Recording A Stream

   One of the most common uses for Audio Hijack Pro is recording streaming audio, particularly with timed recording. We provide tutorials for Hijacking and Timers, but we'll outline the exact steps needed to record a specific program. Here, we'll be recording the stream from KCRW, using RealPlayer. These instructions can be adjusted slightly to record just about any streamed content, both archived and live.

   First things first, we need to launch Audio Hijack Pro. Once that's done, we'll create a new session by clicking the [+] button at the bottom of the Components List. Then, in the Input pane on the right, we'll set the Source Application to RealPlayer, which will be playing our audio stream.

   Next, we need to set the URL or file that the session will pass off to RealPlayer when it runs. In this case, we'll be using the KCRW Live URL obtained from their website. We've now copied the URL that Audio Hijack Pro needs (http://media.kcrw.com/live/kcrwlive.pls) to our clipboard. This is what we'll paste into the Open URL/File field of our session. For full details on finding a stream's URL, see the Finding Stream URLs page of the manual.

   As it's set now, when we click Hijack, the desired stream will be passed to RealPlayer, which will then play the audio so we can record it. However, we'd like to use a timer here, so we don't need to be in front of the machine to record. So, we need to create a timer in the Schedule area. We'll be recording Cafe L.A., from 3 to 6 PM Eastern, on Sundays. We'll also turn on the Record, Mute, and Quit Source checkboxes.

   Once that's set, we're done! Audio Hijack Pro will wake the machine at 3 PM, launch, and open up RealPlayer to the specified stream. RealPlayer will play the stream, and Audio Hijack Pro will record it. At 6 PM, the stream and hijacking will finish, RealPlayer will quit, and when we come back to the machine, there will be a recording waiting for us in the Recording Bin. Now we can burn it to CD, drop it on an iPod, or listen to it in iTunes.

Quick Review
   Let's do a quick review of all that is necessary to record this stream in Audio Hijack Pro.

  1. Open Audio Hijack Pro and set up a Session (see Hijacking), targeting RealPlayer as the source.
  2. Enter the address of the stream you wish to record, (see Finding Stream URLs) in the Open URL/File/AppleScript area.
  3. Enable a timer in the Schedule area. Set up the days and times when the Timer should run, and be sure to turn on the Record checkbox. You'll also likely want local output muted when the recording is made, so turn on the Mute checkbox. That's it!