Table of Contents
Do you want to save audio from YouTube, extract audio from a PowerPoint presentation, or download audio from a web site such as Soundcloud? While there may be legal issues if you do not have the rights for the audio you download, some apps make it possible to download audio from the web. In this guide, we will show you how to download audio on a Mac.
Here are three methods to download audio on a Mac:
Method 1: Record audio on a Mac with QuickTime
QuickTime Player is more than just a video player on a Mac. You can use it to record screen, record yourself via the FaceTime camera, and most importantly, record audio.
Here’s how to record audio using QuickTime:
- Open QuickTime Player.
- Right-click the icon in the Dock.
- Choose Record Audio.
- Select Internal Microphone.
- Visit the web page with audio you want to record.
- Click the record button and play the audio.
The quality of the recording may not be as good as with the paid options since it uses the Mac’s built-in microphone, which records ambient noise. You should also have the audio play as it records.
Method 2: Download audio on a Mac with Parallels Toolbox
Parallels Toolbox is a collection of tools that can simplify many things you may want to do on your Mac, such as downloading video, freeing memory, and finding duplicates. You can purchase it here for £ 15.99 per year, but you can try it for free for seven days.
Here’s how to use Parallels Toolbox to download the audio from a web site:
- Install Parallels Toolbox and open it.
- Click “Download Audio.”
- Open the web page with the audio you want to download.
- Drag the URL or paste it into the pop-up window.
- Wait for the download to complete.
The file is downloaded as a .m4a file (MPEG 4) and contains a cover image. The audio quality is excellent.
Method 3: Download audio on a Mac with Audio Hijack
Audio Hijack is another option for downloading audio, but it is a bit more complicated than Parallels Toolbox. The trial version is available here, but the quality of the captured audio will deteriorate after ten minutes. For the full version, you can purchase it for $71.
Here’s how to use Audio Hijack to download audio from a web site:
- Download and open Audio Hijack.
- Click “New Session” and choose “New Empty Session.”
- Click “Application” and select “Safari.”
- Install ACE (Audio Capture Engine) to record audio from Safari.
- Click “Recorder” and drag that unit to the window.
- Select the recording format quality.
- Add the URL of the web page containing the audio you want to record to the Application tab.
- Start playing the audio, and it will be recorded in real time.
- Stop the recording by clicking on the record button.
- View your recording, play it, and add it to iTunes.
The audio quality is similar to that of the Parallels Toolbox version, but the quality of the captured audio deteriorates after ten minutes unless you pay for a license.
FAQs
1. Is downloading audio from the web legal?
Downloading copyrighted material is illegal. While some sites may offer free downloads, these may have legal or quality issues.
2. How can I improve the sound quality when recording with QuickTime?
You can use an external microphone or adjust the recording settings to improve the sound quality.