On Mac using Mavericks or later, it may be necessary to reduce audio to buffer, possibly to zero.

Increase the default 'Buffer length' setting of 100 milliseconds in Devices Preferences.

Turn off Transport > Transport Options > Software Playthrough (on/off) unless it is essential you hear what is being recorded.

Minimize the Audacity window whenever you have no need to see it. Turn off View > Show Clipping while recording.

Reduce screen redrawing: Zoom out to at least the entire length you will be recording, or in Tracks Preferences, uncheck Auto-scroll if head unpinned.

You may not hear skips while listening during the recording, but you will hear them on playback. If it sounds like recording is skipping, or small fragments are sometimes missing, this means that Audacity cannot write the audio to disk fast enough to keep up with what it is recording. So Audacity could now appear much worse than previous releases, when in actual fact Audacity is just alerting you to a problem that you previously would not have been aware of - or might have put down to a bad microphone or poor recording technique. You may have been experiencing dropouts and not noticing, they are not discernible while recording only on playback.

21 Why do I get a burst of sound at the splice point when using Punch and Roll recording?.

20 Why is the recorded waveform not centered on the horizontal line at 0.0?.

19 How can I correct an unbalanced stereo recording?.

18 How can I prevent unbalanced or poorly separated stereo recording?.

17 How can I prevent a half-volume mono recording?.

16 Why do I get a periodic noise every 6 - 12 seconds when recording?.

15 Why do I get only a flat line and no sound when I try to record?.14 Why does my recording keep pausing automatically or why is my recording cursor stuck?.13 Why do I see a lot of vertical red lines in the track I just recorded?.12 Why do I get crackles, pops, or distortion when the recording is loud?.11 Why does recording from YouTube (or other streaming audio) not work?.10 Why can't I record my electronic keyboard or electronic instrument using the USB cable?.9 Why is my new track out of sync with the previous ones, or sounds crackly or at wrong pitch?.

8 Why do my recordings fade out or sound as if they were made in a tunnel?.7 Why is there a delay or echo when listening to what I am recording?.5 Why can't Audacity see the audio device I just connected?.4 How can I prevent clicky recordings on Mac?.3 Why do I get a flat line and no sound when I record on Mac?.1 How can I record without small skips (dropouts) or duplications?.

Mac internal microphone not detected