Using Audio Hijack 3 to Elevate Your Computer Audio Sampling Game

Audio Hijack 3 is an essential tool for any producer with a Mac. It works similarly to a screen capture program, but for sound. Audio Hijack “hijacks” and routes any audio that is being played on or through your computer. To put simply what it does, as Rogue Amoeba says on their website, “If you can hear it, Audio Hijack can record it”.

As an audiophile, you’ve certainly had times where you want to overdrive the signal of your quiet and tiny speakers. At some point, you’ve also probably wanted to record YouTube videos for vocal samples or produce a podcast. Audio Hijack has got all your bases covered and then some.

Setting up simultaneous application recording in .mp3 with Chrome and iTunes

You can comfortably and quickly change the recording type or quality on Audio Hijack. Some other applications of this computer program are capturing audio from a DVD or Vinyl, recording audio from microphones, and demoing application sound routing. This can be easily through Audio Unit plugins you already have. One can also add Rogue Amoeba’s stock effects (which sound quite good, and there are a lot to choose from!), or route audio to new sources, like your DAW or audio interface. Not only does Audio Hijack have a wide variety of applications, it is also extremely easy to use.

Audio Hijack 3.3 resampling Ableton Live 9 with some of Rogue Amoeba’s meters, in combination with Flux’s StereoTool v3

This essential tool is extraordinarily affordable for how many uses it has. It costs only $49 from the Rogue Amoeba website, and it can also be bought bundled in a slightly more expensive package including other Rogue Amoeba software. 

Fission, for example, a fantastic audio editor, also has a friendly learning curve.

You can download this program for a free timed trial through their website. No do longer you have an excuse to not get a Mac! The demo period allows you to record anything, as long as it stays under ten minutes. While Audio Hijack isn’t available yet for PC, it’s another reason to make the switch over to OS X.

Allison Sheridan is a technology lecturer/podcaster and the face of podfeet.com. Sheridan goes a lot more in depth about Audio Hijack 3 in this 2015 Macstock lecture where she critically details her use of it as well as explains some more advanced general use. She explains topics in her lecture including but not limited to, scheduling recording and her real-life uses. Sheridan helps makes Audio Hijack seem a lot simpler.