FL Studio 
FL Studio can record computer audio, but your computer’s playback device doesn’t automatically show up as an input inside FL Studio. You have to route the browser or application into a virtual cable, a software router or a physical loopback, then pick that route on a Mixer Insert. From there, record the signal in Edison or into the Playlist.
The cleanest setup depends on your operating system. Windows users usually go with VB-CABLE or a mixer/router such as Voicemeeter. On macOS you can use BlackHole, a physical loopback input or another audio-routing utility. What matters is the signal path: computer playback → routed input → FL Studio Mixer Insert → Edison or Playlist.
Choose the right way to capture computer audio
Use this workflow when the source lives outside FL Studio: a browser, video call, media player, game or another desktop app. If the sound already exists in your FL Studio project, sending it through the operating system just adds more ways for things to fail. Use resampling in FL Studio for a focused internal source, or export the project audio when you need a finished file.
Audio Logger solves a different problem. The FL Studio Audio Logger guide covers recovering audio that has already played through the Master output. It’s a lifesaver when you forgot to record a moment, but it can’t replace a deliberate input route.
Windows: route desktop audio through VB-CABLE or a mixer
On Windows, install and set up one virtual audio route. VB-CABLE’s official documentation describes the basic idea: audio sent to the cable’s playback side shows up on its virtual recording side. In practice, Windows sends the browser into the cable, and FL Studio picks the cable up as an input.
Simple route with VB-CABLE
Set the browser or the Windows output device to CABLE Input. In FL Studio, choose an ASIO driver that exposes the cable’s recording endpoint, then select CABLE Output as the input on an unused Mixer Insert. Yes, the names are confusing: the application plays into the cable’s input side, and FL Studio records from the cable’s output side.
You don’t have to send the whole computer through the cable. Routing only the browser or media app you want keeps notifications and unrelated system sounds out of the take. Windows’ current per-app output controls let you pick a different output device for a single application when the driver and the app support it.
Use Voicemeeter when you need a monitor mix
A virtual cable is enough for one-way capture. Use a software mixer such as Voicemeeter when you need to hear the browser, your microphone and FL Studio together while you decide which signals get recorded. Keep the route one-way for the input you’re capturing. If the same signal comes back from FL Studio to the Windows playback bus and loops around again, you’ll hear a feedback loop or doubled sound.
Start with one destination and one recording source, and add a monitoring return only once the signal reaches the FL Studio meter. That way you can tell whether silence comes from the operating-system route, the driver, the Mixer input or the recording control.
macOS: use BlackHole or a physical loopback
macOS doesn’t expose the system playback stream as a normal microphone input. A virtual driver such as BlackHole can provide that route. Apple’s Audio MIDI Setup documentation explains how macOS audio devices, aggregate devices and multi-output devices are set up.
Virtual route with BlackHole
Send the browser or system output to BlackHole, then pick the matching BlackHole input in FL Studio. If you also want to hear the computer on headphones, set up a monitoring arrangement that includes your physical output. Watch the levels closely: a monitoring device should let you listen without sending FL Studio’s returned signal back into the same input.
Physical loopback when the interface provides it
Some audio interfaces have a loopback channel that mixes computer playback into a virtual input FL Studio can select. That can be more stable than building an aggregate device, but the exact controls depend on the interface. Follow the manufacturer’s routing names and keep the loopback return separate from the signal you’re monitoring.
If macOS shows the device but FL Studio doesn’t, quit any apps holding the audio device, reopen the driver selection and check macOS microphone or audio permissions. Leave the Mixer controls alone until the operating system and the selected driver actually expose the route.
Set the audio driver in FL Studio
Open FL Studio Audio Settings and select a driver that exposes both playback and input devices. On Windows, this is commonly an ASIO driver. On macOS, select the available Core Audio device or the virtual or aggregate device that contains the route.
Play the browser audio and watch whether the input shows up anywhere in FL Studio. If the driver exposes only the physical interface and not the virtual cable, the Mixer can’t select the signal yet. If FL Studio sees the input but the browser’s audio never arrives, the problem sits before the Mixer, so check the browser’s output device and the operating system’s app routing.
Keep the buffer sensible for the job. Capturing computer audio doesn’t need an ultra-low live-monitoring buffer unless you’re also performing through the route. A smaller buffer can cut monitoring delay but may add clicks or underruns in a heavy project. The same Audio Settings workflow explains the driver and buffer controls in more detail.
Select the routed signal on a Mixer Insert
Choose an unused Mixer Insert and select the virtual cable or loopback input from its input menu. Select the input that corresponds to the routed source, not the physical microphone input and not the Master output. Image-Line’s Mixer manual explains how Insert Tracks receive external audio inputs. For a stereo browser stream, choose the stereo input when it is available. A mono selection can collapse the source or leave one side missing.
