By Dan Moren
March 26, 2019 9:04 AM PT
Last updated May 18, 2022
Rogue Amoeba updates SoundSource
The audio mavens over at Rogue Amoeba have updated their SoundSource utility for macOS to version 4, bringing a ton of new features and a brand new interface.
Think of SoundSource like a supercharged version of the system audio widget that lives in your menu bar. But instead of only controlling volume, output, and (if you remember to hold down the Option key) input, it adds a ton of more powerful options, like the ability to control volumes and audio outputs on a per-app basis, apply Audio Units and EQ settings, and tweak input levels. There are also level meters for each app, so you can get an idea of where audio is coming from at a glance, and a Magic Boost feature that helps improve quiet audio without blowing out your eardrums by making loud sounds too loud.
It’s especially handy that you can now not only choose which apps you want to control, but also “pin” SoundSource to be visible, so you can easily refer to it while you’re checking levels in other apps.
I’ve long been a user of the earlier versions of SoundSource, and I’ve been testing betas of SoundSource 4 for a few months. It’s one of those apps that you don’t know you need until you use it for a while–then you wonder why it’s not installed on every single Mac you use.1
As with most of Rogue Amoeba’s apps, you can download a free, fully-featured trial version to check it out. A license runs $29, but if you’ve got SoundSource 3, you can snag a $19 upgrade.
- For podcasters, it can save a lot of headaches by making sure that your recording software is always set to the correct input. ↩
[Dan Moren is the East Coast Bureau Chief of Six Colors. You can find him on Mastodon at @dmoren@zeppelin.flights or reach him by email at dan@sixcolors.com. His latest novel, the supernatural detective story All Souls Lost, is now available for pre-order.]
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