Audacity and hit the Record button. Here’s how to record a streaming video on your Mac with audio: Press Shift + Cmd + 5 – An onscreen menu will pop up, giving you access to different recording options. These include capturing a still image, a section of the screen, an entire screen, or a window.

How to Record Audio From Computer Online with Screen Capture

Best for: making fast recordings on-the-go

Trustpilot rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars, 75 reviews

Let’s start with the easiest and fastest way to record system audio. Let us introduce you to Screen Capture – an online recorder that is free to use. Whether you need to capture output from speakers, video playback, or internal audio coming from your computer, you can easily do it online for free.

The grabber has a simple interface that is comfortable to work with. You can record audio and video simultaneously or separately. Webcam recording is also supported.

Advantages of Screen Capture:

  • You don’t need to install any software on your computer.
  • The service has an easy-to-use interface and clear settings.
  • It provides high quality output files.

Disadvantages of Screen Capture:

  • No audio editing tools
  • No choice of output formats
  • Watermark on the video in the free version

Here’s a short guide to how to record audio from a computer online.

Step 1. Open Screen Capture to Record Computer Sounds

Open the app in your browser to record sounds from the computer.

Step 2. Set Up Audio Recording and Record System Sound

To record your PC’s audio, enable the Sound icon. If you need to capture sound from your speakers or microphone, activate the Microphone icon.

Press the Start Recording button to grab the audio playing. Allow access to your microphone and webcam. Your privacy will be quite secure!

Choose the tab to start recording.

How To Record Streaming Audio Mac Free Video

When you’re done, download the recording from the website directly to your computer. All your files are confidential to you. Nobody can see your recordings except you.

You can also check out our desktop recorder and use advanced settings to record system audio.

How to Record Sounds from Computer with a Desktop App

Best for: professional sound recording and audio editing

G2 rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars, 331 reviews

The second best way to grab system sounds is to use a desktop program. We recommend you try Audacity. It’s a free program that grabs internal audio on macOS, GNU/Linux, Windows (including Windows 7) and other operating systems.

Advantages of the program:

  • It offers advanced audio editing tools and many audio effects.
  • It has a wide range of output formats, including MP3.
  • The program is absolutely free of charge.

Disadvantages of Audacity:

  • Challenging interface with a daunting number of settings
  • No screen or webcam recording
  • Sometimes audio effects can spoil the sound quality

Now we’ll show you how to record desktop audio with Audacity.

Go to the Audacity website and download the program onto your computer.

Before you start recording, you need to choose the appropriate settings. The main parameters are audio host and loopback device.

If you’re recording sounds on Windows, you need to choose Windows WASAPI audio host. In the loopback device menu choose Stereo Mix to grab internal audio.

When you’re done with the recording parameters, hit the Record button.

If you want to add effects, you can do this right after recording. But we recommend you save the file first.

Open the File tab and select the Save Project option. Now export the file to your hard disk and continue audio editing. Even if something goes wrong, you’ll have an audio copy on your computer.

How to Record Audio on PC with the Built-In Windows Tool

Best for: simple audio recording on Windows

The last option we’d like to suggest is the built-in Windows tool – Windows Voice Recorder. It’s the easiest way for Windows users to grab external sounds. You just need to check the computer microphone accessibility and capture your voice.

But the tool only works for microphone recording. It doesn't capture internal audio playing on your computer.

Advantages of the tool:

  • Simplicity and fast accessibility
  • No installation
  • Can be used offline

Disadvantages of Windows Voice Recorder:

  • No internal audio recording
  • No audio editing tools

Here are step-by-step instructions on how to use this built-in Windows app.

First of all, check that your microphone is turned on. Open the system settings and go to the Input tab. Here you need to choose your microphone from the drop-down menu and set the volume.

Launch the Start menu and search for Windows Voice Recorder using the search bar. Click on the program icon to open the app.

DownloadRecord

You’ll see the microphone icon on your screen. Hit it and start speaking. Be close to your microphone to get clear sound.

When you’re done, stop recording. The file will be automatically saved to the Sound Recordings folder.

Compare Tools and Choose the Most Appropriate for Your Goals

Review the summary table and decide which program you like best.

Program

Best for

Pros

Cons

Screen CaptureMaking fast recordings on-the-goNo installation required. Easy interface and clear settings. High quality outputNo audio editing tools. No choice of output formats. Watermark on the video in the free version.
AudacityProfessional sound recording and audio editingAdvanced audio editing tools and many audio effects. Many output formats. Free to use.Challenging interface. Sometimes audio effects spoil sound quality.
Windows Voice RecorderSimple audio recording on WindowsSimplicity and rapid accessibility. Appropriate for offline use.No internal audio recording. No audio editing tools.

How can I record audio on Windows?

To record audio on Windows, you can use any of the following tools: an online audio recorder, a desktop program, or the default Windows tool.

Here’s a short guide to how to use the online sound grabber.

