Using Rogue Amoeba's SoundSource to Control Audio on Your Mac - SoundSource Review

[@jscotangus]

I've been using SoundSource for a couple years now, and noticed recently that output volume levels were REALLY low. Tried checking all kinds of stuff... rebooting etc. Nothing worked. Then I googled the issue better and found this: If you are noticing issues with the speaker volume on your MacBook Pro, you may need to reset the NVRAM: Your Mac stores certain settings in a special memory area even if it is turned off. On Intel-based Macs, this is stored in memory known as NVRAM; on PowerPC-based Macs, this is stored in memory known as PRAM. How to reset NVRAM. Shut down your Mac, then turn it on and immediately press and hold these four keys together: Option, Command, P, and R. You can release the keys after about 20 seconds, during which your Mac might appear to restart. Fixed my issue instantly!

[@LemonPodcasting]

Ahh the old resent the PRAM trick. I hadn't thought of that as necessary in 2020 but Macs can be strange beasts. I'm glad it fixed it for you. I'd exercise a bit of caution before doing something like this - make sure you have backups, etc. But thanks for the tip! -iChris

[@avibenmordechai4165]

Yes, please do a Loopback Tutorial (Loopback 2). Thx.

[@LemonPodcasting]

What do you use (or hope to use) Loopback for?

[@avibenmordechai4165]

Chris Enns I’m not entirely sure. I would like to see it used within the context of a two-person studio podcast that can easily work with Farrago and perhaps Garage Band, Fission, and/or Audio Hijack. Essentially, how can I make LB work seamlessly with a DAW. How does it function? Can it simplify a two-person live studio podcast setup?

[@ryanwilliams7364]

Great pic of Cathedral Cove.

[@LemonPodcasting]

Ah nice! That was picked by a wallpaper app I use for macOS called WallCat. :)

[@ryanwilliams7364]

Chris Enns nice one. That’s where my family has their summer holiday. Beautiful spot.

[@49Macman]

Thank you so much for this review. I had downloaded it awhile ago and remembered some of the features, but not all of them. Apparently I can't use my trial version as it has expired, so this video was great! Still contemplating it due to price. It may be worth it as I sometimes need to crank up my Mac for some things and all of sudden that really loud notification startles me. LOL. being able to adjust it would be great!

[@LemonPodcasting]

Hey you could try reaching out to Rogue Amoeba on their website. They might extend your trial for a week or two. Stranger things have happened! :) thanks for watching and commenting! - Chris

[@49Macman]

@@LemonPodcasting After trying to get a trial version 4, where the real fun begins it appears you need to have the license to 3 to get it. So, I am currently playing with older versions, but they don't have individual app capabilities. Checking back to your vid helps. I just don't want to buy something I I might not need. Thanks.

[@LemonPodcasting]

Ah that might give you an idea of whether you like it in general. Good luck! Chris

[@mr.mikehunt4286]

hi, people have come forward claiming this company applies malware and sells info on users, true?

[@johngiblin259]

Great job, Chris! many thanks!

[@LemonPodcasting]

Cool. Glad it could help. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. -iChris

[@catboy721]

So, this seems like it duplicates some of the Loopback functionality, right? Doesn't this effectively work as an ad-hoc Loopback? I know it doesn't aggregate, but if you choose the same sources you're basically building an aggregate, right? Thx.

[@LemonPodcasting]

Yeah kind of? But you can't choose it as the input source in something like Ecamm Live or Logic Pro if you were hoping to send the audio all out somewhere or record it in one spot. But for what's going on in your headphones or speakers, it could definitely replace needing Loopback. -iChris

[@JAWN.]

Hi Chris, I recently got soundsource to help organize my audio as a creator and streamer! The one thing Im struggling with is adjusting EQ settings or even adding sound effects to my Input Source (my Blue Yeti). Is that possible? Im able to EQ/fx to every channel except that one. Thank you for the video!

[@LemonPodcasting]

Hey Jawn Rocha! If I'm understanding you correctly, something you may want to look into is another app by Rogue Amoeba called Audio Hijack. I have a few videos on it but you could use that to adjust EQ/fx for what your stream hears - not just what you hear. I've got a full playlist of tutorial videos on that one here: kzbin.info/aero/PL5WkkylZGJ0uJrhxFET5iMrScdDaTMh7E

[@JAWN.]

