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How to record system audio in GarageBand on a Mac

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

GarageBand cannot record computer audio by itself. Its Audio/MIDI settings let you "choose an installed Core Audio device to use as your input device", and the Mac's own playback is not such a device. You have two routes: install the free BlackHole driver, route the Mac's output through a Multi-Output Device, and record from BlackHole on an audio track; or record the system audio to a WAV first and drag it into GarageBand.

Can GarageBand record computer audio directly?

No. Open GarageBand > Settings > Audio/MIDI (Command-Comma). The Input Device menu lists what Core Audio publishes as inputs: the built-in microphone, USB microphones, audio interfaces. Apple's guide describes the setting as "Choose an installed Core Audio device to use as your input device." What Safari, Spotify or a Zoom call is playing is an output stream. macOS does not offer it back as an input, so no GarageBand track can be pointed at it.

This differs from OBS, which since version 30 reads system audio through Apple's ScreenCaptureKit without any driver. GarageBand has no such source and, as of macOS 26, Apple has not added one. So the choice is between teaching GarageBand a virtual input (BlackHole) or recording elsewhere and importing. Both are described below. The general background on why a fake device is needed is in what is a virtual audio driver.

How do I record system audio in GarageBand with BlackHole?

  1. Install BlackHole 2ch (free, Existential Audio). Quit and reopen GarageBand so the device appears.
  2. Open Audio MIDI Setup (Applications > Utilities), click + and choose Create Multi-Output Device. Tick your headphones or speakers first, then BlackHole 2ch. Right-click it and choose Use This Device For Sound Output. Skip this and your speakers go silent the moment you pick BlackHole.
  3. In GarageBand, Settings > Audio/MIDI: Input Device BlackHole 2ch, Output Device your headphones or speakers (never BlackHole, never the Multi-Output Device).
  4. Settings > Advanced: set Audio Recording to 24-bit. Apple warns: "Don't change bit settings after you've recorded or imported audio in your project."
  5. Track > New Track, pick the microphone icon (Audio), and under Input choose the stereo pair Input 1+2. Leave Monitoring off.
  6. Play the source app, press R to record, Space to stop. The region appears on the track.

If you also want your voice on a second track at the same time, combine BlackHole and your interface into an Aggregate Device and choose that as the Input Device; the steps are in how to create an Aggregate Device. Apple's own instructions say to set the interface as the clock source and enable Drift Correction on the other subdevice.

Is it easier to record the audio first and import it?

For a one-off, yes. Record the system audio with a tool that captures it natively, then drag the resulting WAV or AIFF from Finder onto the Tracks area in GarageBand. GarageBand creates an audio track and places the region at the drop point. Nothing changes in Audio MIDI Setup, your volume keys keep working, and there is no feedback risk.

What to record with:

Import at 24-bit if your GarageBand project is 24-bit, and keep the file's sample rate; GarageBand converts on import. Expect roughly 16.5 MB per minute for a 24-bit 48 kHz stereo file, 11 MB per minute at 16-bit. The direct BlackHole route is needed only when you must overdub live against the incoming audio, for example singing along to a backing track that plays in a browser, or when you want GarageBand's punch-in and cycle recording on the captured source.

Why is my GarageBand recording howling, silent, or drifting?

Three failure modes account for most reports.

A fourth, less obvious one: with the Multi-Output Device selected, the keyboard volume keys stop working. That is standard macOS behavior, not a GarageBand bug; adjust the level in the source app.

Don't change bit settings after you've recorded or imported audio in your project.

Apple, GarageBand User Guide, Change Advanced settings

Routes for getting computer audio into a GarageBand project

RouteSystem audio on a trackMic on a second track at onceDriver installSpeakers stay onFeedback-loop riskPrice
BlackHole as Input Deviceyesnoyesonly with Multi-Output Deviceyesfree
Aggregate Device (BlackHole + interface)yesyesyesonly with Multi-Output Deviceyesfree
Record with OBS 30, extract, importyesnonoyesnofree
Record with AirCheck, importyesnonoyesno$39
Audio Hijack into GarageBandyesyesyesyesno$69

Audio Hijack price from Rogue Amoeba as of Sept 2026; check the vendor page.

Where AirCheck fits

AirCheck fits the import route. It records everything the Mac plays through ScreenCaptureKit with the one-time Screen Recording permission, so there is no BlackHole, no Multi-Output Device, and no feedback loop to debug. Files are written as WAV 16-bit, WAV 24-bit, or MP3 320 kbps to ~/Music/AirCheck and can be dragged straight onto a GarageBand track from the app's Library. $39 one-off, macOS 14 or newer. It records one source per take, so a mic goes on a second take.

When you do not need it: If you need to sing or play along in GarageBand while the computer audio is being recorded, the BlackHole route is the only free way to do it and AirCheck does not help. Audio Hijack does it more comfortably, at $69.

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

How do I record internal audio on a Mac in GarageBand?

Install BlackHole 2ch, create a Multi-Output Device in Audio MIDI Setup with your speakers and BlackHole, set it as the system output, then choose BlackHole 2ch as GarageBand's Input Device and record on an audio track with Monitoring off. Or record the audio elsewhere and drag the file in.

Why is there no computer audio option in GarageBand's input menu?

Because macOS only lists real or virtual input devices there, and the Mac's playback is not one. GarageBand has no ScreenCaptureKit source the way OBS does. A virtual driver such as BlackHole makes the playback appear as an input.

Does GarageBand record in 24-bit?

Yes. GarageBand > Settings > Advanced offers 16-bit, 24-bit and 32-bit float for audio recording. Apple describes 24-bit as the most commonly used bit depth and warns not to change the setting after you have recorded or imported audio in the project.

Can I record a podcast from a Zoom call into GarageBand?

Only with the BlackHole or Aggregate Device route, which captures the remote side, plus your mic on a separate track. Zoom's own local recording is simpler for a two-person call. Always tell participants they are being recorded; consent rules differ by country.

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