Step 1. Open the Screen Capture web page.

Step 2. Choose what you want to record – microphone, system sounds or both.

Step 3. Grab the audio and save to the desktop.

How can I record audio from my computer for free?

There are three ways to grab internal sounds for free. You can use Screen Capture (an online grabber), Audacity (a desktop recorder), or Windows Voice Recorder (a built-in Windows app).

If you need to record not just audio but also screen or webcam, try Movavi Screen Recorder. It’s an advanced desktop program that has many useful recording features. For example, you can schedule recordings, show your keyboard, and add effects to mouse clicks.

Does Windows 10 have an audio recorder?

Yes, there’s a Windows audio grabber that you can use to capture your voice and other external sounds. But note that it doesn’t capture audio playing on your computer.

To grab internal sounds, you can use Screen Capture or Audacity. Both apps are free to use. Screen Capture is an online tool, so it’s more convenient to use for quick recordings. Audacity is the desktop program that is best for professional sound recording and audio editing.

With so much live video on the web, a streaming video recorder is becoming an essential tool. Whether you’re looking to capture your own YouTube live streams, record Skype for Business meetings or something else, this guide is going to walk you through recording any streaming video.

Full disclaimer: Please keep in mind that this tutorial for recording live streaming videos is for personal use only—for example, if you wanted to record your YouTube live stream to edit later. We do not encourage the capturing of streaming video from sites like YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Twitter, and Dailymotion. Neither do we support people who are looking for ways to record streaming TV, live TV shows and copyrighted YouTube videos.

How to Record Streaming Video for Free on PC

How to capture streaming video

See this video or follow the text-based guide below.

Step 1: Set your resolution up for 720p or 1080p recording
Check your computer’s capabilities and crank that resolution all the way up. How?

  1. On your desktop, right-click and select Display Settings
  2. Click the Resolution drop-down and choose one of the two HD settings (1280 x 720 for 720p HD or 1900 x 1080 for 1080p Full HD)

Pro Tip Not all monitors support HD resolution settings . If that’s your case, you will need to customize the resolution to ensure your recorded video file is in HD or Full HD. However, this may require a graphics card or additional software installations. Learn how to customize your resolution here .

Step 2: Download and install ScreenRec
ScreenRec is one of the easiest streaming video recorders available for free. We’ll get into why later but, for now, let’s get it installed and you on your way to record online videos.

Step 3: Set your video to full screen
For the video best quality, play your video in full screen.

Step 4: Press Alt-S to select your capture area
This keyboard shortcut will start up ScreenRec.

Step 5: Drag across the screen to capture the entire screen

Step 6: Record the audio
Not all stream recorders can record a screen with audio . Luckily ScreenRec has an easy way to record both the sound from your microphone and the sound from your computer. Let’s see how you can do this.

  • Record computer audio. Just click the audio icon in the recording panel.
  • Record microphone audio. ScreenRec has already enabled microphone recording by default, so you can talk and quip as much as you’d like! To disable the microphone, click the icon in the recording panel.

Step 7: Press Alt-S to stop recording
You’re all done! You have your very own recording of live video! Now what? Well, you have several options. You can download and save your streaming video or you can share it. Here’s how.

How to Download Streaming Video
When you’re done recording your streaming video, you’ll see the video player. Click the Download button to save the video file as an mp4. It's very similar to how you download one of your videos using a YouTube to Mp4 converter, except that ScreenRec is for downloading streaming videos.'

Alternatively, you can go to Recording History, preview your video and select the Download button to save it as a local file.

How to Share Your Video Capture With Others
If this is your first time using ScreenRec, click the Chain icon and create your free account.

You only need to do this once. As soon as you create your account, ScreenRec will start uploading your streaming video recordings to your private cloud storage (you get 2Gb free). You will then get a private shareable URL copied directly to your clipboard.

In the future, when you’re logged in, ScreenRec will do the uploading while you’re recording which means that you’ll get the shareable link instantly.

All of your past recordings are saved in Recording History.

You can always go back, preview the video and click the Chain to get that sharing link again.

With the link, sharing your live stream recording is easy peasy. You can paste it directly into an email or a text message. No need to upload your stream recording to a file sharing service or attach it to an email.

So, why use ScreenRec?
Certainly, there are other similar tools out there but there are a few things that make ScreenRec one of the best streaming video recorders. To begin, it is a free live stream recorder that can take and annotate screenshots record video, and capture audio. What’s more, there are no recording limits. Download and share your live stream recording as you see fit. No spamware or adware of any kind to frustrate you.

How To Record Streaming Video On A Mac

There are two ways to record your screen with the built-in apps on a Mac.

Method 1: The Built-in Screen Recorder On MacOS Mojave Or Later

Step 1: Press Shift-Command-5 to open the recording controls.

Step 2: Select recording area

  • Record your entire screen. Click the Full Screen icon and choose the screen you wish to record.
  • Record a specific area. Click the Region icon and drag across your screen to select your capture area.

