This wikiHow teaches you how to use the VLC Media Player program to record audio on Windows and Mac computers.
Step
Method 1 of 2: On Windows
Step 1. Open VLC
The program is marked by an orange traffic funnel icon with white lines.
Download and install VLC Media Player if the program is not already available on your computer
Step 2. Click the View tab
It's in the menu bar, in the upper-right corner of the window. After that, a drop-down menu will be displayed.
Step 3. Click Advanced Controls
It's in the middle of the drop-down menu. A new control bar will appear above the play button.
Step 4. Click the Media tab
It's in the menu bar at the top of the program window.
Step 5. Click Open Capture Device
It's in the middle of the drop-down menu.
Step 6. Click
in the "Audio Device Name" section and select an audio input.
Click the pull-down menu box in the "Audio device name" section and select the desired audio source.
- Choose " Microphone ” if you want to record audio through your computer's microphone.
- Choose " Stereo Mix ” if you want to record the audio playback from the loudspeaker.
Step 7. Click Play
It's at the bottom of the “Open Media” window.
Step 8. Click the record button to start the recording process
This red circle button is directly above the play button or " Play ".
Play an audio track if you want to record playback or computer audio output
Step 9. Press the record button again to stop the recording process
When finished recording, press the record button again to end the process.
Step 10. Click the stop or stop button
It's a square button at the bottom of the VLC window.
Step 11. Open the recorded audio file
Go to the “Music” folder on your computer. You can access it by clicking the "Start" menu
choose “File Explorer”
and clicked on the " Music " folder in the left column of the window, under the " Quick access " section. Audio file names begin with "vlc-record-" and end with the date and time of recording.
By default, VLC saves recorded audio files in the " Music " folder, and video recordings in the " Video " folder on Windows computers
Method 2 of 2: On Mac
Step 1. Open VLC
The program is marked by an orange traffic funnel icon with white lines.
Download and install VLC Media Player if the program is not already available on your computer
Step 2. Click File
This option is in the menu bar at the top of your computer screen. Once clicked, a drop-down menu will open.
Step 3. Click Open Capture Device
It's in the middle of the drop-down menu.
Step 4. Click the “Audio” checkbox
The color of the box will turn blue with a white tick indicating that the option has been selected.
Step 5. Click the “Audio” drop-down box and select an audio source
A drop-down list will appear with the available options on the computer. Select the audio source you want to record:
- Choose " Built-in Microphone ” if you want to use your Mac's built-in microphone to record sound.
- Choose " Built-in Input ” if you have an external microphone or other audio source connected to your computer.
- You will need to install Soundflower and select the Soundflower input/option if you want to record the computer's internal audio.
Step 6. Click Open
It's a blue button at the bottom of the “Open Source” window.
Step 7. Click Playback
It's in the menu bar at the top of the screen. Once clicked, a drop-down menu will appear.
Step 8. Click Record to start recording
This is the third option that appears at the top of the drop-down menu.
Play an audio track if you want to record computer audio output
Step 9. Click the " Stop " button to end the recording
It's a square button at the bottom of the VLC window.
Step 10. Open the recorded audio file
Go to the “Music” folder on your computer. You can access it by clicking Finder (the blue and white face icon in the Dock) and selecting the " Music " folder in the left column of the window. Audio file names begin with "vlc-record-" and end with the date and time of recording.
