Guides / Recording calls and meetings

How to record both sides of a call on a Mac

Tested on macOS 26.4.1 (Tahoe), Apple M3 Max, 3 Sept 2026. Updated 2026-09-03.

A Mac has two audio paths: the output (what you hear, including the other person) and the microphone input (you). System audio recording captures only the output, so it never contains your own voice; a microphone recording captures only you. To record both sides you need one of three setups: the call app's own recorder, two simultaneous takes aligned afterwards, or a mixing tool such as Audio Hijack ($69) or OBS that combines mic and app live.

Why does system audio recording not include my microphone?

Because your voice never goes through the output. On macOS, ScreenCaptureKit system audio capture taps the audio the Mac is playing: the other person's voice, notification sounds, music. Your microphone is a Core Audio input device; the call app reads it and sends it over the network, and nothing plays it back to you. So a system audio take has the far side in full quality and you not at all. The reverse holds for the microphone: QuickTime's audio recording, Voice Memos and the Screenshot toolbar record the input, so they have you, and they hear the other person only if your speakers leak into the mic. With headphones that leak is zero. This is a property of how macOS separates input and output, not a bug in any recorder, and it is why "record both sides" needs a deliberate setup rather than one button.

What are the three setups that capture both sides?

1. The call app's own recorder. It sits inside the call, so it has both voices in one file and usually plays a notice. Apple's Phone app on macOS Tahoe and FaceTime audio calls with one other person do this; Zoom local recording, Google Meet and Teams do it when the host and the plan allow. Details per platform are in how to record a FaceTime call on a Mac and how to record a phone call on a Mac.
2. Two takes at once. One system audio recorder for the far side, one microphone recorder for you, both started before the call, aligned in an editor. Two separate tracks, editable independently. This is the setup for interviews you will edit.
3. A live mixer. Audio Hijack ($69) routes the microphone and the call app into one recording block and writes one mixed file. OBS Studio does the same for free but writes a video container. One file, less editing, less control afterwards.

The table below puts numbers on the trade-offs.

How do you record both sides with two takes on a Mac?

The procedure with AirCheck and QuickTime Player, both on macOS 14 or newer:

1. Put on headphones, so the other person does not bleed into your microphone.
2. In AirCheck choose System Audio, approve the Screen & System Audio Recording permission once, and press Record.
3. In QuickTime Player choose File > New Audio Recording, pick your microphone under the options arrow, and press Record.
4. Clap once or say a sharp word before the call connects; the spike shows in both waveforms.
5. After the call, stop both. AirCheck exports one file into ~/Music/AirCheck; QuickTime asks where to save its .m4a.
6. Drop both into GarageBand, Audacity or Logic, line up the clap, export.

Expect different sample rates: system audio comes in at 48 kHz 24-bit, while an interface or USB mic may run at 44.1 kHz. Editors resample on import, but check the length of each track before trusting the alignment. The mirror procedure for music and voice is in how to record computer audio and microphone at the same time on a Mac.

Which setup should you choose?

• Built-in recorder available: use it. One file, both sides, automatic notice, transcript on Apple's tools.
• You will edit the result: two takes. Separate tracks let you level your voice against theirs and cut cross-talk.
• You need one mixed file with no editing: Audio Hijack. It costs $69 and does live routing that AirCheck does not attempt.
• You need video as well: OBS, free, mic and desktop audio on separate tracks inside an mkv or mp4.
• You only need the other side: a system audio recorder alone. This is common for lectures, webinars and interviews where your questions do not matter for the archive.

File size for the two-take route, from measured AirCheck data: the system audio track is 16.5 MB per minute at 24-bit 48 kHz, or 2.4 MB per minute as MP3 320 kbps.

Why is my voice quiet, doubled or out of sync?

• Doubled voice. You recorded the microphone while the speakers were on. The mic picked up the other side, and the system audio take has it too, so it appears twice, slightly offset. Fix: headphones during any two-take recording.
• Your track is quiet. Microphone input level is set in System Settings > Sound > Input, or on the interface's gain knob, before recording. Normalise in the editor afterwards; do not boost a clipped track.
• Tracks drift apart. Two devices run on two clocks. Over an hour a few milliseconds can accumulate. Align at the start and at the end, and stretch the shorter track if the editor supports it.
• The system audio take has a gap. If the output stream stalled, AirCheck restarted capture into the same file after 5 seconds without buffers; the gap is the stall itself. See why there is a gap or dropout in a Mac recording.

Setups that record both sides of a call on a Mac (Sept 2026)

Availability of the first row depends on the platform, the plan and the host; see the per-platform guides.

Where AirCheck fits

AirCheck covers the far-side half of the two-take setup: it records the Mac's system audio through ScreenCaptureKit on macOS 14 or newer, no virtual driver, at 24-bit 48 kHz, and exports WAV or MP3 into ~/Music/AirCheck. It also records any Core Audio input, so a second take from a USB mic or an interface channel pair works in the same app, one source per take. $39 once, 14-day refund.

When you do not need it: AirCheck never mixes mic and system audio into one file. One mixed file without editing is a different category of tool (a mixing recorder such as Audio Hijack at $69, or the call app's own recorder); AirCheck gives you the far side as one clean take and your mic as a second.

Questions people ask

How do I record system audio and microphone at the same time on a Mac?

Run two recorders in parallel, one on system audio and one on the microphone, and align the files afterwards; or use Audio Hijack or OBS, which mix both sources live. No single built-in macOS tool records both into one audio file.

Why does my screen recording only have my voice?

The Screenshot toolbar records the microphone chosen under Options. Apple's option list has no system audio entry, so the other side reaches the file only through speaker bleed, and not at all with headphones.

Can AirCheck record my mic and the call together?

No. AirCheck records one source per take: either system audio or one Core Audio input. Record two takes at once, one in AirCheck and one in QuickTime, or use Audio Hijack for a live mix.

What is the easiest way to record both sides of a call on a Mac?

The call app's own recorder, when it exists: the Phone app on macOS Tahoe, FaceTime audio calls with one other person, or Zoom, Meet and Teams with host permission. One file, both sides, and a notice to the other party.

Sources

• Apple: Take a screenshot or screen recording on Mac
• Apple: While on a call in the Phone app on Mac

Related guides

• How to record a FaceTime call on a Mac
• How to record a phone call on a Mac
• How to record computer audio and microphone at the same time on a Mac
• How to record a Discord call on a Mac
• How to record a Google Meet on a Mac without being the host
• How to record a Teams meeting on a Mac
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