The usual suspects
Usually the reason is that the application playing the audio isn't doing so to the Soundflower 2ch device.
The fix is normally to either:
- Go to the applications preferences (Skype is a good example of this) and change it's output to be the Soundflower 2ch device.
- If the application doesn't contain preferences for this (VLC is a good example here) then stop the application, and start it again after you've started iShowU. It's important that the "record computer audio" checkbox is selected.
More Troubleshooting Steps
Here's some more things you can try:
- Check that the volume level on the Soundflower 2ch device (both Output and Input) is not zero. You can check this inside the Sound Preferences, within System Preferences.
- With iShowU running, and record computer audio enabled, play some music from iTunes and check that there is activity on the Input within the Sound preferences.
Make sure you've selected the Soundflower (2ch) device when you check this: - With iShowU running - and record computer audio enabled, play some music from iTunes. Does the system sound level meter witin iShowU show activity? If so you should also hear audio. If you don't get this far it's time to send a support request to us at support@shinywhitebox.com. Watch a video that shows this process.
- Does your application have way to route audio directly to the Soundflower 2ch device? Some applications do, some don't. If your application does, please configure it so that it is playing audio to Soundflower 2ch.
Note from Neil about Realplayer:
It does not appear that RealPlayer is compatible with Soundflower. While iTunes (and others) are quite happy to play through Soundflower, RealPlayer is not. On top of that it doesn't provide a way to force the output to Soundflower (so really, I cannot see what it's trying to do). As yet I have no workaround for this program.
Note on VLC:
It requires a restart with iShowU already running to pick up the correct audio device.
iShowU records computer audio using the Soundflower 2ch "device". It's not really a device - think of it more or less as a pipe. What goes into SF2ch comes out the other end. So, if you play audio into the SF2ch device then you see it come out the other end (what is known as the input. Yes, we're aware this may twist your brain).
So the flow of audio is:
- An application (e.g: iTunes) makes some noise -> Soundflower 2ch
- SF 2ch (output) is piped to SF 2ch (input)
- iShowU records SF2ch (input)
Comments
16 comments
Thanks, this helped -- with Itunes it worked. haven't tested yet to see if it will work with audacity (which is what I was using).
Thanks!!
beth
On Macos 10.5, I tried recording a video with photobooth . No sound at all ?!!!! No preferences in Photobooth !!
I had the idea to open ISHOWU and check "record audio" (with AUDIO INPUT = "internal microphone" in my preferences)
Then restart photobooth and record my video .
And now it's ok, my video in photobooth has got sound !
I can't get this to work with the iPhone Simulator. The input level shows activity with iTunes and even the volume up and down buttons but as soon as I try to capture video and audio from the Simulator the level does not move and iShowU HD does not capture the audio. Please advise
I ran all of these tests and I cannot get it to record audio when using "gotomeeting" webinar software.
This is so frustrating. We still can not record audio from the iPhone Simulator. Why does this not work? Soundflower is set up correctly as is iShowU. In fact, everything else records the audio fine just not when using the Simulator which is the only reason we need this software. It has worked once before but never again. Please let us know how to get this working on a consistent basis. Thanks!
Great very god tutorial man tnhak you!
Did everything above. Now I cannot hear the video I am attempting to capture. When I change back to the Mac's internal speakers, I can hear the video, but iShowU fails to capture its audio. Now what??
Its frustrating, yep.
Tried to record audio from Google Chrome. Sometimes it does and sometimes doesnt, dont know why.
And have no idea what to do to record audio from Skype. ¿Soundflower input and output? ¿Sure? It didnt work at all.
I have Mountain Lion OS, maybe this is the problem.
Thx
I also want to record sound for my computer, and finally I use a tool, Tenorshare iGetting Audio, it is so helpful for me. I get it from http://www.tenorshare.com/products/streaming-audio-recorder.html
I also want to record sound for my computer, and finally I use a tool, Tenorshare iGetting Audio, it is so helpful for me. NICE ONE vISIT ME :-
completed the aforementioned tasks. I used to be able geometry dash to hear the video that I was trying to record, but now I can't. When I go back to the speakers that are built into the Mac, I am able to hear the video; but, iShowU is unable to record its audio. What's next?
As a fan of audio applications, I've faced similar issues with Soundflower 2ch when using them for my Cookie Clicker gaming sessions. It’s vital to ensure the app's output settings are properly configured. For apps like Skype, changing the output to Soundflower helps immensely. If you're using VLC, just restart it after launching your recording software. Also, don’t forget to check the volume levels!
Thanks for the detailed troubleshooting steps, Neil! I struggled with this exact issue last week. I eventually figured out the audio routing in VLC, restarting it with iShowU running was the key. For pure audio fun after this, I suggest trying out Crazy Cattle 3D. It's surprisingly relaxing and might help relieve the frustration of audio setup. Just a thought!
Ah, the dreaded silent recording! It's like shouting into the void, isn't it? Sometimes apps just don't play nice with virtual audio devices, refusing to route their sound correctly. We can think Soundflower 2ch is the Block Breaker key to route audio smoothly. I once spent hours troubleshooting a similar issue with OBS Studio and a virtual webcam, only to discover a conflicting audio driver was to blame. Hours went by, but now it is solved.
Okay, thanks for the troubleshooting tips! I had a similar audio routing issue when trying to record gameplay highlights. Spent ages fiddling with settings. For anyone else struggling with this kind of audio setup, it can be tricky. Actually, a friend of mine uses Basketball Stars to record his awesome plays, and their in-game recording feature is surprisingly simple to use. Might save you a headache!
I ran into a similar issue when trying to record gameplay audio, and it turned out my Soundflower volume was muted. After fixing that, everything worked fine. If you're testing setups, I found it helpful to try something simple like Suika Game—easy to launch and great for checking whether your audio capture is actually working.
Please sign in to leave a comment.