Audio Gate Recorder

Get Started with Audio Gate Recorder

Use the Recordings Sidebar

The Recordings Sidebar displays the recordings created by Audio Gate Recorder.

Each item in the sidebar includes useful information and playback controls so you can review your files without leaving the app.

• Click a recording to select it.
• Use the playback control to play or pause a recording.
• Reveal a recording in Finder to open its location on disk.
• Delete a recording when you no longer need it.

Each recording may show details such as the date it was created and its file size.

Work in the Routing Workspace

The Routing Workspace is where you build your recording setup.

Audio sources appear as visual nodes and automatically connect to the recording path.

Sources may include:

• System Audio, which can include audio from multiple applications
• Physical input devices
• Virtual audio devices

Connections show how audio flows from the sources, through the master processing chain, and into the recording.

Click an input node to open its gain and mute controls. The System Audio node also includes an Active Apps list for including or excluding currently running applications.

The blue Recording Mix node is the destination for the recording path. Its channel ports define the recorded file layout, and its meters show the final signal after source gain, channel summing, and master processing.

Monitoring is controlled separately from the bottom toolbar beside the recording loudness meter. Use those controls to choose the listening device, adjust its volume, or mute monitoring without changing the recording level or the Recording Mix meters.

Choose Recording Channels

Use the menu in the Recording Mix node to choose the channel layout written to the recording. Stereo is used by default. You can select Mono, Stereo, or a custom layout from 3 to 16 channels.

Layouts with three or more channels are stored as discrete channels in recording order. They are not labeled as surround sound or interpreted as stereo pairs.

The recording channel layout is independent from the selected listening device. For example, you can route selected channels from an eight-channel audio interface into a stereo recording while monitoring through headphones.

Audio Gate Recorder saves the recording channel layout with the workspace.

Map Source Channels

Open an input node and expand Channel Mapping to control which source channels feed each recording channel.

• Rows represent the source's input channels.
• Columns labeled R1, R2, and so on represent channels in the recorded file.
• Select a box to route that input channel to the corresponding recording channel.
• Select multiple boxes in one row to send a source channel to more than one recording channel.
• Use Reset Mapping to restore Audio Gate Recorder's safe default for that source.

Equal channel layouts connect one-to-one. A mono source connected to a stereo recording feeds both left and right. For other mismatched layouts, only channels with an unambiguous one-to-one match are connected automatically; additional source channels remain silent until you map them.

When the last input source is removed, Audio Gate Recorder also removes the Recording Mix and master processor nodes because no recording path remains.

Add and Remove Audio Sources

Use the toolbar to add or remove audio sources from the routing workspace.

Add a System Audio source to capture sound from multiple applications. Supported active applications are included unless you disable them in the node's Active Apps list.

Add a physical input source such as a microphone or audio interface input.

Add a virtual audio device when another audio tool provides the signal you want to record.

When a source has a different channel count than the recording layout, open that source's options and use Channel Mapping to select the channels you want. Audio Gate Recorder does not silently fold every extra input channel into the available recording channels.

Remove a source when it is no longer needed in the current routing setup.

Removing a source from the workspace does not uninstall or disconnect the actual device from your Mac.

If a physical or virtual device becomes unavailable, Audio Gate Recorder marks its node and excludes it from the active aggregate configuration. Reconnect the device before using that source again.

Process and Monitor Your Mix

Add Master Processing

Use the processing-tools button in the toolbar to add processors between your sources and the recording:

• Gain / Trim adjusts the level of the complete mix.
• High / Low-Pass Filter removes frequencies below or above the selected cutoff.
• 3-Band Equalizer shapes low, mid, and high frequencies.
• Limiter controls peaks using the selected ceiling.

A Gain / Trim value of 0 dB is unity gain: it passes the signal without making it louder or quieter. Negative values reduce the complete mix, while positive values boost it and can cause clipping.

Click a processor node to edit its parameters, bypass it for comparison, move it up or down in the chain, or remove it. Processors run in the order shown in the workspace, so changing their order can change the result.

You can adjust processor parameters while recording. Adding, removing, and reordering processors is available while recording is stopped.

Choose a Monitoring Output

Use the monitoring controls beside the recording loudness meter to follow the Default System Output or select a specific output device. Device selection is locked during an active recording to keep the monitoring path stable.

When recording starts, Audio Gate Recorder sends the processed signal to the selected Monitoring Output so you can hear the effects being recorded.

The monitoring volume and mute controls operate the selected listening device when macOS exposes those controls. They do not turn down or mute the recorded file.

The Recording Mix menu controls the recorded file layout, while the Monitoring Output menu controls where you listen. Changing speakers or headphones does not automatically change the recording layout or source mappings.

Start, Pause, and Manage Recordings

The toolbar includes the main controls for recording.

• Start recording to capture the current source mix after master processing.
• Pause recording to temporarily stop the session without ending it.
• Resume a paused recording to continue the same session.
• Use the elapsed timer and loudness meter to monitor the session.

Live processed monitoring begins on the selected Monitoring Output when recording starts. A very short transition may be audible while macOS starts the monitoring path, but Audio Gate Recorder protects the beginning of the recorded file from this transition.

After recording stops, the file appears in the Recordings Sidebar, where it can be selected, played, revealed in Finder, or deleted.

Read Meters and Adjust Levels

Audio Gate Recorder provides recording meters for balancing and checking your mix.

• Click an input node to adjust its gain. Source gain affects both the recording and live processed monitoring.
• Mute a source without removing it from the routing setup.
• The Recording Mix meters show the final signal after source gain, channel routing and summing, and master processing.

The recording status display includes:

• M: momentary loudness in LUFS.
• S: short-term loudness in LUFS.
• I: integrated loudness for the recording so far, in LUFS.
• PK: the highest sample peak in dBFS. A red value indicates clipping at or above 0 dBFS.

