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Utilities (Apple) Businesses Software Apple

Record Audio From Any Mac OS X Application 54

Posted by pudge from the mmmm-audio dept.
MrFreak writes "Have you ever wanted to grab a sound from DVD Player or record a RealMedia stream to AIFF? It's previously been impossible to do this digitally, but the folks at Rogue Amoeba have released a piece of software called Audio Hijack that allows you to record audio from any OS X application. Additionally, it can apply live audio effects to any application, so you can add an equalizer to MAME or play Quake 3 with a live echo or flanger effect."
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Record Audio From Any Mac OS X Application More

Record Audio From Any Mac OS X Application

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  • Windows Option (Score:3, Informative)

    by bradshaw-ka ( 236447 ) on Thursday October 03, 2002 @07:26AM (#4379791)
    Total Recorder from High Criteria [highcriteria.com] does this on Windows as well.
    • The version I bought (probably a few revs back, it was a couple years ago) made my machine even more unstable than Windows normally is. Caveat Emptor.
    • As summarized here [microsoft.com].

      Unless macOS comes up with a similar mechanism, Apple might have a hard time convincing the usual crowd to package streams for their OS at some point in the future.

      Then again, you could point out VMWARE makes Secure Audio Path an exercise in futility.
      It's an arm race, and I'm not sure how the DRM side can win it.

  • I've been doing it (Score:4, Informative)

    by Apreche ( 239272 ) on Thursday October 03, 2002 @07:38AM (#4379828) Homepage Journal
    I don't know about you, but I've been able to do this with my Sound Blaster Live! Value, always. Even with the newest version of the the Creative AudioHQ. All you do is set the recording device to Wav/Direct Sound and record with your favorite recording software. You can use the EAX or the Advanced EQ if you want.
    There is also "What U Hear". Which allows you to record everything that comes out of your speakers. So I can record my Line in, a playing mp3, and my friend on the microphone simultaneously.
    The ability to do this on the mac may be a new thing. And it's obviously a nice way around some DRM. But it's been around for a long time. At least 3 years.
    • The ability to do this on the mac may be a new thing. /.../ But it's been around for a long time. At least 3 years.

      Well, it never said that it was a new invention. That's probably the reason it's published in the Apple section and not the Science section.

      The point is, the mac os/sound card driver doesn't provide a user interface for this feature but now it's available through a third party app.
    • I haven't tried this software out (so I may be completely wrong), but it sounds as if this application provides recording on a per-application basis. Rather than just recording all the sound that would normally be coming out of your speakers, it seems to sit between an application and the system audio (CoreAudio?) recording (and modifying) only the sound from a particular application, then sending it on its way to be mixed and sent to output.

  • Linux Version (Score:2, Informative)

    by JimR ( 101182 )

    I wanted to do something similar under Linux (i.e. capturing the audio output from a quicktime player running under WINE) and a quick bout of Googling turned up dsproxy [linux-workshop.com] which worked very nicely, thankyou very much.

  • On the Macamp site [macamp.com] you can download a plugin which allows you to use Macamp to grab any audio from within Mac OS 8 or 9, including 'forbidden' RealAudio streams and the like.

    I used to use Streambox Ripper for the same purpose on Windows. I believe Real shut that program down.

  • I thought Snapz Pro [ambrosiasw.com] could already do this... I used the OS 9 version to sample some video game music a couple times.

    This new audio app's more novel use is to do real-time sound processing for audio (like making your Mac sound like it's in a cathedral.) Kind of like those high end surround sound systems for home entertainment centers.

    • Re:Old Hat... (Score:1, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Snapz only records ALL the audio coming from your machine. It can't target a specific application, or tweak it with DSP plugs. This means you get system beeps, AIM noises, etc., mixed in with what you're listening to.
  • We already have this in Linux (*BSD, etc.). It allows you to rip RealAudio streams, et. al.

    ~/> dpkg -p vsound
    Package: vsound
    ...
    Description: Virtual loopback sound recorder and real audio converter
    This program allows you to record the output of any standard OSS
    program (one that uses /dev/dsp for sound) without having to modify or
    recompile the program. It uses sox to convert and save the raw data
    into the desired file format and can help to convert real audio files
    to some other non-proprietary format.

