Sync, Mix, Merge
With PolyCapture 1.10, separate recordings can now be synchronized, mixed, and combined into a single video or audio file.
My camera, audio, and screen recorder for macOS, PolyCapture, received an update that introduces a brand-new feature called “Merge Tracks”, allowing recorded sources (which are saved as separate files during recording) to be seamlessly combined into a single video or audio file with just a few clicks.
“Why aren’t the different sources recorded into a single file right away?”
PolyCapture strives to offer creative freedom that other Mac apps can’t match. Multiple video and audio sources can be recorded simultaneously. Saving these as separate files provides maximum flexibility in post-production. Audio tracks often need to be mixed individually. In addition, the final arrangement of videos relative to each other is often undecided at the time of recording in professional scenarios. Saving all sources in a single file from the start would therefore limit the creative flexibility.
Keeping Everything in Sync
A common challenge when recording from multiple sources is synchronizing them afterward. For instance, recording from a Bluetooth-connected camera (such as an iPhone) might start slightly delayed due to higher latency compared to an internal MacBook microphone. Other hardware factors can also influence latency, which may result in recorded video and audio files being — albeit slightly — different in length. PolyCapture uses various techniques to minimize these potential time differences during recording, but it cannot eliminate them entirely.
The new “Merge Tracks” editor solves this problem by automatically synchronizing the selected tracks. Any number of audio tracks can be mixed with up to one video source. The volume of each audio track can be adjusted individually. The merged file can also be trimmed to the synchronized overlap. This allows you to create a video or audio composition in just a few steps, requiring no additional post-processing for most use cases.
Available as a Free Update
PolyCapture can be downloaded for free from the Mac App Store. All features can be tried out beforehand at your own pace. To access all features without limitations, a one-time, fair in-app purchase is required. The “Merge Tracks” editor described here is a free update.