Guide

How to sample audio from your Mac into Ableton Live

Get a sound from a video, a browser tab or any app into a Live set: the routing way and the drag-and-drop way.

By the KIBA team · Updated 30 September 2026

Before you sample: only record what you have the right to use: your own music, royalty-free or Creative Commons material, or tracks you'll clear. Streaming services' terms don't allow ripping, and releasing a sample usually needs permission from both the recording owner and the publisher. There's no "two seconds is fine" rule. More on sample clearance.

Short answer: Live can't record your Mac's own output by itself. Ableton's help centre points to a loopback tool such as BlackHole or Loopback. Or record with KIBA and drag the WAV into Live.

The routing way: BlackHole into Live

Install BlackHole 2ch and create a Multi-Output Device in Audio MIDI Setup (your speakers + BlackHole) so you can still hear.
Make the Multi-Output Device your Mac's sound output.
In Live › Settings › Audio, set Audio Input Device to BlackHole 2ch.
Arm an audio track, set its input to 1/2, record in Live, play the source.
Stop, crop the clip, and switch your Mac's output back.

Best when you want to process the sound through plugins while it plays.

The drag-and-drop way: KIBA

Pick the source. By default KIBA records everything your Mac plays. To record one app only, right-click the ring in the menu bar › Record From and pick it.
Click the ring (or press ⌥⌘R anywhere) and play the sound. A timer runs next to the icon.
Click again to stop. The trimmer drops down with the silence at both ends already cut and the level set to peak at −0.3 dB.
Trim. Drag the edges, press Space to play, L to loop the selection. Pinch or scroll to zoom.
Keep it. Press Return to save it to your sample folder, or drag the waveform straight into another app or the Finder.

You get a WAV file (uncompressed audio that every editor opens): 48 kHz, 24-bit by default, named like KIBA_260930-141203.wav. 16-bit and 32-bit float are in Settings.

Drag the waveform from KIBA's trimmer onto an audio track, or onto Simpler or Sampler. Because KIBA cuts the silence at both ends, the clip starts on the sound.

Tips once it's in Live

Loops: check the warp markers and set the clip tempo if Live guesses wrong.
Drum breaks: in Simpler, use Slice mode to spread hits across your pads.
Record a little more than you need. Trimming in KIBA is faster than recording again.
Keep Edge fade (Settings) at 3 ms to avoid clicks; set it to Off for hard drum transients you want untouched.

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