# Select your audio source.

Click the SOURCE selector to choose the audio source from which you wish to record.

# Record your audio.

Click the shiny record button to start recording audio. When you've finished capturing your audio, click it again to stop recording.

# Your file is ready!

When you've finished recording, click the magnifying glass icon to reveal the audio file. That's it!

That should get you started! You can explore the rest of the manual, or just dive right in! The full Piezo manual is always accessible from the Help menu.

The releases of Mac OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) and Mac OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) have led to some big changes under the hood for Piezo, on all versions of Mac OS X. Most users should notice no differences in their day-to-day usage of Piezo. However, these changes are significant, so we've highlighted some differences you might see below.

## Audio Capture

### Basics

Piezo's audio capture engine has been overhauled for current compatibility as well as future improvements. If Piezo no longer works with an audio source as you desire, please contact us via the Support form found in Piezo's Help menu.

### Capturing Audio From Safari, FaceTime, or Messages

Unfortunately, due to underlying changes made by Apple, capturing audio from Safari, FaceTime, or Message is no longer possible with Piezo.

To capture web-based audio, you'll want to use another browser as your source in Piezo. We recommend Google Chrome or Firefox. Use one of those browsers as your source in Piezo, and you'll be able to record web-based audio.

If capturing audio specifically from Safari, FaceTime, or Messages is a requirement, you can take a look at Audio Hijack. It offers more powerful audio capture and is able to record from these sources, thanks to its optional Instant On component.

# Piezo: Super Simple Recording

Piezo makes it a snap to record audio on your Mac. With just a few clicks, you can record audio from any application, or from audio input devices like microphones. Piezo requires almost no configuration, and it's a blast to use.

### Getting Started

We recommend having a quick read-through of this manual, but you can also just dive in if you like. You can refer back to the full manual for assistance at any time by accessing it from the Help menu.

### Updated in Piezo 1.2.7:

- An issue where Gatekeeper would incorrectly complain about the app when first launching on 10.10.4 and 10.11 has been resolved.

- App Nap and Piezo now get along better than ever!

- A few small bugs have been fixed.

- This release is only available as a direct download, due to issues with Mac App Store submissions.

### What's New In Piezo 1.2

- Piezo now tracks Skype's input and output devices, for easier VoIP recording.

- Piezo now features a Play-thru toggle in the Record menu, allowing the user to toggle audio playthru on or off.

- Piezo's preferences now feature a Reveal button, to show the Recording destination.

- Piezo now properly handles periods in file names.

- Piezo now better handles problems when the recording folder is unavailable, including defaulting back to ~/Music/Piezo.

- Several other small improvements have been made.

### System Requirements

- A Macintosh computer

- Mac OS X 10.7 or higher

### Installation and Removal

To install Piezo, just drag it from your download folder to the Applications folder.

If you wish to remove Piezo, simply drag it to the Trash.

### Purchasing Piezo

We provide a free trial of Piezo for you to test. During the trial, audio quality is degraded after ten minutes of recording. The full version of Piezo can be unlocked with a license key from our online store.

When you're ready, head over to http://rogueamoeba.com/store/ to purchase Piezo.

For more information, see the Purchasing page.

# Using Piezo

Get started with details on the main Piezo controls, as well as information on recording formats and editing audio!

### Piezo's Main Window

Piezo's main window

Piezo's main window contains all of its essential controls to make recording audio a snap. When you open Piezo, you'll see this window. The VU meters at the top show audio activity: when the needles move, audio is being received from the selected source. Best of all, the decibel scale on the meters is calibrated and accurate!

Below the VU meters is the Source selector, used to choose the application or device from which to record audio. Once the desired source is selected, clicking the Record button allows Piezo to record audio from the source.

When you're recording, you'll see the Record button illuminate, along with the VU meters. When you're done, click the Record button again to end your recording. Depending on your preferences, the recording may be automatically shown. If not, click the magnifying glass to reveal it.

You can adjust your recording settings from the settings popover. Click the file name or the settings button to reveal the recording settings popover.

### Recording Settings Popover

Piezo's Recording Settings

From this popover, you can change the filename of the recording you make, add a comment to the file's metadata tag, and change the recording format.

### Audio Play-thru

By default, Piezo allows audio to play-thru from application audio sources, but mutes audio device sources to prevent feedback loops from occurring. Using the Play-thru toggle found in Piezo's Record menu, however, it's possible to manually modify this behavior. Adjust this to silence the play-thru of applications, or to hear the audio from input devices.

### About Recording Formats

Piezo's Recording Formats

Piezo offers several options for recording. The names provide a basic guide for when each format should be used, but here's a bit more information:

AAC file format: The AAC audio format offers the best quality at a given bitrate. However, while widely supported, it is not as well-supported as MP3. Because of this, it's listed under "For personal use".

MP3 file format: The MP3 audio format has good quality levels, but not as good as AAC for the same bitrate. However, it's nearly universal - just about every audio player in the world supports MP3. As such, it's listed under the "For Internet distribution" heading.

Bitrate: The bitrate is shown after the file format (For instance Music (high quality) is "AAC 128 kbps Stereo"). This number gives you an idea the quality level, as well as the amount of disk space the recording will use. Higher bitrates will give you higher quality recordings, but also use more disk space will be used. A simple estimate is that a 128 kbps file uses approximately 1 MB of disk space per minute.

