Need to record your voice? What is the easiest and best sound recorder on the Mac? If you come a Windows PC background, you may be familiar with a handy little Sound Recorder application. So what options do we have on Mac OS?
Originally Published April 29, 2011. Updated November 2016.
QuickTime: The easy option
If your Mac is running OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard (2009) or later, you can use the built in QuickTime 10 player for audio recording.
- Open QuickTime Player from your Applications folder.
- Open the File menu and select New Audio Recording.
- You will see a very simple user interface with sound recording controls.
- You may click on the Down Arrow next to the record button to select your sound input (microphone) and sound Quality settings.
- Microphone volume is adjustable with the slider under the record button.
Older Macs will generally have two input sources: Build-in Microphone and a Line-in from the 3.5mm jack. Newer Macs have only the Microphone available as the audio source.
The High quality setting records M4A files with variable bitrate using the AAC code. This is good balance of quality, file size and file compatibility. The Maximum quality setting saves AIFC files using PCM S24 codec and produces rather large files. This is overkill in most situations, and file compatibility is limited. If in doubt, use the High setting.
Note: QuickTime 7 is also built into earlier versions of Mac OS X. However, audio recording was a paid feature of QuickTime Pro.
Audacity: For power users.
How about a free app for recording as well as editing sound? You can also try the free and open source Audacity sound recorder. It is a powerful recorder, editor, and converter. You can find a version that is backwards compatible with macs running much older versions of OS X. It has a steeper learning curve than QuickTime’s audio recording feature, but it is far more powerful and better suited for longer recordings where editing is needed.
Refer to Audacity’s documentation for an explanation of it’s advanced features.
Thanks, was lookin for some sound recorder. Didn’t know this feature was built into quicktime
Thanks! that was a huge help!
While I was trying out loads of different demo versions of software to record sound from Safari, one of them installed a plugin called Greatdy System Audio which now appears in the drop down audio source menu in Quicktime Player.
i.e. 1st option is:
Built-in Input: Line In
2nd option is:
Built-in Microphone: Internal microphone
3rd (new option) is:
Greatdy System Audio
If I use this extra option I can record anything on the internet (that isn’t copyrighted of course.)
This isn’t where I got it from but I guess this should work:
http://www.greatdy.com/mac-os-x/systemaudioplug-in
If this doesn’t work I can post all the different demos that I tried.
Just tested the Quicktime Player on my MacBook pro and it worked perfectly for recording a phone interview.
I put my phone next to the laptop’s microphone on the left-hand side and hit record.
The quality was actually really great.
This is going to make conducting interviews so much easier!
Also a felony if you don’t tell them first, fyi 🙂
On the record and very … Hush Hush!
and the US government is not already recording it?
I just tried mine today and works beautiful. God, you got to sometimes love technology, espcially iMac. It is such a simple and flexible computer.
My iMac, running OS 10.6, has Quicktime and I used it to create audio files. But the resulting files are .mov, and thus not acceptable for Prezi. How do I convert these files to a format that Prezi accepts: MP3, M4A, FLAC, WMA, WAV, OGG, AAC, MP4, or 3GP ?
Are you sure you didn’t do screen recording?
If not just go to quicktime and do export as WAV.
I selected “new audio recording.” What is on my iMac OS 10.6 is QuickTime Player version 10.0. It has no way to export as WAV. Do I not have the right software?
Sadly, when I close the recording, it does NOT give me the audio option. That is, the word “audio” is there, but grayed out so I cannot choose it. I cannot use Prezi, although I would like to, because it does not work on my Mac OS 10.6 Quick Time. Still seeking an answer.
Are you sure you’re doing it right?
Thanks for writing this. Was helpful. Didn’t know the feature was built in.
Audacity does the same… just select “What U Hear” from the input dropdown menu
.
When you close the recording it will give you a option to save as movie, or audio.. Select audio and hit save it will save to desktop really simple it is.. By the way i just recorded a 6min track dam 30 meg file size is but that’s high quality, anyone know i can i compress it down to 5 meg ?
i don’t know how to save recordings and access them later. i always force quit things before i shut down the computer but the warning i get makes me think everything on QT will be deleted so it just keeps piling up on the screen (desktop).
Awesome 🙂 thanks
thank you so much…
My system is 10.6.8. However when the file save is on .mov extension.
How can I set to wav or other preference extensions
didn’t anybody answer this? How DO you save as wav?
Try googling this: change recording from .mov to .wav
Lots of options here.
just when you save delete .mov and change it to what ever you want like .mp3 or . mov
if that does not work use https://www.mactip.net/change-default-application-file-extensions/
My system is 10.6.8. However when the file save is on .mov extension.
How can I set to wav or other preference extensions
just when you save delete .mov and change it to what ever you want like .mp3 or . mov
Garage band?
That depends on the local laws. Some places have “one party” laws, where it’s legal as long as one party is made aware.
I wanna record drum sound from my drum module, will that work with any of those two applications? Eddie.
Perfect. Just what I needed.
my quick time has suddenly reverted to QuickTime PLayer 7. And it’s $30 Canadian. Any solutions?
Mine did same…have not found solution and do not want to purchase QT Pro…
It was for a magazine profile. Very much on the record.
Hi. This is exactly what I’ve been looking for. However, when I click on the down arrow, it only has the ‘Built In Microphone: Internal microphone’ option, not the ‘Built In Input: Line in’ option. Anybody know why that might be?
I can’t see any save options on my screen, using 10.2 (603.17), or on your screen shot above, and especially in the QuickTime Help. No save = no worth using.
Audacity is marvelous at one level; a complete pain and irritation at another.