The loudness bar is green at lower levels, yellow as the signal becomes louder, and red near the top of the available range. Reaching the red region means the signal is approaching full scale, but it does not by itself prove that clipping occurred. Use the numerical PK reading for the definitive result: values below 0 dBFS have not clipped, while 0 dBFS or higher indicates clipping.

Choose Recording Settings

Audio Gate Recorder includes settings for choosing where recordings are saved and how they are encoded. Open them from Audio Gate Recorder > Settings.

You can choose the folder where new recordings are saved. Changing the recording folder affects future recordings only.

Enable Open folder after recording finishes when you want Finder to open the recording folder automatically after each completed recording.

Audio Gate Recorder supports these recording file types:

• CAF
• WAV
• AIFF
• M4A

Available encoding options depend on the selected file type and may include:

• Float32
• Int16
• ALAC
• AAC

Not every encoding format is available for every file type. Audio Gate Recorder shows compatible choices based on the current file type.

The channel layout selected from the Recording Mix node determines how many channels are written to new recordings. Channel layout changes are unavailable while recording is active.

Float32 is well suited for high-quality recording and editing workflows.

Int16 is a common PCM format that offers broad compatibility.

ALAC provides lossless compression while preserving original audio quality.

AAC provides compressed output with smaller file sizes.

Recording format changes apply to future recordings only. Existing files are not automatically converted.

Learn About Free Mode

Audio Gate Recorder may run in Free Mode depending on your purchase status.

In Free Mode, recordings longer than 10 minutes will have noise added.

Upgrading removes Free Mode limitations and enables full recording behavior.

If the app shows a Free Mode banner, you can use it to view upgrade options.

Tips for Best Results

Use these tips to improve recording reliability and sound quality.

• Confirm that the correct sources are added.
• When using multiple hardware or virtual input devices, check the following in Audio MIDI Setup:
• For best results, use the same sample rate for all connected audio devices when possible. To check this, open Audio MIDI Setup, select each device used with Audio Gate Recorder, and compare the "Sample Rate" shown for each device.
• If sources use different clocks, timing differences may occur during longer recordings. Select "Audio Gate Output Device" in Audio MIDI Setup and enable drift correction for secondary devices.
• Make a short test recording before long sessions to confirm that all sources stay in sync.
• Use headphones when recording a microphone with live monitoring.
• Check source gain, mute, processor settings, and processor order.
• For multichannel sources, verify Channel Mapping before starting a long recording.
• Leave unused input channels unmapped instead of combining them unless the mix requires it.
• Watch the recording PK value and reduce source gain or processor output if it reaches 0 dBFS.
• Use the Monitoring Output control for comfortable listening without changing the recorded level.
• Review recording folder and format settings.
• Watch the timer to monitor session length.
• Pause if needed without ending the session.
• Review the file in the Recordings Sidebar after recording.
• Reveal the file in Finder when needed.
• Delete the test recordings you no longer need.
• Use uncompressed or lossless formats when quality matters most.
• Use compressed formats when smaller files are preferred.

Troubleshoot Audio Gate Recorder

No audio in the recording

• For application and system audio, make sure Audio Gate Recorder is enabled under System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen & System Audio Recording.
• For microphone input, make sure Audio Gate Recorder is enabled under System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone.

Make sure the desired source is added to the workspace. Also confirm that the source is not muted, its gain is not turned down, and relevant processors are not suppressing the signal.

Open the source's Channel Mapping section and confirm that at least one input channel is connected to a recording channel. Extra channels from a mismatched source are intentionally left unmapped until selected.

No processed audio from the Monitoring Output

Monitoring is active during recording. Confirm that recording has started, the correct Monitoring Output is selected, and the device is not muted or turned down. Monitoring Output selection cannot be changed until recording stops.

If a microphone is active, connect headphones and select them as the Monitoring Output to avoid feedback.

Recording does not sound correct

Check source levels, mute states, Channel Mapping, processor parameters, and processor order. Bypass processors one at a time to identify which stage changes the sound.

If channels appear on the wrong side or are missing, open the affected source and review its Channel Mapping. Use Reset Mapping to return to the default routing, then select any additional channels you need.

GarageBand opens a multichannel recording as stereo tracks

The recording still contains one discrete channel for each Audio Gate recording channel. In GarageBand, create the matching number of mono audio tracks first, then assign or import the multichannel recording into those tracks.

The Monitoring Output sounds quiet, but the recording meter is louder

This is expected when the selected output is turned down. Monitoring Output volume affects monitoring only; the recording meter shows the level written to the file.

A source does not appear

Try refreshing your setup or reopening the app if a newly connected device or source is not shown.

If an existing physical or virtual input is marked unavailable, reconnect or restart that device. Audio Gate Recorder excludes unavailable devices from capture until they return.

Playback does not start

Make sure a recording is selected in the sidebar before using playback controls.

If a recording was saved to the wrong location or deleted outside Audio Gate Recorder, refresh the recordings list by clicking the refresh icon in the upper-right corner of the list to see available recordings.

Check the Recording Folder setting to confirm where new recordings are being saved.

The file type or encoding is not what I expected

Check the recording settings before starting a session. Format changes affect future recordings only.

Audio includes noise after 10 minutes of recording

This indicates that the app is running with Free Mode limitations. The Free Mode banner at the top of the window provides upgrade options.

Get Help and Support

If you encounter unexpected behavior, first check the troubleshooting. If you need more help, please email us.

When requesting support, include details about:

• macOS version and processor type (Intel or Apple Silicon)
• Which input audio sources were added
• Which Monitoring Output and master processors were selected
• The selected file type and encoding
• Whether the app was running in Free Mode

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