I used to use cassettes but now how can I record off of the radio?

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So - as some of you will know - BBC Radio 4 has a marvelous listen again thingy where you can listen again to various shows. Hypothetically speaking obviously, if someone with an old mac and limited computering skills wanted to record these shows how would he go about it?

― Ned Trifle II, Saturday, 10 March 2007 17:02 (eighteen years ago)

Get a cassette recorder?

― Dalzinho, Saturday, 10 March 2007 17:03 (eighteen years ago)

There's certainly software available for PC that lets you do that (I sometimes use WM Recorder), so I assume there must be for Macs too.

― Dalzinho, Saturday, 10 March 2007 17:05 (eighteen years ago)

a very very simple os x recording program is wiretap. it records everything that comes out of your sound card, though, so it would pick up email chimes etc.

― lfam, Saturday, 10 March 2007 17:12 (eighteen years ago)

reel to reel? minidisc?

audacity also does the 'record what i can hear' thing.

for automated recordings i use mplayer / mencoder. this is on linux though, don't know if it exists for macs.

― koogs, Saturday, 10 March 2007 17:15 (eighteen years ago)

audio hijack is what you seek. you fire it up, then tell it which application to "listen" to: in this case your browser (or realplayer, if you're playing stuff through that). it starts up the application and bob's yer uncle. couldn't be simpler.

only thing is, i can't remember if you're still running that v old version of OS X ... audio hijack's been around for a while, so there should be a version that works. but i don't want to check the site 'cos i'd like there to be at least a few seconds of optimism for you here, dude :)

― grimly fiendish, Saturday, 10 March 2007 18:31 (eighteen years ago)

also, important point ... might be worth its own thread but this seems a good place to test the water. we british mac and linux (indeed, all non-windows) users are all aware that the BBC's on-demand iPlayer thingy might well be tied in to microsoft-standard DRM, for at least the first 24 months, aren't we?

and that the BBC are basically saying, tough, dickwads, get XP or vista or some such shit?

fuck that noise, say i. there's quite a bit on the web about it already, esp on mac sites; anyway, to cut a v long story short, there's a BBC consultation document here and question 5 is the key one.

nb: a lot of links from other sites give you a 404 error ... i've a sneaking suspicion the beeb changed the location 'cos it was getting hammered by angry mac dudes.

apologies if this has been mentioned before. similarly: if anyone thinks it's worth a thread of its own, feel free. i'm off out to see russell brand now :)

― grimly fiendish, Saturday, 10 March 2007 18:45 (eighteen years ago)

I hear he's very amusing.
Thanks for all that - checking 'em out now. I didn't know about that BBC business - but I'm not surprised. My kids loved that programme where kids watch computer generated insects scuttle about. In the studio set up they had a load of macs to make it look cool but when you went on the site to make your own insect thingy - guess what - windows PC only.

― Ned Trifle II, Saturday, 10 March 2007 19:50 (eighteen years ago)

I have found suddenly it's impossible to find ghettoblasters w/cassette players in them.

― Abbott, Saturday, 10 March 2007 20:37 (eighteen years ago)

Yeah, I use Audio Hijack to record some web radio shows (okay, just the Hour of Slack). Works really well.

― Rock Hardy, Saturday, 10 March 2007 20:52 (eighteen years ago)

ghettoblasters

christ, i haven't heard that word in aeons! is it even still "allowed"? my feeling is it belongs in the slightly embarrassing dustbin of history along with "chinky" and "paki shop"...

but what else does one call the ghettoblaster nowadays? wog box is out, obviously :-)

― CharlieNo4, Saturday, 10 March 2007 21:04 (eighteen years ago)

I must be really really stupid 'cos I've just downloaded the Audio Hijack thing - I fill in the 'inspector' box with the application and the URL and then WHAT DO I DO? I press the record button and nothing happens...I missing something yes?

― Ned Trifle II, Saturday, 10 March 2007 21:12 (eighteen years ago)

OK, stand down - I've worked it out...

― Ned Trifle II, Saturday, 10 March 2007 21:22 (eighteen years ago)

???

I don't have an "inspector" box on my copy of the application anywhere.

― Rock Hardy, Saturday, 10 March 2007 21:26 (eighteen years ago)

argh xpost

― Rock Hardy, Saturday, 10 March 2007 21:27 (eighteen years ago)

Hey - it works great - I'm using an old version 'cos as Simon knows I'm using an old OS - 10.2.8 - which may be why it's got this 'inspector' thingy. I can now hear Count Arthur Strong wherever I go...

― Ned Trifle II, Sunday, 11 March 2007 21:27 (eighteen years ago)

excellent! glad it's working for you.

― grimly fiendish, Sunday, 11 March 2007 22:27 (eighteen years ago)

If you want to download the program without having to copy it in real time, open the radio player to the program you want in IE and do the following:

-right-click on the progress bar on the left and select "View Source"
-use find to search for "RPMS", and select all the text between quotes in the embed source tag (it should look something like "/radio/aod/shows/rpms/radio4/xxxxxxxx.rpm"
-prefix it with http://www.bbc.co.uk and you have the path to the audio stream
-Use NetTransport, click the Add New Download button and enter the audio stream path

It will save it to your computer as an RA file, which sucks, so get a converter and change it to mp3 or whatever you prefer. The obvious benefit of this way is that you can download a 3-4 hr program in just a few minutes.

― musically, Sunday, 11 March 2007 23:05 (eighteen years ago)

enter the audio stream path

Why do those words sounds makle me feel like something out of Tron?

― Ned Trifle II, Monday, 12 March 2007 09:55 (eighteen years ago)

Makle?

― Ned Trifle II, Monday, 12 March 2007 09:56 (eighteen years ago)

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