Step 3: To record audio, click Options, and select Microphone

Step 4: Click the thumbnail of your recording to edit, save, or share it
When you’re done, a thumbnail will appear in the bottom right corner. Click it to share or edit your live stream recording.

Method 2: Soundflower
If you’re a little behind on your Mac updates, that’s perfectly fine! You can record your screen using the free app SoundFlower.

Step 1: Download and install Soundflower

How to copy streaming video to computer

Step 2: Set up Soundflower as your output
Go to System Preferences > Sound and click on Output. Select Soundflower (2ch) as your output.

Step 3: Open QuickTime and select File > New Screen Recording
Your control window should pop up.

Click the down arrow next to the recording icon for settings including audio source recording settings. Select Soundflower (2ch) to record your computer audio.

Step 4: Start Recording

Click the Record icon and click anywhere to record your full screen. Otherwise, drag your mouse across the screen to crop your recording area. Once finished, QuickTime automatically opens your recording and from here, you can play, edit or upload it to a file-sharing site.

Now, what about stream recording on a mobile device?

Oh, yes!

Many Android and iOS devices have built-in video recorders. Getting to them takes a little bit of trickery and hunting, but we’ll guide you through it.

How to Record Your Screen on an Android Device

Android 10 comes with a built-in screen recorder but, unfortunately, it’s very difficult to get your hands on it. Let us walk you through.

Step 1: Open Settings > About Phone
Scroll down to Build Number and press it 7 times, quickly.

Step 2: Enter your PIN or passcode
You’ll see a message that says “You are now a developer!” Congratulations!

Step 3: Go To Developer Options
Now go back to the System settings, press Advanced, and press Developer Options.

Step 4: Scroll down to Debugging and choose Feature Flags.
Scroll until you find settings_screenrecord_long_press and switch it on.

Step 5: Start recording
Long-press the power button to see the power options menu. Long-press button to Start Recording. Take note of the warning on your screen. Everything on your device’s screen will be recorded. Are you okay with that? If so, select Start Now.

Step 6: Stop the recording
In your notifications, you’ll see options for your recording (stop, pause, cancel).

Once you’ve finished recording your streaming video, the file will be saved in your gallery where you can share or delete it.

How To Screen Record On iPhone

Before we begin, it’s best for you to know that some apps will not allow the screen recorder to record audio. So keep that in mind as you begin to record your live video streams.

Step 1: Open up your settings and select Control Center.

Step 2: Press Customize Controls, then tap the green plus sign next to Screen Recording.
Go back to the home screen and swipe upwards from the bottom of your screen. Long press the gray recording sign that just appeared in this menu.

Record Streaming Audio Mac Freeware

Step 3: Stop Recording
Touch the red timer at the top of your screen and select Stop. The finished recording is saved in your Photos gallery.

Wrapping Up

Download

There you have it! Four different ways to record streaming video on any device. Let’s wrap it up.

Operating Systems

Summary

ScreenRec
(Windows 7, 8, 10 PC)

– Free
– No recording limit
– Records video and audio from system or mic
– Easy & secure sharing link
– Not a built-in app

Built-In Mac Recorder
(MacOS Mojave or later)

– Records video and system/mic audio
– No shareable link
– No video editing options besides trimming

Soundflower + QuickTime
(MacOS)

– Best for older MacOS versions
– Saves the file locally but no sharing options

Android Screen Recorder

– Built-in but impossible to find (or use) without enabling developer options
– Doesn’t record audio
– Videos can easily be shared from gallery

iPhone Screen Recorder

– Built-in
– Records video and audio (almost always)
– Easy to access
– Videos can easily be shared from gallery

If you’re on a Windows PC, we encourage you to try ScreenRec. It allows you to simultaneously record video, mic and system audio. Not to mention the shareable link automatically copied to your clipboard and 2 gigs of free cloud storage. This is all at your fingertips without the need for a free trial because it’s always free!

Download ScreenRec and see for yourself.

You need a desktop screen recorder like ScreenRec which can record both the computer screen and audio. Also, make sure that this screen recorder can capture HD video so that you can get the best quality. With ScreenRec, in particular, your videos will be saved to your cloud account and you can save them as mp4 files on your computer, if you want.

Yes, you can if you have a screen recorder that can capture the system audio (the sound coming from your speakers). Not all screen recorders offer this option. For example, the built-in Windows Game Recorder can only record your microphone but not the audio. One of the solutions that can record your computer screen and audio is ScreenRec. There is also recording history that allows you to go back and preview your videos.

Recording your live stream video to the cloud can be an easy task if you are already using ScreenRec. This video capturing tool automatically uploads your video while you’re recording, so you’ll not only upload your live stream recording to the cloud but you’ll also be able to do it in real time. As soon as you stop recording, you get a shareable link. Additionally, you have access to recording history, where you can preview your video and get your sharing link again.

References and Further Reading?

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