It does NOT permit spaces in file names– you will forever will be pressing space and the file will start playing! Arrgghh!
It will repeatedly claim that you have no disk space for saving, even when you have scores of gigs.
It will balk at exporting files in its different formats–in a seemingly arbitrary fashion.
It will indicate that a file could not be saved, yet it will change the name of the window you are looking at.
I finally gave up.
I had gotten it because I thought I needed some other program to record messages, bird songs, etc.
No, turns out you do all that through Apple’s own QuickTime Player! Yes, it’s called “player” but it records like a champ. And lets you name files as you want– spaces and all.
For basic recording, it’s the only way to go.
For more complex, multi-track adventures, including the ability to trim, etc. Audacity does work, but its peculiarities and irritations outweigh any advantages. I would look elsewhere. I know I will be!
Thanks 🙂
When i was recording on my Mac and i was using QuickTime player and when i stopped recording it kept loading for a day
It’s said it won’t record
Line-in-beginners could profit from the simple & costfree AudioRecorder, optionally putting out m4a, aiff, wav, mp3, and mov > http://audio-recorder.softonic.de/mac
Well, I think it’s better option. But for me I runs on audacity it’s pretty nice when it comes to sound record and even for sound editor. And they have a lot of option to be use.
I just tried it and it worked but where did it store the file? The article says you can choose save destination but I didn’t see that option anywhere. Help, please. I have Mountain Lion.
I might record other sound. Even my voice.
You might have a mac mini like me, or don’t have the Mactonish monitor (the big white one), I believe the microphone is on the monitor. To solve this problem: Grab soundflower (rogueamoeba.com/freebies/soundflower/) and unzip it, yadda yadda, and then when you click on “Soundflowerbed” it should pop up in the corner of your desktop. I have the settings on there on the 2ch to my headset/phones. You also need to open up Sound settings from System Prefs. Have Soundflower as the output and the “Built in input: Line in” as your input in the sound settings. Soundflower should then be an option on Quicktime, select it, and your audio on your desktop should be recorded 🙂
thnx
that was no help at all. There is no obvious way to start and stop the recording and there is no option to save the file. I may have recorded something but I’ll never know where the file is saved, if it even is. God I Hate My Macbook Pro, stupid computer, hate hate hate it
Actually, its a very smart computer – perhaps the problem is the user. Find a Mac user who loves his/her computer and get training. In an hour, you’ll be converted.
You need a useful and powerful converter to convert audio files.Searching from google and choose one good tool !
dude don’t make blanket statements that make you look ignorant to the law or possibility of differing laws
One thing Quick time does not do this anymore for free! You have to buy the Pro version for $30
This article is useless and obsolete.
1) QuickTime 7 audio recording is only available with PRO.
2) Garage Band is not on OSX Yosemite.
Need proper advice on a FREE audio recorder.
This is impossible nonsense unless you are on speakerphone.
Only if you want to record both sides of the conversation.
Hot tip: dialing the correct phone number will also help improve the quality of your interview. I shouldn’t have left that part out!
er, you’re confusing the quicktime player with quicktime pro – the quicktime player on 10.10 (yosemite) records just fine. for free.
it doesn’t work
When i they to do it it gives me kinda like an echo and it hurts my ears i tried everything possible,i tried it on 4 computers and they all do the dame thing what do i do?
Thank you!
YouTube is helpful too.
Thank you for your good article. But I would like to have a program where I can film myself (like that I have sound and image) and put these videos on youtube. I work with IMac. Thanks! Eve
Thank you!
Helpful article, thanks. I needed a quick simple way to take audio notes.
Doesn’t bloody work. Quicktime and this iMac cannot record sound except through Internal Microphone, which records all the sound in the room. Sound flower doesn’t appear to work anymore. Anyone know why this happening. I’m running OS 10.11.3 on an 5K 27-inch Retina iMac (late 2014)
Garage Band is excellent option for sound recoding on Mac . It works well for me .
I started recording with the screen recorder from QuickTime but any sound I make, like the click of my mouse would echo drastically and create unpleasant high-pitched noises and feedback.
Hello, I am currently just trying to record my voice for online distance learning foreign language class- so I can see if I am pronouncing the words correctly. The program will not allow me to record. What am I doing wrong?
Ugh… I can’t figure out how to make it an mp3 file since my teacher can’t read certain file types. (Spanish class so I have to record my voice) So I think I’ll just stick with recording it on my phone and emailing it to myself… *sigh*
Recordam is good for eye candy
My objection to using Quicktime is that the sound quality of the recordings is so TERRiBLE. It’s just not acceptable
Wow, it has never been easier than recording sound with built-in QuickTime on my Mac! I’ve used several audio clips following the above steps without any problem. As for the recording software Audacity, it is powerful with many features and if you want to record sound with a light and simple software on your Windows:
Thank you for this sharing, really helpful. I always use Acethinker Audio Recorder to capture sound on my macbook pro, free and works pretty well. It’s a web-based app that can record sound right from your web browser. Share it here as an alternative method.
I still want to know how I can play Mkv files in my macbook air.
Simply download VLC
Brief instructions…Thumbs up!!!. I was confused about how to record audio in past days.It was helpful 🙂
The best way to capture your playback’s audio for video tutorials is by purchasing Audio hijack. After spending some hours with soundflower and others apps (which degrade the quality of the audio) I finally got the wishing results.
I’ve used quicktime plus soundflower, audacity, obs and recmaster, among which recmaster is my favorite thanks to its simplicity…
When I choose QuickTime Audio Recording, it says QuickTime Player is not authorized to access the microphone. So, what now???