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How to record SoundCloud or Mixcloud audio on a Mac

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

You can record SoundCloud or Mixcloud audio on a Mac by capturing system audio through ScreenCaptureKit while the mix plays in a browser; neither service uses DRM, so the capture is normal. The job is mostly about length: a 2-hour DJ mix is 1.98 GB as 24-bit 48 kHz WAV, 1.32 GB as 16-bit, or 0.29 GB as MP3 320. SoundCloud's terms permit copying only where the uploader enabled download; Mixcloud's license is to "listen to audio streamed".

How do I record a SoundCloud or Mixcloud mix on a Mac?

Both players run in a browser tab (SoundCloud also has a Mac app) and play through the normal Core Audio output. A ScreenCaptureKit capture receives them like any other system audio.

  1. Open the mix, let it buffer, and pause at 0:00.
  2. In AirCheck, choose System Audio and grant Screen & System Audio Recording permission once.
  3. Choose the export format before you start (it is applied when the take stops). For a mix you will play in the car, MP3 320. For a mix you want to cut, WAV 16-bit.
  4. Turn on a Focus. Comments and notifications otherwise land in the file.
  5. Press record, then play. Do not use the tab for anything else. Stop a few seconds after the mix ends and trim later.

The tab does not need to be in front, and the display can sleep; the Mac itself must not. On a MacBook, stay on power or run caffeinate -i. The recorder takes everything the Mac plays, so a second tab with a video will be in the file too. The browser-tab guide covers isolating one tab when you cannot close the rest.

How big is a 2-hour mix recording?

Measured on 45 real AirCheck recordings, stereo:

The longest continuous take in the author's library is 7,550 seconds (2 h 5 min) at 24-bit 48 kHz, 2.07 GB, which matches the per-minute figure. There is no length limit in the app; the ceiling is free disk. Because AirCheck records a 24-bit AIFF master and converts at stop, plan for the 24-bit size during the take even if the final file is MP3.

Which to choose: the source is a lossy stream, so 24-bit adds size and no information. WAV 16-bit is the sensible choice if you will edit; MP3 320 if you will only listen. The general decision is in how big is an audio recording per minute.

Can I download from SoundCloud or Mixcloud instead of recording?

SoundCloud: sometimes. The uploader can enable a download button on a track, and when they do, that is the file to take: it is the original upload, not a stream, and it is the route SoundCloud's terms explicitly allow. SoundCloud Go+ adds offline listening inside the app, which is not a file you can move.

Mixcloud: no. Mixcloud's terms grant a license to "listen to audio streamed from the Website" and nothing about downloading; the platform is built around streaming DJ mixes and radio shows with licensing that depends on that. There is no download button to look for.

So the decision tree is short. Download button visible on SoundCloud: click it, no recording needed. No button, or Mixcloud: the only technical route is a capture, and the terms of both services (next section) say that route is not permitted without the uploader's permission. If the mix is yours, or a friend's who says yes, you are within both the terms and copyright. The DJ who made the mix usually has the original file and will send it if asked.

What do SoundCloud's and Mixcloud's terms say about recording?

Not legal advice. Both services are explicit.

SoundCloud (Terms of Use, fetched 3 Sept 2026; the page served the German text, paraphrased here): you may not copy, rip or capture any content from the platform, or attempt to, except downloading for offline listening where the uploader has enabled download or offline listening for that content. The English version uses the same three verbs in the corresponding clause.

Mixcloud (Terms of Use): the license is to "listen to audio streamed from the Website", and "the copying, reproduction, re-arrangement, sale, leasing, renting, lending, distribution, redistribution, modification or adaptation, downloading, side-loading, exchanging, creating of derivative works" are prohibited except as expressly permitted. Users also agree "not to obtain or attempt to obtain any Content through any means not intentionally made available by Mixcloud".

On top of the contracts sits copyright in the tracks inside the mix, which belongs to labels and producers, and separate rules on private copying that differ by country. A capture does not circumvent any protection, because there is none; it still breaks the terms unless the uploader allowed it. Never publish, re-upload or DJ with a captured mix.

Getting a DJ mix from SoundCloud or Mixcloud onto your Mac

RoutePermitted by the service's terms?Works for any mix?What you get2-hour sizeCost
SoundCloud download button (uploader-enabled)YesOnly where enabledThe original uploadDepends on the uploadFree
Ask the DJ for the fileYesDepends on the DJThe master, often WAVAbout 1.3 GB as 16-bit 44.1 kHz WAV (measured 10.1 MB per minute)Free
SoundCloud Go+ offline listeningYesYes, inside the appPlayback only, no filen/aSubscription
System audio capture (AirCheck)No, unless the uploader permitsYes, technicallyReal-time copy of the lossy stream0.29 GB MP3 320, 1.32 GB WAV 16-bit, 1.98 GB WAV 24-bit$39
Mixcloud, any routeStreaming onlyn/an/an/an/a

Sizes from AirCheck's measured per-minute figures. Terms as fetched on 3 Sept 2026.

Where AirCheck fits

AirCheck ($39 one-off, macOS 14 or newer) is designed around exactly this length of take: a 2-hour mix as one file, no virtual driver, no length limit, export to WAV or MP3 320 when you stop. Its watchdog restarts capture into the same file if the stream stalls for 5 seconds, so a buffering hiccup costs a gap, not the recording. It fits archiving your own SoundCloud or Mixcloud uploads, a radio show you host, or a mix a friend has told you to grab. The author uses it to record his own sets.

When you do not need it: If the track has a download button, click it; the original file beats any capture. If you are the DJ, record your set from the controller or interface instead, which gives a 24-bit master; see the DJ set guide.

AirCheck records what your Mac plays, or any input, to one file. $39 once.

Buy AirCheck for $39

macOS 14 or newer. One-off payment. Fourteen-day refund, no questions asked.

Questions people ask

Can you record SoundCloud on a Mac?

Yes, technically: SoundCloud plays as ordinary system audio, so any ScreenCaptureKit recorder captures it. SoundCloud's terms permit copying only where the uploader enabled download or offline listening, so use the download button when it exists and treat capture as something that needs the uploader's permission.

How long can I record a mix on a Mac?

There is no time limit in AirCheck. The longest real take on the author's Mac is 2 h 5 min, 2.07 GB at 24-bit 48 kHz. Keep the Mac from sleeping (caffeinate -i or stay on power) and keep about 1 GB per hour free for the 24-bit master.

Does Mixcloud let you download mixes?

No. Mixcloud's terms license you to listen to audio streamed from the site and prohibit downloading except where expressly permitted, and there is no download button. The route within the terms is to stream, or to ask the DJ who uploaded the mix for the file.

Which format should I save a recorded mix in?

The stream is lossy, so 24-bit adds nothing. Save as WAV 16-bit (1.32 GB for 2 hours) if you will edit or cue points, or MP3 320 (0.29 GB) if you will only listen. AirCheck applies the choice when the take stops.

Sources

Hannes Hennerbichler builds AirCheck and records his own DJ sets with it through a Focusrite Scarlett 8i6. Every step on this page was run on the macOS version stated above. Drafted with AI assistance, checked and edited by the author. About