BlackHole is the usual answer to “how do I record my Mac’s sound”. It works, but it’s an audio driver with a manual setup in Audio MIDI Setup, and you repeat part of that setup every time you record. Since macOS 14.4, a Mac can record the sound of an app or the whole system without any driver, and that changes which tool makes sense.
I make Audio Capture, so I’m not neutral. I built it because I wanted a recording to take two clicks instead of ten. Below is how it compares with the tools people usually try first.
The short version
| Tool | Driver or virtual device | Before the first recording | Records a single app | Built for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audio Capture | None | Choose a source, press record | Yes | Recording audio to a file |
| BlackHole + QuickTime | Audio driver | Install, restart, create a Multi-Output Device, set Drift Correction, switch output, choose input | No, records everything the Mac plays | Passing audio between apps |
| Audio Hijack | None on macOS 14 and later | Build a session from source and recorder blocks | Yes | Recording with effects and schedules |
| Loopback | Creates virtual devices | Build a virtual device, then record it in another app | Yes | Routing audio between apps |
| OBS Studio | None on macOS 13 and later | Create a scene, add an audio source, set the output format and path | Yes, OBS 30 and later | Video recording and streaming |
Why Audio Capture is the easiest path
- Nothing to install except the app. No driver, no system extension, no restart. The whole app is about 1.2 MB.
- Your sound settings stay as they are. You keep listening through your speakers or headphones, and the volume keys keep working. Nothing to switch back afterwards.
- Two steps to a recording. Choose a source, press record. The first time, macOS asks for permission once.
- One app or everything. Each app that is playing sound is a separate source: Zoom, Safari, Chrome, Teams. Or choose all system audio. Notifications from apps you didn’t select stay out of the file.
- Several sources in one file. For example, a call and your microphone, each with its own volume, adjustable during the recording.
- Always at hand. It lives in the menu bar: start and stop from the icon, find recent recordings there, drag a file straight into your music app, Finder or any other app.
- The format you need. Lossless WAV or compact M4A, saved to the folder you choose.
- Free to download. Get it from the Mac App Store and record in under a minute.
BlackHole with QuickTime
BlackHole is an open-source virtual audio driver. It creates a device that apps can play into and recorders can read from.
What it takes. Install the driver and restart. Open Audio MIDI Setup, create a Multi-Output Device, tick your speakers and BlackHole, choose the primary device, turn on Drift Correction. Switch the Mac’s output to the new device. In QuickTime, choose BlackHole as the input. After recording, switch the output back, because the volume keys don’t work with a Multi-Output Device.
What you get. A recording of everything the Mac plays, notifications included. There’s no way to record just one app.
Who it suits. People who need to send audio live from one app into another, for example from a DAW into a streaming app, and are comfortable with Audio MIDI Setup.
The full set of steps, side by side with the no-driver way: Record Mac System Audio Without BlackHole.
Audio Hijack
A recording app from Rogue Amoeba. You build a session out of blocks: a source, optional effects, a recorder. On macOS 14 and later it no longer needs a system extension.
What it takes. Learning the block-based interface. To record one app, you add an application block, connect it to a recorder block and configure the output.
Who it suits. People who record on a schedule, apply effects during recording or need several recorders running at once. If you just need a file of what’s playing, it’s more tool than the task needs.
Loopback
Also from Rogue Amoeba. Loopback doesn’t record. It creates virtual audio devices that combine sound from apps and microphones, and other apps use them as inputs.
What it takes. Building a virtual device, choosing its sources and channels, and then recording it with a separate app.
Who it suits. Streamers and podcasters who need to send several sources into a call or a streaming app as one input. For recording a file, you still need a recorder on top.
OBS Studio
An open-source app for video recording and live streaming. With OBS 30 and later on macOS 13 and later, the macOS Audio Capture source records the desktop or a single app.
What it takes. OBS is built around scenes and video. For an audio file, you create a scene, add the audio source, choose an audio-only output format and a recording path.
Who it suits. Anyone who needs the picture as well as the sound. For audio alone, it’s a long way round.
How to choose
- You need an audio file of an app or of everything the Mac plays, with no setup: Audio Capture.
- You need video with sound: OBS Studio.
- You need to route audio live into another app: BlackHole or Loopback.
- You need effects or scheduled recordings: Audio Hijack.
When you need something else
Audio Capture records to a file. If you need to feed audio live into a call or a stream, or route many channels between apps, use a virtual device such as BlackHole or Loopback. It also requires macOS 14.4 or later.