Chris Enns omg thank you! And thanks for the response, gonna check these all out, I wish I knew about rogue amoeba sooner! The only thing missing was EQing my mic since it’s USB and I don’t have a mixer/interface etc. hopefully it’ll work out. Thanks again!!!

[@LemonPodcasting]

@@JAWN. That's great! Yeah Rogue Amoeba is an awesome software company for macOS users, that's for sure! - Chris

[@frangellico]

Great tips mate, I used to try on Loopback to sample audio from Logic X to Ableton live, but wasn´t very confy. Probably was doing something wrong. Nowadays im using Jackrouter for that matter. If you could clear on LB would be great! thanks

[@LemonPodcasting]

Awesome. Thanks Julian! Bumped it up to the top of my list. It's great fun seeing how other people use software - always come away with a tip or trick I hadn't thought of. - Chris.

[@ricardourroz9322]

Hi Chris. Thanks for the video. I have a quick question, hope you can help. Is there a way to enable the volume keys of my mac? What I mean is, all sound is controlled by the sliders in SoundSource, and nothing with the volume key. What can be done? Thanks

[@LemonPodcasting]

Hi! In the preferences for SoundSource you should see an option for Super Keys like this screenshot d.pr/i/g8A81M - that might be what you're asking for? -iChris

[@ricardourroz9322]

@@LemonPodcasting Perfect. Thanks!

[@LemonPodcasting]

@@ricardourroz9322 Enjoy! - iChris

[@jonnylakewood7767]

Super review Chris!! Really clear and precise. Will the software detect plugins other than Apple’s AU and Isotope? I asked this question elsewhere on your post, but I’ll check with you also. I use mixing software that came with audio plugins and I have purchased plugins. Thanks again for the great review.

[@LemonPodcasting]

Hi Jonny! It definitely should detect it if it's using Apple standard plugin interface - as long as it's not proprietary to a specific app and is usable system-wide, then it should see it.

[@jonnylakewood7767]

Thanks Chris. I’m in.

[@LemonPodcasting]

@@jonnylakewood7767 Awesome! Enjoy!

[@buenbeat6181]

Hi Chris! excellent video. I have a question. If i move "chrome" volume, doesn´t change.. is like the chrome doesn´t pass thru the sounsource... any idea? Best regards!

[@LemonPodcasting]

Howdy! I haven't tested with Chrome lately - I wonder if they have some sort of hack work around to skip it? Is Chrome the only app that does this? -iChris

[@buenbeat6181]

@@LemonPodcasting hi crhris! I found the problem. I was using loopback at the same time and chrome was sending sound via loopback to my headphones. My fault! The sound source works perfect! Thanks!

[@LemonPodcasting]

@@buenbeat6181 Ah awesome! Yeah it's pretty easy to confuse yourself (or at least I can get confused) with Loopback and sending audio all over the place. Have fun! -iChris

[@mohsinworld]

Is there any free app for the same work? Probably less functionality but at least route few apps sound. Thanks

[@LemonPodcasting]

Jack is an open source one that might work. Or Blackhole is a new project that could help: github.com/ExistentialAudio/BlackHole -iChris

[@mohsinworld]

@@LemonPodcasting I'm using BlackHole but still, I don't know what is difference between Channel 2 and Channel 16. Why these channels for? Thanks

[@LemonPodcasting]

@@mohsinworld That would be from either your USB preamp device (i.e. my Scarlett Focusrite) or your Mac's internal channels.

[@richardaube8223]

Great vid Chris thanks! There's something I'd like to do and can't find the answer. I've done that previously by bridging the mic directly to the output with a cable... I'd like to get rid of the cable now. Let's say I want to listen to a podcast (in Chrome) in an other language and would like to use Translate (the Google site in Chrome as well) to do the live translation (in text). Is there an app that could help me do that? Could I use Soundsource and chose the same app for In and Out and still be able to listen to the podcast? Thanks!

[@LemonPodcasting]

You could definitely do something like this with a combination of Loopback and Audio Hijack - you might need to use a different Chrome based browser to make it all work ok. Or play back your podcast in Safari or something else just so you can route the audio properly.

