How to Record Music from YouTube

YouTube.com is a great source for new music and hard-to-find classics. If you're like many Internet users, you probably like to play music videos and listen to songs on Youtube while you do other activities online. But did you know that there is a way to capture the sound track and save it as almost any type of music file? All you need is a computer with Windows XP (or an earlier version of windows), and a sound editing program called Wavepad. By following the step-by-step guide below, you can convert music from Youtube videos into mp3 files and then listen to them without an Internet connection.

The first step, if you don't already have Wavepad on your computer, is to download the software from from the manufacturer's website nch.com.au (NCH is based in Australia). Just download the 30 day free trial version; you don't need to buy the masters version for this unless you want to have to program permanently. Wavepad is very lightweight, so it won't eat up much disk space. Plus it's very easy to uninstall should you want to remove the program.

As you install the program by running the Wavepad setup, you will see a screen asking you to select the program you want to install. Just check the boxes for Recordpad and Switch File converter. You won't need the other programs if all you want is to record YouTube music. Once you finish the installation, you are on your way to recording and saving music from Youtube.

Next, go the Master Volume control panel that controls the sound and volume of your computer. Click "Options," then "Properties," then the "Recording" radio button, and then look at the list below it. Check the box for "Stereo Mix," and click OK.

You will now see on the volume control panel that there is a checked box below the "Stereo Mix" volume scale. This is good. Set the volume to the level that you use when you listen to music online.

Please note that this can only be accomplished in Windows XP or earlier, so if you have Vista or Win7, you cannot record music from Youtube this way.

Now, open Recordpad and the YouTube video you want to capture music from. Let the video load COMPLETELY. When the Youtube video has finished loading, hit the record button on Recordpad, and then hit the play button on the video. This next step is extremely important. Watch the Recordpad timer very carefully. If everything is working fine, Recordpad should record at the same speed that the YouTube video is playing. If the Recordpad counter is slowing down and then speeding up, the recording will not work and you will have to try again. This is related to the quality of the Youtube video, not the Wavepad software. With high quality YouTube videos, Recordpad captures the song without a hitch.

When the song finishes, hit stop. The song will be saved as "Untitled (number)" by default, and the default destination is My Documents in the Recordpad folder. You can change these settings by clicking the Options tab in Recordpad.

The Wavepad and Recordpad programs can be used to capture any music from anywhere online. If you want to change the file format, you can use the Switch File converter program that you downloaded earlier.

© Had2Know 2010