Audacity is a free and open-source digital audio editor and recording application, available for Windows, macOS, Linux and other Unix-like operating systems. Thanks to its popularity and high performance, it’s considered as the best audio-recording software to capture audio from YouTube. As a newbie to the recording filed, it’s common that you don’t know more Audacity and let alone how to use it. That’s why we write this post to talk about this topic – Audacity record from YouTube.
On the menu bar, go to Edit and select Preferences. FFmpeg Library is needed to export audio to several audio formats such as M4A. Go to the Library section of the Preferences to know if you have FFmpeg already. If you don't have FFmpeg on Audacity yet, download it by clicking Download on FFmpeg Library. How to Convert MP4 or Any Video to MP3 Option 1: Using Audacity. Audacity is an open-source, multi-track audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems.
How to Record YouTube with Audacity
Step 1: First and foremost you need to have Audacity running on your personal computer. Download the installation package from its official website and follow the wizard to finish the process. Audacity is used by many users as a YouTube recorder to extract audio from YouTube video.
Step 2: Open audacity and start with configuring the program to record audio from YouTube. Hit Edit option on the top menu and click on the preferences section. Thanks to its utility and features, it is still the go-to choice for quick-and-dirty audio work.
Step 3: It will turn to a new window with a number of options for configuring your sound settings. Now switch to the Recording section where you’ll find options for setting interface, playback and recording. Here you are advised to select stereo mix and set the channel to stereo by selecting the 2 (stereo) from the menu drop.
Step 4: It is suggested that you load the video fully before beginning the recording process. Open the page of the video you’re interested in, click on the play button to make sure the connection is fast enough to play video without interruption. Now it’s time to record YouTube videos on your PC by hitting Record button.
Step 5: When everything is down, press the stop button on Audacity program. Then this file can be exported and saved to a device with the MP3 file format.
● Problems and solutions for audacity troubleshooting
- I cannot find the option for stereo mix under devices.
You might find the stereo mix section is missing on your devices section of audacity. No worries! You can enable stereo mix on your Windows 10 by following steps as below. Go to the control panel of your computer >>Hardware and Sound section >> switch to Sound section. Now go the Recording tab and right click with the mouse on the blank space of the screen. From the drop-down menu, choose Show Disabled Devices option. You will find Stereo Mix Device option on the screen and right click on this device to hit Enable option.
Since Microsoft intentionally removes Stereo Mix from its drivers, you may fail to bring it back even after following the enabling procedure above or reinstalling driver/system. If you still want to leverage this function, you will have to download another Stereo-Mix-available version of sound driver card or contact the support from the PC manufacturer like Dell, HP, Lenove, Acer and Toshiba to download and install the right driver having Stereo Mix. Another workable way is to change the Devices as Windows WASAPI/ Windows DirectSound for audio capture.
- What format can I use to save YouTube videos?
You can record your YouTube videos as MP3/WAV/OGG by exporting. Audacity is only accessible to extract audio file. Therefore, if you want to download YouTube videos as other format like MP4, you should look for the other way.
● Record YouTube with Audacity alternative
If you can’t enjoy the benefit of Audacity or find it’s tedious to use Audacity, one handy audacity alternative is RecMaster which you can use to record either YouTube live streaming video, music audio or other available contents. As the easiest YouTube screen recorder, it embraces a number of features that audacity doesn’t offer. Here you can download it to have a try.
- How to record audio from YouTube using Audacity alternative
Step 1: Download and install RecMaster. After that open this application and there are five options for you (four for Mac): Full screen, Game mode, Custom area, Audio only and webcam. Here you need to select Audio only as your choice.
Step 2: Start to make configuration. RecMaster provides different audio formats for different system version. For Windows user, you can save YouTube audio as MP3/WAV format. For Mac user, CAF and M4A are two options RecMaster supported. If you want to capture your voiceover along the recording, directly turn on the microphone button.
Step 3: Right click REC button to capture audio recording. If you don’t want to sit in front of the computer during the whole process, you can preset an audio recording by using the task schedule tool.
Step 4: When everything is captured, press Stop icon to end the recording process.
Now you’ve got the YouTube audio file on your computer.
- How to record video from YouTube using Audacity alternative
RecMaster also processes the characteristic to record YouTube video as MP4 without security problem on your computer. Whether full screen or custom area recording is available with RecMaster and you can make any adjustment to your recording with the built-in editor.
Audacity Open Mp4 Ffmpeg
Step 1: Make sure that RecMaster is already running on your computer. If not download the installation package and complete the whole process.
Step 2: Full screen is our suggestion to record YouTube video for better viewing. If you want to record any particular region, set Custom area at the one-go option.
Step 3: Select the format for your recording like MP4/FLV/AVI (for Windows), MP4/MOV/M4V (for Mac). To get rid of the noise impact, remember to turn off the microphone button for YouTube video recording.
Step 4: Hit the REC button instantly or use the keyboard combination Alt+1/Command+1 to start. As soon as the recording task is complete, click the Stop menu and your recorded file is saved in the Recording list where you can edit the file for further processing.
Conclusion
Recording YouTube with audacity is a good choice if you don’t want to take a penny from your pocket. However, we sincerely recommend RecMaster to perform YouTube recording activities for higher utility.