Play a clear section of the browser audio. The Insert meter should move before you hit record. If it moves, the route has reached FL Studio and you can pick a recording destination. If it doesn’t, stay on this step and diagnose the route, since recording controls can’t create a signal that never reached the Insert.
Keep the capture Insert separate from the Master when you only want the browser or app. Recording the Master can pull in your whole FL Studio project, monitoring returns and anything else reaching the output. A dedicated Insert makes it much clearer what you’re actually recording.
Record a focused passage in Edison
Edison works well when you want a self-contained recording of a section, a sound-design pass or a short reference. Click an empty slot on the routed Mixer Insert and open Edison. Use the Edison record control, start the browser playback, then stop once the passage is done.
Listen back before saving. Trim only what you understand, name the file with the source and date, and use Edison’s save or drag destination according to the next step in your project. The FL Studio Edison guide covers focused editing and file handling. Image-Line also documents the broader audio recording workflow for external and internal sources.
For a long recording, keep an eye on disk space and stop the source cleanly. A browser stream can include silence, notifications or sudden playback changes, so mark the usable section only after you’ve heard the whole capture.
Record the routed audio into the Playlist
Use the Playlist when the computer audio needs to line up with your arrangement. Arm audio recording, choose the Playlist recording option, and record in Song mode if the capture must follow the project timeline. Keep the routed signal on its dedicated Mixer Insert and confirm that the Audio recording filter is enabled.
Start playback of the browser or application after the count-in. The resulting clip should appear on the linked Audio Track or the selected recording location. If the timing matters, create a short sync reference first and compare the beginning of the captured clip with the original playback. Browser applications can buffer or change timing independently of FL Studio, so long recordings may need inspection at several points.
Don’t take the shortcut of recording a loud Master when you only need the browser. A dedicated Audio Track gives you a source you can mute, trim, process or replace without dragging the rest of the project into the file.
Prevent feedback and doubled monitoring
Feedback usually starts when the captured signal has two destinations: the recording input you meant and a return path that sends it back into the same virtual device. You can also get doubled sound without a full loop, when you monitor the browser directly and then hear the same signal through FL Studio a moment later.
Pick one monitoring path. Either listen to the browser through the operating system or interface, or monitor it through FL Studio. If you need FL Studio effects, mute the direct return and keep the FL Studio return active. If you want the safest capture, monitor the source directly and make sure the FL Studio Insert doesn’t send its input back to the virtual playback device.
Fix silence, missing inputs, clicks, and drift
The Mixer input menu does not show the virtual device
Recheck the selected FL Studio driver and the operating system’s audio device. A virtual device can exist on the computer while the active driver exposes only a physical interface. Close applications that may hold the device, reopen Audio Settings, and select the driver that contains the required input channels.
The input is listed but the meter stays still
Play the source and check where its output goes. The browser may still be playing to your speakers while FL Studio listens to the virtual cable. Check the per-app output, the cable’s playback and recording sides, and any mute or fader in the software mixer. Follow the signal in order instead of changing every control at once.
The recording contains clicks or dropouts
Clicks usually point to an unstable driver, buffer, sample-rate conflict, or overloaded routing chain. Match the sample rate across the operating system, virtual device, interface and FL Studio where the controls allow it. Raise the buffer enough to make the route stable, then repeat a short capture. Do not judge a long recording after one noisy start.
The recording slowly drifts out of sync
Separate timing drift from a fixed start offset. A fixed offset can often be trimmed or aligned. Drift means the source and FL Studio clocks are not running at exactly the same rate, which can happen across aggregate or virtual devices. For long captures, shorten the recording, use a clock-stable physical loopback, or plan to align sections after capture.
The capture includes the FL Studio project or microphone
You’re probably recording the Master, a monitor bus or a software-mixer mix that holds more than the target app. Move the route to its own Mixer Insert and select the virtual cable input directly. Mute unrelated sources while you confirm the signal path.
Choose the best tool next time
Use a virtual cable or loopback when the sound begins outside FL Studio and you need a planned recording. Edison suits a focused passage that you want to inspect or save as a self-contained file, while the Playlist is the place for a capture that belongs on the project timeline. When the source is already inside FL Studio, use resampling or export. Audio Logger is for sound that has already played and needs recovering.
Before you record, answer one question: where does the source exist right now? If the answer is “in another application,” build the input route and watch the Mixer meter. If it’s “inside this project,” keep the audio inside FL Studio and pick the native tool that keeps the edit you still need.
Computer-audio recording checklist
- Browser or application output is routed to a virtual cable, software mixer, or loopback input.
- FL Studio’s selected driver exposes that device.
- The routed signal is selected on a dedicated Mixer Insert.
- The Insert meter moves before recording begins.
- Edison or Playlist recording matches the length and timing you need.
- Only one monitoring path is audible.
- The capture is separate from the Master when you need only the external source.
- A short test has no clicks, missing channels, feedback, or unexpected project audio.
