How to record streaming audio on your computer

A friend asked how he could record audio from his computer. I thought he meant streaming music, like from Pandora or Spotify, but his intended use was to record streams of his favorite sports talk station.

It took less than five minutes to research the answer, download the software and start recording. On my Windows 10 PC, I downloaded a free app called Audacity (audacityteam.org), which is a multitrack audio editor. There are versions for MacOS, as well.

Once Audacity is downloaded and launched, you'll find four pull-down menus under the control buttons. Those menus are where you choose the recording source, PC sound input and output, and a choice of recording in mono or stereo.

I started the audio source — an online radio station stream — and pressed the Record button in Audacity. I could see the audio represented in the recording timeline, and I just let it play until I was ready to stop.

What if you want to record a show when you're not around? There is a built-in timer in Audacity so you can kick off a recording anytime you choose. You just need to have the web stream up and running.

When you're done, you can choose to save the Audacity file, exporting it to the audio format of your choice (MP3 works well).