See also:
How to Record Discord Audio on Computer
Explicit Guide About Audacity Record Computer Audio
“I used Audacity to copy tapes into digital audio files before; however, the Audacity recording is not working at all now, how can I fix this problem?” Audacity is an open-source audio solution with extensive functions including recording. It is a good way to convert music tapes into digital files or download online songs. According to our survey, some users reported that the recording function is not always working. Therefore, we share the troubleshooting to help users fix this problem quickly.
Part 1: Why Audacity Not Recording?
The common causes why Audacity is not recording include:
- 1. Audacity cannot recognize your microphone.
- 2. The recording settings are incorrect.
- 3. Something is wrong on your sound card.
- 4. Audacity is outdated or bug.
Audacity Open M4a
Part 2: 5 Solutions to Fix Audacity Not Recording
Solution 1: Check Microphone
Firstly, check your microphone and cable no matter you use internal or external device. Then update sound card driver. When Audacity is not recording on Windows 10, upgrade to version 1803 and enable the microphone in your Privacy settings: Open Settings in Start menu, go to Privacy, and turn on Microphone.
Solution 2: Show Disabled Devices
The issue that Audacity is not recording on Windows is usually due to the sound input is disabled.
Step 1: Right-click on the audio icon in the system tray and choose Recording Devices to open the popup dialog.
Step 2: Locate the blank area and right-click you mouse. Then check both Show Disabled Devices and Show Disconnected Devices.
Step 3: Right-click on Stereo Mix and Enable it.
Solution 3: Set up Audacity Correctly
On Mac:
Step 1: Go to the Audacity menu and choose Preferences.
Step 2: Locate the Devices tab and select the desired microphone from the Devices option under Recording.
Step 3: Back to the main interface, and switch to MME in the Audio Host option at upper left side.
On Windows:
Step 1: Choose Preferences from Edit menu in Audacity when it is not recording.
Step 2: Set the microphone in Devices tab and click OK.
Step 3: Then choose MME from Audio Host in main interface.
Solution 4: Use Simpler Audio Recorder：AnyMP4 Screen Recorder
Audacity is not the only way to record audio on desktop. AnyMP4 Screen Recorder is the best alternative to record audio on Windows and Mac. Moreover, it presets options according to your hardware.
Basic Features of the Best Alternative to Audacity
- 1. Record any audio in a single click on PC and Mac.
- 2. Enhance audio quality automatically while recording.
- 3. Offer extensive bonus tools, like audio trimming.
Needless to say, it is the best option to record audio when Audacity is not working.
How to Fix Audacity Not Recording with the Best Alternative to Audacity
Step 1: Install the best audio recorder
When Audacity is not recording, install the best alternative audio recorder to your hard disk. Then launch it and pick Audio Recorder to open the main interface. Advanced users can click the Gear icon to open the Preferences dialog and set custom options. For beginner, the audio recorder will optimize them according to your system.
Step 2: Record audio
There are two audio input, System Sound and Microphone. Enable and disable each one based on your need. To record online music, for example, turn on System Sound while disable Microphone. If you intend to capture sound through microphone, toggle System Sound off and turn on Microphone. Hit the REC button to start recording audio.
Step 3: Save audio recording
When recording is done, click the Stop button to open it in Preview window. Pre-listen to the recording and remove unwanted parts with the Clip tool. Finally, click on the Save button to save the audio recording to your hard drive.
More audio recording software like Audacity are here.
Audacity Open Mp4 Files
Solution 5: How to Fix Audacity Not Recording Online
In addition to desktop audio recorder software, you can also try online alternative when Audacity is not recording. AnyMP4 Free Online Audio Recorder is the simplest alternative to Audacity.
Main Features of the Best Alternative to Audacity Online
- 1. Record audio from your system or microphone.
- 2. Produce the best audio quality as much as possible.
- 3. Available to all major browsers, like Safari, Chrome, etc.
How to Record Audio without Audacity
Step 1: Open your browser, put https://www.anymp4.com/free-online-audio-recorder/ into address bar and hit Enter key.
Step 2: Hit the big button in the webpage and get the launcher.
Step 3: Then enable or turn off System sound and Microphone according to your situation. Click the REC button to begin recording audio.
Audacity Mp4 Plugin
Step 4: Wait for audio recording to complete and hit the Stop button. Then save and download the recording to your computer.
Part 3: FAQs of Audacity Not Recording
Why is my microphone not working on Audacity?
Edit Mp4 Audio In Audacity
Audacity can co-work with most microphones on market. If your microphone is not working on Audacity, chances are that settings are not proper. You can correct it with our guide.
How long can Audacity record?
Generally speaking, Audacity does not have any limit on audio recording length. However, the output audio file will become very large and take up a lot of space. We suggest you to record no more than one hour.
Can you record multiple tracks on Audacity?
Audacity is able to record multiple tracks if you set it up correctly. To do it, open the Preferences dialog from Edit menu on PC or Audacity menu on Mac. Go to Recording and check Overdub: Play other tracks while recording new ones. Now, you can do it if your machine has an I/O box and is fast enough.
Conclusion
Audacity And Mp4
This article has told you how to fix the problem that Audacity is not recording on Windows or Mac. As an open-source audio solution, Audacity is popular around the world. However, it is not a perfect audio recorder and the setup process is complicated. Therefore, we suggest you to try a simpler alternative, such as AnyMP4 Screen Recorder. It is not only easier than Audacity, but also able to produce better audio quality. If you have more questions, please write it down below.