Extract Audio from YouTube Using Windows Vista and Audacity

Have you ever wanted to rip the audio from a YouTube video? Now you can, just follow these simple steps.

Steps

Set up your computer's devices appropriately in order to capture what is called "computer playback"
- Open the Control Panel.
- Click on Hardware and Sound and select Sound.
- Click on the Recording tab.
- Disable the Microphone by right clicking and selecting Disable.
- Right click on an open space in the window and select Show disabled devices. Stereo Mix should appear on the list of devices.
- Right click on Stereo Mix and select Enable.
Open your browser and find the YouTube video from which you wish to extract audio.
Open up Audacity and click record.
Play the YouTube video from which you wish to extract audio.
Stop recording with Audacity once the YouTube video has finished playing.
- If the YouTube video is longer than the audio you wish to record, stop the YouTube video at the desired spot before you stop recording with Audacity.
Save the recording in the format most appropriate for your purposes. For most people this is the WAV format.
- Click on File
- Click on Export

Adjust the window sizes of the browser used to access YouTube and Audacity in order to easily move between the applications.
Make sure the YouTube video has fully downloaded before you begin playing it to avoid unwanted interruptions in your recording.

Keep in mind that you changed your computer's device settings. In the future, you may have to set up your computer's devices in a different way in order to properly execute a task unrelated to extracting audio from YouTube.