    The website for vsound is here [zip.com.au].

  • Hmm. Now I can record Daljit Dahliwal's ITN signoff from their Real broadcasts. Yum.

  • ...it says that the app has a built-in "VST Hub", so you can use VST effects (such as those you might use with Cubase or Logic under OS 9). But I didn't think there were any VST plug-ins available for OS X!

    I assume the reverb/eq etc that are automatically enabled with the app are Mac OS X "Audio Units"?

    Can anybody enlighten me here?

    • Re:Web site is unclear on DSP fx (Score:4, Informative)

      by stew77 ( 412272 ) on Thursday October 03, 2002 @02:43PM (#4382912)
      You are mistaken. There are VST effects in OS X, you will find a directory /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST on any MacOS X installation.

      Audio Units are the native plugin format on OS X, like DirectX has a plugins on Windows. VST is a cross-platform plugin API written by Steinberg (and actually supported on OS X by applications like Ableton Live). Emagic is not using VST any more in it's OS X sequencer Logic, but that's probably because Emagic's owner Apple wants to push Audio Units and Emagic is a direct competitor to Steinberg.
    • But I didn't think there were any VST plug-ins available for OS X!

      There are a bunch of OS X native VST plugins available already. And free too!

      MDA [mda-vst.com] has about 30 plugs out in carbon versions, including a virtual synth. They also have a beta AudioUnits plug.

      Also Cubase SX will be out October 10.

      Check out osxAudio.com [osxaudio.com] for more.

  • Phew! (Score:5, Funny)

    by grantsellis ( 537978 ) on Thursday October 03, 2002 @12:18PM (#4381650) Homepage
    The anti DRM capabilities seem to be its most lauded application. Fortunately, naming it "Audio Hijack" will calm the RIAA's fears. :)
  • I go to the site, click on the download button, and instead of getting a nice little dialog box asking me where I want to download to, my screen starts filling with reams of gobbleygook. (I'm on a high speed connection using W98; the plan is to download, burn to a disk, and install on my iBook. Browser is Opera 6.05.)

  • Wait a second... (Score:5, Funny)

    by PythonOrRuby ( 546749 ) on Thursday October 03, 2002 @02:21PM (#4382719)
    Weren't we just [slashdot.org] talking about how this kind of tweaking and hacking is supposed to be impossible with Mac OS X?
    • That was about UI customization.

    • Re:Wait a second... (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      I haven't tried the application but if it works like the description says, then Apple will most likely sue them to stop releasing it (this is not flamebait). I work writing an audio app for OS X and I can tell you that whenever someone asks how to monitor output to audio devices, an Apple employee says both that it cannot currently be done and that they would have to deal with DRM issues. It's been implied that the latter issue would restrict Apple from ever providing an API for it. Even though this app probably doesn't work directly on the output streams this application runs into the same DRM issues, especially since it can effect DVD and Real streams.

      Although I *am* generally bad mouthing Apple (I love parts of the OS but I've been hating the company's actions w.r.t to consumers for the past year) in this case I can see the legitimate reason why they would make this application be pulled from the market. Apple has managed to show no support for DRM protections and get away with it because the OS also isn't known for having things like DeCSS or apps which can capture all audio in a lossless way. Assuming this really does something like what it claims, applications like this one could put Apple in a bad light that's been hinted at with the iPod, which has been mentioned at congressional hearings on DRM IIRC. Then Apple may be compelled to put in more DRM restrictions than simply disallowing apps like this one and we, the consumers, would be worse off for this app to have ever seen the light of day. I'm obviously getting a bit ahead of the current situation but given just how fascist the RIAA is, I believe the situation is almost inevitable.

  • Anyone know of an app that can record the audio from a modem in a PowerMac G4? I want to get back at some telemarkters next time they call and record it . . .
  • It's previously been impossible to do this digitally

    Except for the sample code [apple.com] Apple has given away for years... (for OS9)

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