# Preferences

Piezo's preferences can be accessed from the Piezo menu.

Piezo's Preferences window

### Recording Settings

Save recordings to folder: All recordings made with Piezo will be saved to the location specified here. The default location is a folder called Piezo, inside your Music folder (~/Music/Piezo).

Show file after recording: When checked, this setting causes a Finder window to open after each recording is finished, showing the recorded file.

### Software Update

Automatically check for software updates: With this option activated, Piezo compares itself to the most current version available from our server and alerts you when a new version is available. Leave this on and Piezo will help you stay up-to-date.

# Purchasing Piezo

Quick Link: To buy a license key for Piezo, visit our online store.

### Why should I buy Piezo?

Put simply, you should buy Piezo because it isn't free - we give you a chance to test out the program and all its features before you buy it. It's like test driving a car, for as long as it takes you to decide.

In trial mode, all of Piezo's features are available to try, but it won't work for full-time use. During the trial, audio quality is degraded after ten minutes of recording.

If you use Piezo and find you like it, please purchase a license key - support the software you use and love!

To purchase your license key, just visit http://rogueamoeba.com/store/.

Piezo can also be purchased through the Mac App Store.

## After Purchase

### How do I unlock the full version?

The download of Piezo from our site contains both a free trial of the software and the full version. To unlock the full, unlimited version, you just need a valid license key. When you purchase through our store, you'll immediately receive a license key in your browser as well as via email. Simply enter this key into Piezo to unlock it.

### What's your upgrade policy?

Our philosophy regarding paid upgrades is simple: We try to do what's right for you and what's right for us.

Rogue Amoeba doesn't have a hard and fast upgrade policy, just a great track record. Since 2002, across our entire product line, we've provided dozens of major updates and hundreds of new releases total, free of charge.

If we add substantial new functionality, we may charge an upgrade fee. However, we do not make most of our income from recurring sales, and we provide nearly all updates free of charge, including both bug fixes and new features. Finally, when an upgrade fee is charged, we even grandfather in a generous amount of recent purchases with free upgrades.

### What's your refund policy?

All Rogue Amoeba products are available as demos for an evaluation prior to purchase. We believe that no customer should have to buy software in order to find out how well it works. Our software can be fully evaluated with no limitations in capabilities, prior to purchase. Customers are strongly encouraged to take advantage of these trials prior to purchase. You may also seek any needed technical support from us - we answer support emails rapidly and responsively for current and potential customers alike.

If you would like a refund, please contact hello@rogueamoeba.com within 14 days of your purchase. Because we cannot recover the license key that was sold, refunds are issued on a case-by-case basis.

# Getting More Power

Piezo is great to get you started recording audio, but you may want more power and functionality. If so, we may have a product that suits your needs.

### Editing Recordings

Fission lets you edit audio recordings.

Piezo enables you to record audio, but what if you want to edit that audio after the fact? There are lots of audio editors out there, all of which should be compatible with the standard formats to which Piezo records. We recommend our own audio editor, Fission. Fission edits audio losslessly, so you never lose audio quality, even when editing MP3 and AAC files. Better yet, it's easy to use. Check it out via the free trial our site.

### More Powerful Recording

Audio Hijack provides more powerful audio recording options.

Piezo is a snap to get started with, but sometimes you may require more powerful recording options. If so, you should check out Audio Hijack. With Audio Hijack, you can capture from already-running applications, record all System Audio at once, set timed recordings to run when you're not around, record to an enormous variety of recording formats, and more.

See how Piezo and Audio Hijack compare, then download a free trial right from our site.

# Contact Information

#### Piezo Homepage

http://rogueamoeba.com/piezo/

#### Rogue Amoeba Homepage

http://rogueamoeba.com

#### Piezo Support

Check out our Support Center first.

If you still need help, choose "Contact Support..." from Piezo's Help menu to get in touch!

#### Rogue Amoeba Mailing List

Join the Rogue Amoeba low-traffic announcement list. There's no spam, EVER. It's as simple as that.
http://rogueamoeba.com/company/lists/

# Piezo Rights and Restrictions

### Distribution

Unless explicitly stated in writing, Rogue Amoeba Software does not grant permission to sell Piezo ("The Software"). Non-profit distribution of The Software in its trial form is acceptable provided that The Software is not modified in any way, and the complete works of The Software are included in the distribution package. If The Software is to be included in a distribution package, Rogue Amoeba requests but does not require that one complimentary copy of said package be sent to the snail mail address found on our site.

#### What that said:

Don't sell this software directly for profit. If you want to distribute it, great! Just make sure it's unmodified from the download from our site. If you create a distribution package, it'd be cool if you sent a copy to the address above, though this is not required.

### Disclaimer

Piezo ("The Software") is provided as is. Rogue Amoeba Software ("The Author") is not responsible for any damage to the user's computer system or data and in no event will The Author, its officers, directors, employees or agents be responsible to the user for any consequential, incidental, or indirect damages (including damages for loss of business profits, business interruption, loss of business information, and the like) arising out of the use or inability to use the The Software, even if The Author has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Because some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages, the above limitations may not apply to you. Further, the consumer agrees that using this software in any way illegal, or even for the purposes of assessing its viability for illegal usage, is prohibited.

#### What that said:

Be safe when you use the software. Be aware that it's simply a tool designed to make your life better. Don't use it to do illegal or evil things. If you do, be ready to take responsibility for your own actions.