Thanks for the video!

[@LemonPodcasting]

Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@naserhassanzadeh1683]

I have a question and I hope you answer my question .At this time, new Mac computers, such as iMac Pro, 2018 MacBook Pro and Mac Mini computers with the new T2 chip, route the audio differently that Macs have previously. Previous Mac computers used Mac Core Audio to control the audio. The newer Macs include the T2 chip which, among other things, is the audio controller. Many audio drivers, including the driver included in Wirecast, are based on the Mac Core Audio driver, which makes computer audio unable to be captured. How should I use SoundSource wirecast to capture audio from youtube, Facebook, ....?

[@LemonPodcasting]

Hey Naser! I have a 2015 iMac (so it's non-T2 chip audio) as well as a 2018 MacBook Air (T2) and I've found all the software I'm using these days to be supported just fine on both. I can't speak to Wirecast as I don't use that but they should definitely have an update out to support the T2 based Macs. I know Screenflow, which is made by the same company as Wirecast, was updated to support it and routes audio properly. It uses a Telestream Sound Device as the input/output so I would assume Wirecast will eventually support that as well? If you're desperate, you can try picking up Loopback from Rogue Amoeba that should do it for you: rogueamoeba.com/loopback/

[@COREDRUMROOM]

hi chris, great vid! Mainly I use this to eq my sound for different application. Before I used eqMac2 but very unstable already throwaway^^ I amazed by this app is it can insert any plugins to anywhere you want, shame it seem like not work for multi apps crossover. Checked all plugins the sidechain not work, I know this unusual but it's cool while youtube playing then ducking the BGM from itunes. Also one problem that every first time open the app's menu i got a short clip sound(50ms), after that everything is work fine. Try close the app and open again, a short pause for app loading thats ok, but when i click the menu, the little clip happen again, mine was 4.0.2, did you have this problem?

[@LemonPodcasting]

Hey! No it doesn't seem to be happening to me - but that sounds like a macOS sound issue more than SoundSource. But if it's really annoying I'd file a bug report with Rogue Amoeba directly and see if they know: rogueamoeba.com/support/supportRequest.php

[@joeyf808]

Can you use any AU plugins like Menubus?

[@LemonPodcasting]

Hey Joey! Yep it definitely supports AU plugins. I can use Izotope's RX series of plugins if I want. Thanks for watching & commenting! - Chris

[@joeyf808]

@@LemonPodcasting Thanks Chris!

[@COREDRUMROOM]

yes! any plugins will automatic detected and able to use

[@jonnylakewood7767]

CORE S.S.I. DRUMROOM, That is great to hear. What I am looking for is a virtual interface for my iMac output that has the ability to use the VST audio plugins all already own and use with my audio mixing software. Do you know, does it look for VST plugins? I used use MenuBus until OS Mojave killed it.

[@Willigrow]

@@jonnylakewood7767 I am on mojave currently and menubus still works fine for me. Are you unable to install or does it just not work?

[@Willigrow]

Hey man, does eather SoundSource or Loopback allow you to choose wich output of your scarlet you want to use?

[@LemonPodcasting]

Loopback definitely does - I just tested it through the Monitor output selection anyway.

[@LemonPodcasting]

SoundSource doesn't let you choose which output on the Scarlett as far as I can tell. It just defaults to the headphone output.

[@Willigrow]

@@LemonPodcasting Thanks! I tried out the demo of Loopback and it indeed does allow me to choose the second pair of outputs on my very old fast track pro. Which is great because there are no drivers for this interface for years now. I used menubus but it stopped working for some reason two days ago. So I can still use second pair of outputs for my second sepeakers.

[@Willigrow]

@@LemonPodcasting Sorry to bother you again, but did you try combining the two? What I want is to put an EQ on my output, but when I choose my Loopback output that I named "TV sound" as an output device on Soundsource, nothing happens when I use an EQ or change any other parametar. I do see sound coming in, and I see analyzer move in EQ plugin that I choose, but the sound is not affected.

[@Willigrow]

Ok, it's cool. I ended up trying audio hijack, and there I can choose my secondary outputs aswell as add plugins to my output. Thanks again.

[@GuyVinmara]

Since installing SoundSource, I have found that my videoconference calls have a lot of echo heard on the other side. Does anyone know what the right settings would be to mitigate this?

