How to record audio on a MacBook

Apple’s MacBooks, and other Apple iPhones and iPads for that matter, tend to be very good for recording audio. The popular MacBook Airs use higher quality laptop mics for recording audio, while the MacBook Pro line really pushes boundaries by using studio quality microphones. These mics rival the quality of professional mics and regardless of whether you’re recording audio for personal use or for work, it’s worth taking advantage of Apple’s hardware.

Using the Voice Memos app to record audio

All Macs come with an app called Voice Memos. This app is, as the name indicates, meant primarily for recording voice memos. However, you can use it to quickly and conveniently record audio files. These can also be exported in a variety of formats and used in editing programs or shared as is.

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To record via the app, simply open Voice Memos and hit the red record button. You’ll be presented with a timeline and waveform to indicate that audio is being recorded. You can pause the recording at any time and scroll backwards or forwards and record over erroneous bits.

When you’re done, hit stop and the recording will automatically be time-stamped and saved with the name of the location it was recorded in. Right-clicking or ctrl+clicking the file will allow you to edit, trim, or delete it.

To adjust audio quality, you can click on the Voice Memos label in the menu bar and then Settings. Here you can choose between compressed and lossless audio quality. For studio work, we’d recommend using the lossless option. Compressed is also a good option and it has the added advantage of saving on storage space.

Record audio using QuickTime Player

Another option is to use QuickTime Player which also comes pre-installed on all Macs. Open the app and head to the menu bar. Here click on File > New Audio Recording, and press the record button to record a new audio file. A drop-down menu next to the menu button lets you switch audio sources and also adjust the quality between ‘High’ and ‘Maximum’.

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Once done, hit stop and save the recording to a location of your choosing. This is less convenient than using Voice Memos, but it can be a good option if you’re using multiple audio sources.

Given that the macOS is a desktop operating system, you’re not limited to using the apps that come with your Mac. You could easily use third-party programs like Audacity, Adobe Audition, and Logic Pro X to make and edit audio recordings. The Mac is also compatible with third-party hardware and audio input devices such as electric guitars, audio interfaces, and MIDI devices.