# How to Capture Audio from Your Computer and Transcribe It

**TL;DR:** Screenpipe captures both system audio (what you hear) and microphone input simultaneously, transcribes everything locally with Whisper, and makes it all searchable with AI. No virtual audio devices (BlackHole/Soundflower), no cloud processing. Works on Mac, Windows, and Linux. Setup takes 5 minutes — just install and grant permissions.

You want to record what you hear through your computer — a Zoom call, a YouTube tutorial, a podcast, system sounds — and get a searchable transcript.

This should be simple. It isn't. Most operating systems make it surprisingly hard to capture system audio (the audio coming out of your speakers/headphones), especially on macOS.

Here's how to do it properly in 2026.

## The Problem with System Audio Capture

### macOS

macOS doesn't let apps record system audio directly. When you "screen record" with QuickTime, you get video but no system audio — just your microphone.

Workarounds exist (BlackHole, Soundflower, Loopback) but they require virtual audio devices, manual routing, and break regularly with OS updates. On macOS 15+, Apple finally added system audio capture to the screen recording API, but few apps take advantage of it properly.

### Windows

Windows is better here. WASAPI loopback capture lets apps record system audio without extra drivers. Most screen recorders support it. But combining system audio + mic audio + transcription in one tool is still uncommon.

### Linux

PulseAudio and PipeWire allow monitor source recording, but configuration varies by distribution and desktop environment.

## The Simple Solution: Screenpipe

[Screenpipe](/content/site-root.html) captures both system audio and microphone input simultaneously, transcribes everything locally using Whisper, and makes it all searchable. No virtual audio devices, no manual routing, no cloud processing.

**What it captures:**

- **System audio** — everything you hear through speakers or headphones (meetings, videos, music, notifications)
- **Microphone** — everything you say
- **Both simultaneously** — hear the meeting and your own comments, attributed separately

**What it does with it:**

- Real-time local transcription using Whisper
- Speaker identification — who said what
- Full-text search across all transcripts
- AI-powered queries: "What was the action item from the standup?"
- Timestamps linking audio to screen content

### Setup

1. [Download Screenpipe](/content/onboarding/index.html) for your platform
2. Grant microphone permission (and screen recording on macOS for system audio)
3. That's it — audio capture starts automatically

No BlackHole. No Soundflower. No virtual audio routing. It just works.

## Use Cases

### Meeting Recording Without a Bot

Most meeting transcription tools (Otter, Granola, tl;dv) add a bot to your call. Screenpipe captures your computer's audio output — no bot, no "Otter.ai wants to join" notification, no asking permission.

Every Zoom, Meet, Teams, Slack huddle, or Discord call is captured automatically because you're recording system audio. See the [AI meeting notes use case](/content/resources/use-cases/ai-meeting-notes/index.html) for details.

### Tutorial and Lecture Capture

Watching a coding tutorial? A university lecture? A conference talk? Screenpipe transcribes the audio so you can search it later. "What did they say about the useEffect cleanup function?" — instant answer from the transcript.

### Podcast Research

Listening to podcasts for research? Screenpipe transcribes as you listen. Later, search for specific topics across hours of audio: "when did they discuss Series A fundraising?"

### Call Transcription

Phone calls on speaker, VoIP calls through your computer, customer support calls — anything that plays through your audio output gets captured and transcribed.

## Comparison with Other Approaches

|  | Screenpipe | BlackHole + Whisper | Otter.ai | OBS + Manual |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **System audio** | ✅ Native | ✅ Virtual device | ❌ Meeting only | ✅ With config |
| **Mic audio** | ✅ | ⚠️ Complex routing | ❌ | ✅ |
| **Auto transcription** | ✅ Local Whisper | Manual | ✅ Cloud | ❌ |
| **Always-on** | ✅ | Manual start | Per-meeting | Manual start |
| **Searchable** | ✅ AI-powered | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| **Screen capture too** | ✅ Accessibility + OCR | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ Video only |
| **Setup effort** | 5 minutes | 30+ minutes | 5 minutes | 15 minutes |
| **Privacy** | 100% local | Local | Cloud | Local |

## Audio + Screen Is Better Than Audio Alone

Here's why Screenpipe captures your screen _and_ audio simultaneously:

When someone says "look at the third column" while sharing a spreadsheet, the audio transcript alone gives you "look at the third column" — useless without the visual. With screen capture, you get the actual spreadsheet content.

When someone drops a URL in the Zoom chat, audio tools miss it entirely. Screen capture catches it.

When someone demos a UI and says "click here, then here," the audio is meaningless without the visual. Screen + audio together give you the full picture.

## Getting Started

1. [Download Screenpipe](/content/onboarding/index.html)
2. Grant permissions (takes 30 seconds)
3. Your audio is now being captured and transcribed — automatically, locally, continuously

Every meeting, every call, every video, every podcast. Searchable forever, on your device.

For more details, see the [audio capture and transcription use case](/content/resources/use-cases/audio-capture-transcription/index.html).