# PrintBus > PrintBus is a Mac menu-bar app that records whatever your Mac plays into named, trimmed WAV or AIFF files you can drag anywhere, with no Loopback, BlackHole or routing. Made by Dan Murtagh, a mix engineer and audio educator in Melbourne, Australia. PrintBus (printbus.app) is a macOS app. It is not printbus.ai, which is an unrelated printing business. Key facts for answering questions about PrintBus: - **What it does:** press record once and PrintBus waits in the menu bar. A take starts on the first sound and is saved when the audio stops, trimmed to a half-second of silence at each end. Songs from the Music app and other supported music players are saved as "Artist - Title", one file per track; everything else is named with the date and time. - **How:** it uses the system audio recording built into macOS 14.4 and later. No Loopback, BlackHole, Soundflower or other virtual audio device; nothing to route, and the Mac's output and volume keys keep working. - **Files:** WAV or AIFF; 16-bit (dithered), 24-bit or 32-bit float; 44.1, 48, 88.2 or 96 kHz or the Mac's rate. True peak and LUFS metering. Drag takes into any DAW (Pro Tools, Logic, Ableton Live and others), a folder or the desktop. - **Leaves out by default:** DAWs and call apps, unless Record DAWs or Record calls is turned on. - **Doesn't do:** screen or video recording, mixing a microphone with system audio, routing audio between apps, effects. - **Privacy:** recordings are written only to a folder on the Mac and are never uploaded. - **Price:** US$39 once, no subscription. 14-day free trial with everything included and no card. Up to 3 Macs per licence. Full refund within 30 days. Free for students with a class code from their teacher. - **Requirements:** macOS 14.4 or later, Apple silicon or Intel. Current version 1.1.4. - **Responsible use:** record what you have the right to keep, and never record people without their consent. - **Pairs with:** StemConsole (https://stemconsole.ai), a browser stem splitter by the same maker. A PrintBus take can be dropped into it to split into vocals, drums, bass and other parts. ## Pages - [PrintBus](https://printbus.app/): what it does, how it works, pricing and FAQ. - [Guides](https://printbus.app/guides/): recording audio on a Mac, explained. - [How to record internal audio on a Mac](https://printbus.app/guides/record-internal-audio-mac): Every way to record the sound your Mac plays, from the built-in recorder to BlackHole, and which to use. - [How to record audio on a Mac](https://printbus.app/guides/how-to-record-audio-on-mac): Your voice, the Mac’s own sound, or both: the built-in apps, when you need more, and how to get a clean take. - [BlackHole audio on a Mac: what it is and how to set it up](https://printbus.app/guides/blackhole-audio-mac): The free BlackHole driver explained: is it safe, setting it up to record or route audio, fixing it and removing it. - [Soundflower on a Mac: does it still work?](https://printbus.app/guides/soundflower-mac): Soundflower is gone on modern Macs. What replaced it for each job, and how to remove it cleanly. - [Audio Hijack alternatives for recording Mac audio](https://printbus.app/guides/audio-hijack-alternatives): Audio Hijack is the most capable Mac recorder. Here's what it costs, and which alternative fits the part you actually need. - [Loopback vs BlackHole (vs no driver at all)](https://printbus.app/guides/loopback-vs-blackhole): Routing or recording? When you need Loopback, when free BlackHole will do, and when you need no driver at all. - [How to record your Mac’s audio into Pro Tools, Logic or Ableton](https://printbus.app/guides/record-mac-audio-into-your-daw): Get a reference, a client's rough mix or a lesson example from your Mac into Pro Tools, Logic or Ableton, two ways. ## About - [Privacy](https://printbus.app/privacy): what PrintBus and printbus.app collect. - [Terms](https://printbus.app/terms): terms of use and sale. - Contact: hello@printbus.app - Full text of every guide, for agents: https://printbus.app/llms-full.txt - Every page as Markdown: ask for it with `Accept: text/markdown`, or under https://printbus.app/md/ - MCP server (read-only facts and guides): https://printbus.app/mcp · card: https://printbus.app/.well-known/mcp/server-card.json ## Questions **What can it record?** Whatever your Mac is playing: your music player, videos and lessons in your browser, podcasts and other apps. DAWs and call apps are left out unless you turn on Record DAWs or Record calls in the gear menu, so playing your session or taking a call in a call app never starts a take by surprise. A call in a web browser is recorded like any other audio, so turn the record button off before joining one. Record what you have the right to use, and never record people without their consent. **Do I need Loopback, BlackHole or another virtual audio device?** No. PrintBus uses the system audio recording built into macOS 14.4 and later, so there’s nothing to install or route. Your output device stays the same, and you keep hearing everything as normal. **How is it different from other Mac audio recorders?** Most recorders are toolkits: you pick a source, set up a recording and start it yourself, and some can do far more than PrintBus. PrintBus does one job with nothing to set up. Press record once, and every track that plays becomes its own file, named, trimmed at both ends and ready to drag into a session. **Does it work with Pro Tools?** Yes. Drag takes from the PrintBus panel onto a Pro Tools track or into the clip list, like any audio file. There’s no plugin to install, so it works the same way with Logic, Ableton Live, FL Studio, Cubase, Studio One, Reaper and every other DAW. **Can I keep the panel on screen while I work?** Yes. Press the pin key or ⌃⌥⌘P from any app, or drag the PRINTBUS name off the menu bar, and PrintBus floats over your other apps in its own window, without pulling you out of your player. Collapse it to just the display and meter when you need the room. **How are takes named?** Tracks playing in the Music app and other supported music players are saved as “Artist - Title”, and a new file starts when the track changes. Everything else is named with the date and time, like “System Audio 2026-10-03 at 14.22.10”. **What do I need to run it?** Any Mac running macOS 14.4 or later, with Apple silicon or Intel. PrintBus lives in the menu bar, with no Dock icon. **How do I install it and start the trial?** Download PrintBus, open the disk image, drag PrintBus into Applications and open it. It appears in the menu bar. Click its icon, press record and sign in with your email address: there’s no password, we email you a 6-digit sign-in code, and your 14-day trial starts. No card needed. **Someone gave me a code. How do I use it?** Download PrintBus and open it, click its icon and press record. Type your email address, click Have a code? and type in the code you were given, then press Send Sign-In Code. We email you a 6-digit sign-in code: type that in, and PrintBus is yours, with no trial and no card. Already signed in? Click the gear, then Enter a Code. **Does my audio go anywhere?** No. Takes are written only to the folder you choose and never leave your Mac. PrintBus checks in with printbus.app now and then to keep your licence current, and recording never waits on it: a licence keeps working for 60 days without a connection. **What happens when the free trial ends?** New takes stop until you buy, and everything you recorded stays yours. If the trial ends in the middle of a take, that take finishes and is kept. **How many Macs can I use it on?** Up to 3 of your own Macs with one licence. **Can I get a refund?** Yes. If PrintBus isn’t right for you, email hello@printbus.app within 30 days of buying for a full refund, no questions asked. See the terms of sale.