[@LemonPodcasting]

Hopefully you've figured out a fix by now :) but if you disable / turn off SoundSource app completely, is the echo gone? If so, then SoundSource likely is routing your mic back into your headphones in ways you weren't doing it before? Double check that part of it.

[@skyy_p]

I'm not sure, but it seems like my audio may delayed when using the app. Does this sound plausible? Is there a way to correct it (AUDelay?)?

[@LemonPodcasting]

Hey Skylar - it's definitely possible that audio is getting delayed. I haven't used it a ton with recordings of music and things like that so it may be something you'd want to turn off if you were trying to do something with beats or rhythms where it was very important to sync up reliably. I haven't noticed any issues with editing / playback though of podcasts? - Chris

[@skyy_p]

@@LemonPodcasting I'm strictly using it for Netflix on my macbook because for some reason Netflix audio is like 70% of what it should be. When using SoundSource audio is delayed a bit. Is there anyway to the delay? If not, is there another program you would recommend?

[@MultiCBU]

Looking for some software to control crossover freq in a DIY 2.1 system.. I would like to listen spotify or watch movie stream. Using usb audio-interface with multiple outputs. I would like to use highpass filter in main LR output and low pass filter in output 3. Is it possible? Thank you!

[@LemonPodcasting]

If I'm understanding you correctly, I think you could do something like that with SoundSource. See this screenshot where I've got the main system output (everything) going through my USB device, but iTunes is routed to my internal speakers with an EQ applied. d.pr/i/DPwr9m Does that make sense?

[@avia4281]

menubus with HDMI out on Macmini2018 to denon AVR-x540-bt. You can split channels and add your eq plugins (I-am using Waves q10m(mono) eq on 6 separate audio channels and apple lo and hi cut plugging. Iam using a Umik-1 to measure speakers in room. Then I make eq adjustments based on readings with (REW eq wizard) of each 5.1 speaker and sub. Look it up. Sound so clean right after I add lowcut off at 80hz to all my satellite polk speakers. Oh I also add 80hz hicut off to my LTE (sub Yamaha ns-sw200) all measured and tuned for my speakers in my room. Sounds so good. Invest in the umik-1 or else purchase the Dayton. You will hear audio clarity like never before.

[@LemonPodcasting]

@@avia4281 Whoa that's a slick set up. Probably above my pay grade but I'm glad it's working for you! That must sound sweet! - Chris.

[@avia4281]

Chris Enns no way man any speaker with any avr 5.1 pc or Mac via hdmi and free trial 14 day menubus pro (mine expires and I reinstall as new every 14 days. The umik-1 (Minidsp.com and also need free software REW wizard) will set you back like $75-$80 usd. But I swear to you I am 30 year old ex dJ and now 47 I can hear super difference. The electronic crossover is really good (menubus) works with any setup 2.1. Now if you want to get fancy get a Minidsp box. They have for car or home. That’s hopefully my next toy but I want to have Dirac with it and it’s expensive but will worth it.

[@avia4281]

Yet, no 5.1 audio? Some developer please purchase Menubus and give life to it. Id gladly play for it.

[@LemonPodcasting]

Ah lucky duck with 5.1 surround on your Mac! :) Hopefully they add it someday soon for you! - Chris.

[@panayotistountas2702]

Hi Chris. Thank you for the wonderful tutorial. Does SoundSource support MIDI??? On this review it states that it does: "includes convenient shortcuts to those options as well as Audio MIDI Setup" but I cannot find MIDI support anywhere. Or maybe a workaround for remote control? www.macworld.com/article/3407902/soundsource-4-review-the-mac-audio-control-app-apple-should-have-made.html

[@LemonPodcasting]

As far as I'm aware, it doesn't support MIDI other than perhaps an audio device that you have that's capturing midi output? rogueamoeba.com/soundsource/

[@electricjuiz]

No free placing of the plugins on the monitor...this makes it fail for monitoring sounds with Analyser if you want to use it on a separate monitor...

[@LemonPodcasting]

Hey! That's a good call. Now that Rogue Amoeba is charging for SoundSource that seems like something that could come in a new version or upgrade of the app eventually. Thanks for commenting and stopping by. - chris.