Download Songs from SoundCloud

SoundCloud is a social media platform from which users can record, upload, and download songs and share them with other users. Many songs on SoundCloud are available for download directly from the website, but in some cases, users may have to use other methods to get the song they want. You can use the built-in tools in Chrome, Firefox, or Safari, or you can use an extension for Firefox. You can also choose from a variety of websites that will perform the work for you.

Steps

Using Chrome, Firefox, or Safari

  1. Open the page for the song you want in Chrome, Firefox, or Safari. These browsers give you access to developer tools that will let you find the file on the SoundCloud page. This method will result in a file that is 128 kbps, which may be lower quality than the original.[1]
    • If you can, use the official download method provided by the artist. If the artist has made the download available, and the limit hasn't yet been reached, there will be a "⇩ Download" button beneath the song. Using this button helps promote the artist and will result in the high-quality version of the file. Only use the following method if no more free downloads are available and you can't purchase the music.
  2. Open the developer tools. Press F12 (Windows) or ⌘ Cmd+⌥ Opt+I (Mac). This will open as a sidebar or along the bottom of your screen for any of the three browsers.[2]
  3. Click the Network tab. This will be at the top of the Developer tools frame.
  4. Reload the website with the song you want to download. You'll notice that the Network tab immediately resets and entries start appearing with bars or times after them in the "Timeline" column.
    • Make sure that the song is playing.
  5. Sort the Network tab by the "Size" column. Click the "Size" column so that the largest objects appear at the top. The SoundCloud audio stream will almost always end up as the top entry because it is the largest file on the page.
    • The "Type" column should read "audio/mpeg" or "mpeg".
  6. Right-click on the entry and select "Open in a new tab". If you selected the right entry, the new tab will just display media playback buttons and will begin playing the song immediately.
    • If the song doesn't open in the new tab, you may have selected the wrong entry in the Network tab. Reload the page and look for it again.
  7. Save the page. Once you've got the sound file loaded in a separate tab, you can save it directly to your computer. You'll need to give it a recognizable file name and choose a location to download it to.
    • Chrome - Click the Chrome Menu button (☰) and select "Save page as".
    • Firefox - Click the Firefox Menu button (☰) and select "Save Page".
    • Safari - Click the "Safari" menu and select "Save page as".
    • You can also press Ctrl+S (Windows) or ⌘ Cmd+S (Mac) in any of the browsers.

Using DownloadHelper for Firefox

  1. Click the Firefox Menu button and select "Add-ons". You can install a browser extension called "DownloadHelper" that will allow you to easily download the audio files from SoundCloud. Like the other options in this article, this will result in the 128 kbps file.
  2. Click "Get Add-ons" in the left menu and then search for "DownloadHelper".
  3. Click the .Install button next to the "Video DownloadHelper" option. Even though the title says "Video", it will work with SoundCloud audio.
  4. Open the SoundCloud page of the song you want to download.
  5. Start playing the song. You'll notice the DownloadHelper button start to animate in your Firefox toolbar.
  6. Click the DownloadHelper button and then click the song. You will be prompted to choose a location to download the song to.

Using a Download Service

  1. Open the SoundCloud page for the song you want. If you don't have access to the browsers in the previous method, or don't want to wade through the developer tools, you can use a variety of different song downloading services available online. This will typically result in a slightly lower-quality file, since the song is re-encoded before you get it.
  2. Copy the song page's URL. Copy the entire address from the browser's address bar to your clipboard. Select the whole thing and either press Ctrl+C/⌘ Cmd+C, or right-click the selection and click "Copy".
  3. Open the download service site. There are several SoundCloud downloaders to pick from, and most operate similarly.
  4. Paste the URL into the field on the download page. There should be a field in the center of the page that allows you to enter in the URL.
  5. Click the "Download" or "Convert" button. On StreamPocket, it looks like a shirt button. This will begin the conversion process, which may take a few moments.
    • Note that a lot of these sites have tons of ads on the page that may attempt to trick you into clicking a fake Download button. Use an ad-blocker if you're having difficulty finding the right button.
  6. Right-click on the provided link and select "Save link as". This will open a window allowing you to save your new MP3 file to your computer.

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://blog.jmoz.co.uk/download-soundcloud-mp3/
  2. ↑ http://www.reddit.com/r/InternetIsBeautiful/comments/302hfe/a_site_where_you_put_in_a_link_with_any_sound/
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