How to Record Your PC Audio with Audacity

Sometimes users will need to record the audio of their PC for different reasons. Audacity is one of the best audio applications for recording and editing. However, recording PC audio is different from recording voice through a microphone. There are different methods that can help to record PC audio with Audacity.

Recording Audio with Audacity

Users may need to record a Skype call, music from another mp3, or recording a process that is running on the PC. Several different features can be used for recording PC audio with Audacity. You can choose the method that is available on your PC.

Recording PC Audio Using Stereo Mix

Stereo Mix allows users to record the output of their speakers and it is also known as ‘What you hear’. This feature is only supported by specific hardware. However, nowadays it’s not as common as it was before. Depending on your hardware, if you have Stereo Mix, then follow the below steps:

1. Right-click on the Volume icon in the system tray and choose Recording Devices option.

   

2. In the Recording Device window, right-click on the empty space and choose Show Disabled Devices option.

   

3. Find the Stereo Mix device, right-click on it and select Enable option.

   

4. Select Stereo Mix and click on the Properties button. Navigate to the Listen tab and uncheck the ‘Listen to this device‘ option. Click Ok to close the Properties window.

   

5. Open your Audacity application. You will find the menu bar for audio input and output at the top.
6. Click on the Recording (Mic) option and select the Stereo Mix option.

   

7. Now click on the Record button and Audacity will be recording every sound on the PC.

Recording PC Audio Using WASAPI

If you don’t have Stereo Mix available on your PC, then you can use the WASAPI. The Windows Audio Session API is used for talking through audio devices. It allows Audacity to control the flow of audio between the application and audio playback devices. WASAPI is the best alternative for Stereo Mix in Audacity. Follow the below steps to record PC audio through WASAPI:

1. Open Audacity application by double-clicking the shortcut or searching Audacity in the Windows search feature.
2. Click on the first option in the audio input/output menu bar and choose the Windows WASAPI as shown below:

   

3. Select your audio output device to whatever you are using. Select the microphone device that should be the same as the output device, but the name will have a loopback in the last.

   

4. Once you are done with the settings, click on the Record button and it will start recording your PC audio.