Recording System Audio

Recording Audio From Only Some Applications #

If you use the "Record windows from" setting to record only some applications, or everything except some applications, system audio follows it. Audio is only recorded from the applications whose windows are being recorded. That means you can leave the audio of a specific program out of a recording. See Choosing Which Applications to Record.

Screenflick Loopback #

Screenflick Loopback is no longer used on macOS 13 and later, so if it's installed, you can uninstall it. If you do have an advanced reason to keep using it, leave it installed and turn on "Prefer using Screenflick Loopback" in the Audio view of Screenflick's preferences. That checkbox can only be turned on while Screenflick Loopback is installed. When it's on, Screenflick records system audio the same way it does on earlier versions of macOS, described below.

Screenflick Loopback #

The Screenflick Loopback extension for macOS must be installed to record the "system audio" playing on your Mac. If Screenflick Loopback is not already installed, then click on the "Record System Audio" checkbox in the main window to start the install process. After installation is complete, you may need to restart your Mac.

You can uninstall it at any time in the Audio view of Screenflick's preferences, or with the "Audio Extension…" button in the main window.

Recording With Screenflick Loopback #

For the vast majority of programs, the only thing you ever need to do is turn on the checkbox in Screenflick to "Record System Audio", and that's it. You should not change your system audio output device in System Preferences. When the recording starts, Screenflick sets everything up correctly. When the recording stops, it sets everything back properly. During the recording, you will hear everything just fine.

During the recording, you can also look at the recorded audio level meters in the Screenflick global menu (on right side of the menu bar, it's red when recording) to verify the system audio is being recorded.

Programs With Their Own Audio Setting #

However, some programs have specific settings for which audio device to play out to, which can bypass the recording process. Google Meets, Skype, Zoom, etc, are all examples of programs that have this setting. Look in the application's settings and you'll see a "Speakers" or "Audio Output Device" setting — this needs to be set to Screenflick Loopback (or perhaps "System Default" or similar if it exists), so that its audio can be recorded. Once you start the recording, you'll hear everything normally. When you stop the recording, change the setting back.

Other Options #

For applications which do not have their own audio output setting and are also not respecting the system device changing, you can do either of these:

1. Launch the program which plays the audio after you start a Screenflick recording. (The system output device will be Screenflick Loopback and the program will therefore use it.)
2. Before starting the program, go into System Preferences and change the system output audio device to "Screenflick Loopback" manually, start the program which will play audio, and then start the recording in Screenflick when you're ready. (After the recording ends, don't forget to change the system output device back to your speakers.)

Change the System Volume #

When "Record System Audio" is turned on, the currently selected system-wide audio output device (as can be seen in System Preferences → Sound → Output) is set to Screenflick Loopback. This means that if you try to change the system volume while recording, it will change Screenflick Loopback's volume and affects the recorded audio's volume too. Instead, change your speakers/headphones' volume directly, using the volume slider in the recording controls window's menu, or in the Screenflick global menu in the right side of the menu bar. This is how you can mute the system volume while recording and still have the audio recorded.