With modern PC apps it is possible to record any sound or song present on the Internet, creating a convenient audio file to play on your computer or any other compatible device, exactly as it was once done with video cassettes and analogue recording of radio stations.In the following guide we will show you how to record audio from the Internet and PC for freeusing the tools integrated within Windows, the apps that can be freely downloaded from the Microsoft Store or from the Internet and the best extensions for Google Chrome.
READ ALSO: Record audio and video on Chrome from sites and desktops, even with a webcam and microphone
1) Use microphone extension for Chrome
If we use Google Chrome as a browser on PC we can install the extension Audio capture – volume recordercapable of functioning as a real microphone integrated within the browser.
As soon as we arrive at the site where a sound to be recorded is playing, all we have to do is activate the extension, which will record everything in a convenient audio file, saved in the Music folder on the computer.
The extension is simple and also works very well; we can also control the recording with convenient keyboard shortcuts, using CTRL+SHIFT+U to start recording e CTRL+SHIFT+X to stop her.
2) Install virtual audio driver on PC
To record any sound emitted by Windows and installed programs, all we have to do is install a virtual audio drivermaking Windows believe it has installed a virtual microphone capable of capturing the computer’s audio.
The PC microphone line will receive, as input audio, what is heard from the speakers and therefore everything heard by the computer will be recorded.
To prepare the PC to become a radio recorder we download VB-CABLE Virtual Audio Device and start the installation on our computer.
Inside the extracted folder, among other things, you will find the installation file which is different depending on whether you are using 32-bit Windows (VBCABLE_Setup) o a 64 bit (VBCABLE_Setup_x64); Since it is a driver, you need to install it by clicking on the setup file with the right mouse button and then choosing Run as administrator.
After completing the installation we restart the computer: the virtual audio driver is installed and ready to use. To use it, we right-click on the speaker icon at the bottom right (near the clock) and press on Audio settings to open the recording devices configuration.
In the section Outputwe set as default CABLE Input; the audio will now pass on the virtual cable, interrupting playback on the PC speakers (the computer will seem silent, but everything is normal); now let’s go to the section Input and set the driver as default CABLE Output.
. After this simple setup we open a website with sounds and use one of the programs in the next chapters to record the sound of the PC or browser to a convenient multimedia file.
3) Use VLC Media Player
The all-purpose VLC player can be used to record audio from the Internet and from a PC, taking care to select the virtual driver downloaded previously in the screen dedicated to acquisition devices.
To record the audio of the PC and the browser we open VLC on our computer, press on the top left Media and click on Convert / Save (we can also use the shortcut CTRL+R to start it immediately).
In the new screen let’s go to the tab Acquisition devicewe select DirectShow as acquisition mode, we select as audio device CABLE Output and press down on the button Convert / Save.
A new window will now open where you can check the item Convertedselect the profile Audio – MP3press the button Browse and choose the destination folder of the audio file and the name to give to the file; to start the actual recording, press on at the bottom Start.
Any sound played on the Windows screen (from a browser or an app) will be saved to the file you choose, while VLC is running; to stop the recording, press the button at the bottom Stopclose VLC and go to the chosen folder to check the audio recording made.
To learn more we can read our guide to 25 VLC functions: video effects, recording, and much more.
4) Other programs to use with the virtual driver
To record PC audio, in addition to VLC, we can use the app Sound recorder, present within Windows. To proceed we look for this app from the start menu, select Cable Output as a sound source and start recording the moment the video or the sound part of the browser or app we are using to play the sounds starts.
The voice recorder allows you to hear the recording directly from the application and save it in a high-quality audio file, ready to be played even without an Internet connection.
As valid alternatives to the Windows recorder we can rely on Audacity or one of the programs seen in the ai guide programs to record audio and sounds on PCall perfectly compatible with the virtual driver.
Conclusions
Using the virtual audio driver or extension the recording result is truly perfectwith noise-free recordings identical to the original listening with VLC, with Audacity or with any other program capable of recording the sounds that we pass on the virtual CABLE Output cable.
To learn more we can read the guide on how Mix microphone audio with PC sounds and music.