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macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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doubleTwist, the company behind the popular multi-platform iTunes-compatible doubleTwist Media Player, today brought its new AirPlay Recorder app to the Mac, allowing iTunes users to capture and save streaming audio for offline use.

First introduced for Android in January, AirPlay Recorder is designed to record audio, such as streaming songs from iTunes Radio, using AirPlay. After downloading and installing the app, it will appear as an AirPlay device within iTunes and will record audio after being selected from the AirPlay device list.

airplayrecorder.jpg
The app will record any audio or radio stream played within iTunes to a "Recorder" folder within the Music folder for offline playback. Recording audio is done in real time, which means a four minute song will take four minutes to record, and a reliable Internet connection is necessary because the app checks recording quality.

Apps like AirPlay Recorder, such as Audio Hijack Pro have been previously available, but at a higher price. The legality of AirPlay Recorder and similar apps is unclear, but according to doubleTwist co-founder Monique Farantzos, who spoke to Engadget back in January, the company is unconcerned about the app's legal status.
"Recording has been around for decades, from audio cassettes (remember mix tapes?) to TuneIn radio's recording feature. Given that Apple built their iPod empire on letting millions of people rip CDs based on fair use, we don't see how they could object to this app."
Along with Farantzos, doubleTwist also boasts Jon Lech Johansen as a co-founder, one of the developers behind DeCSS, a computer program able to decrypt content on commercially produced DVDs. Johansen was prosecuted in Norway back in 2002 for developing the software, but was later acquitted.

doubleTwist's AirPlay Recorder for Mac can be downloaded for free from the doubleTwist website. The free version allows users to record 10 second samples while full recording capability can be unlocked for $9.99.

Article Link: 'AirPlay Recorder' App Lets Mac Users Save Songs From iTunes Radio
 

-LikesMac-

macrumors 6502
Jun 20, 2010
429
23
This is great; if only an iTunes Radio Downloader was made for iOS jailbroken users. :D

I would not be too surprised if this got removed in the future, though. :(
 

outphase

macrumors 65816
Jun 13, 2009
1,291
32
Parts Unknown
If anyone is wondering, this is different from Pandy if it is in fact recording the audio stream. Pandy saved the cached audio file rather than recording from Pandora.
 

zorinlynx

macrumors G3
May 31, 2007
8,144
17,475
Florida, USA
This sort of crap just makes companies want to implement stronger, more restrictive DRM, resulting in slower systems, more bugs, more locks and obfuscation, and more barriers to using your own legally acquired content in the future.

Of course I'm speaking on deaf ears, but.. if we pirate less, companies will be less willing to restrict how we use the stuff we buy. How'bout pirating less? Please? :)

(I'd be lying if I said I didn't pirate things occasionally, but only things that are otherwise unavailable legally)
 

thespazz

macrumors 6502a
Jul 5, 2007
530
36
LOL @ people saying "before its pulled". Who is going to pull it from the double twist website? Apple?
 

ScottishDuck

macrumors 6502a
Feb 17, 2010
660
970
Argyll, Scotland
This sort of crap just makes companies want to implement stronger, more restrictive DRM, resulting in slower systems, more bugs, more locks and obfuscation, and more barriers to using your own legally acquired content in the future.

Of course I'm speaking on deaf ears, but.. if we pirate less, companies will be less willing to restrict how we use the stuff we buy. How'bout pirating less? Please? :)

(I'd be lying if I said I didn't pirate things occasionally, but only things that are otherwise unavailable legally)

Oh please, piracy is the very reason iTunes went DRM free. Peddle your crap elsewhere.

