Recording Audio quickly

Question

Level 1

15 points

Recording Audio quickly

Hi:

I am using iMac with High Sieraa. I also have Logic Pro, Garage Band and Quicktime installed; all of which I am aware, can record audio.

I am also a songwriter, and I find that many times, i get a song inspiration when I least expect it.

When that happens, i find myself scrambling, trying to find a quick way to record audio, so that i don't forget the song I am creating.

Is there a super fast way to arm a software product for recording? Is there a way I can record keystrokes and automate a process whereby at the touch of a key, or a combination of keys. my iMac fires up a recording program that is record ready?

Thank-you for your time and expertise!

macOS High Sierra (10.13)

Posted on May 6, 2018 1:41 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

wizardlore

Level 1

66 points

May 6, 2018 2:14 PM in response to Music Fusion

You could make an applescript to open one of those programs and have it start recording

Open AppleScript Editor and past the following into a new script:

tell application "QuickTime Player"

activate

set r to new audio recording

start r

end tell

Then click the run button to test it.

Save it out somewhere on your hard drive,

Optionally drag it into your dock for easy access.

You can also enable Applescript's Menu, via Script Editors preference, in which case you could save the applescript in a location this menu control shows scripts from.

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Answer 2

May 6, 2018 2:38 PM in response to wizardlore

You could also use Automator to make the above applescript into a Service so it shows up in the Services menu as an option and then use Keyboard preference pane to add a keyboard shortcut for that service.

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Answer 3

Music Fusion Author

Level 1

15 points

May 6, 2018 4:40 PM in response to Music Fusion

WizardLore

Thank-you. Your coding worked like a charm. I saved the script to my desktop. Right now, when I click on it, script editor comes up showing the code, and then i have to click run. I'd like just to have one click from the desktop. I think you were trying to explain how to do that, but I'm not sure i understand. Can you help me with that?

Thanks again!

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Answer 4

May 6, 2018 5:22 PM in response to Music Fusion

Open the script in Script Editor

Hold Down the Option key and look in the file menu and select "Save As..."

You can release the Option key now.

This time in the Save dialog In the File Format popup menu select "Application" instead of the default "Script" option.

This will give you an applescript application that will just run when double clicked. Without Script Editor getting into the mix.

Then drag the "Start QuickTime Audio Recording.app" or what ever you called it onto your Dock.

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Answer 5

Music Fusion Author

Level 1

15 points

May 7, 2018 4:50 AM in response to Music Fusion

One last thing, and maybe I should start a new thread for this, I'm not sure.

I noticed that the audio files, when created in Quicktime, and then dragged into Garage band through Finder, they do not have any volume. Likewise, when i try to put them into iTunes, iTunes refuses to play them. Is this normal? I thought they'd behave just like an normal audio file?

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Answer 6

May 7, 2018 9:46 AM in response to Music Fusion

For the recording volume: Open System Preferences and Click on the Sound Preference pane and in the "Input" tab, turn up your Input Volume.

For the GarageBand not playing audio files I made a new Question and Answer @

Re: Audio files added to GarageBand, produce no sound

For iTunes, not sure what's happening there, but you could try using another sound program such as Audacity to convert the audio file into another file format and see if iTunes will except the converted file.

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