Chapter 18. Audio Streams

The Skim

Capturing Audio to a File

Audio Streams

Eww! Look at the mess that you're making!

There you are, blithely listening to audio on your computer. Are you giving any thought to what's happening to all that audio dribbling through the speakers and your headphones? That's right: It's just making a big sticky puddle on the floor.

You should catch that stuff. In a bucket, maybe. It's useful stuff — you really shouldn't just let it spill on the floor like that.

Yes, there are utilities that can capture all the sound your computer is generating and send it to an audio file. It's like holding a microphone up to the speaker, only less wire-y.

These apps can also automatically launch specific audio programs and thus act as a sort of "audio VCR," tuning in to your favorite overseas football broadcast via streaming radio, and have it ready for your iPhone by the time you wake up in the morning.

Finally, since we're talking about streaming radio, we might as well talk about two rather super-awesome apps and services for the iPhone and iPod Touch that bring live radio to your device, no matter where you are.

Bad craziness lies ahead.

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