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This application is pointless. Why degrade music with lossy-to-lossy transcoding when you could just pirate it proper?
 

lunaoso

macrumors 65816
Sep 22, 2012
1,332
54
Boston, MA
I don't pirate music, but for those who do, why would you use this? Should I get music the illegal easy way or the illegal hard way today? :rolleyes:
 

BC2009

macrumors 68020
Jul 1, 2009
2,236
1,372
This is why we can't have nice things. Somebody has to go and abuse it and then the record companies are going cry foul and the movie studios are going to point to this and we are going to get another layer of DRM copy-protection.
 

tasset

macrumors 6502a
May 22, 2007
572
200
The Android version is less than stellar, I found. Resulted in several seconds of the previous song with the following.
I find Spotify - to - Piezo - to iTunes Match to be the most reliable way to get clean tracks.
 

coolbreeze

macrumors 68000
Jan 20, 2003
1,808
1,552
UT
This is why we can't have nice things. Somebody has to go and abuse it and then the record companies are going cry foul and the movie studios are going to point to this and we are going to get another layer of DRM copy-protection.

This may be one of the more elegant solutions out there (it pauses and skips recording of commercials...) but it's far from new.

Any music, image or video that's on the internet can easily be copied. Just like radio can be easily recorded. Same concept, but since it's digital and highly portable, everyone freaks out.

It's not a new concept though and there are very many freeware/cheap apps out there, many have been around for many many years.
 

goobot

macrumors 603
Jun 26, 2009
6,478
4,366
long island NY
If anyone is wondering, this is different from Pandy if it is in fact recording the audio stream. Pandy saved the cached audio file rather than recording from Pandora.

Thanks, i was wondering, the only other thing I'm wondering is if that would as well be possible with iTunes radio?
 

Msail30bay

macrumors regular
Jan 4, 2014
181
18
Penn., USA
Oh Boy!!!

:eek: ….. Thanks MacRumors. Does it record in 256 or 128? $10.00 such a deal. Reminds me of Jaksta for Mac, that records almost anything - from cam streaming to movies on other sites and I'll I WILL leave it at that…….. hush….

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This sort of crap just makes companies want to implement stronger, more restrictive DRM, resulting in slower systems, more bugs, more locks and obfuscation, and more barriers to using your own legally acquired content in the future.

Of course I'm speaking on deaf ears, but.. if we pirate less, companies will be less willing to restrict how we use the stuff we buy. How'bout pirating less? Please? :)

(I'd be lying if I said I didn't pirate things occasionally, but only things that are otherwise unavailable legally)

Such as………….. :confused: Do tell!
 

macs4nw

macrumors 601
I agree with those who've said this will cause problems with increased and more restrictive DRM in the future.

While good for us users in the short term, apps like these, as well as Audio Hijack Pro and the like, will do nothing to smoothen possible future contract talks with the music industry.
 

baryon

macrumors 68040
Oct 3, 2009
3,875
2,922
If people want free songs, they will pirate them, instead of having to play the whole song and having to record them one by one using an app you have to pay for.
 

zorinlynx

macrumors G3
May 31, 2007
8,144
17,475
Florida, USA
The cease and desist letter most likely.

The fact that they are charging money for it is probably going to accelerate this process.

Content owners get upset when free tools are released to pirate content.

Content owners get outright livid and vengeful when other people try to make money using those tools!
 

curmudgeon32

macrumors regular
Aug 28, 2012
240
1
Yeah, you can already record easily with Audio Hijack Pro or Piezo or a million other ways — but really for my money I'd rather just pay $10/month for unlimited Spotify.
 

Jessica Lares

macrumors G3
Oct 31, 2009
9,612
1,055
Near Dallas, Texas, USA
I've been using Audio Hijack Pro for years. A really great buy that way.

You can do the same by hooking up a cable into your headphone jack to an external recording device.

Piezo does the same thing and it's in the Mac App Store. It's a sandboxed version of AHP.

I agree, this post is very much trying to get people to react to a non-issue, and people here are overreacting. DoubleTwist aren't even advertising it for iTunes Radio, but "Internet Radio" and iTunes in general. Ever think someone wanted to merge all their tracks from playlists?
 
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