Traditionally little more than a convenient way to adjust volume without opening System Preferences, beginning with macOS 10.12 Sierra the basic slider was embued with the ability to also switch between output devicesand inputs too, by first holding down the Option key.
If youre thinking, there must be a better way, youd be right.
Rogue Amoeba, the creators of awesome audio solutions like Audio Hijack and Fission, have taken the wraps off SoundSource 4, a more powerful way to control sound coming and going from your Mac, no matter which application youre using.
From this window, you have fast access to the Output, Input, and Sound Effects of your system devices, each with its own volume slider and pulldown menu.
This feature works exceptionally well with small MacBook speakers, but the sound from a connected home theatre receiver also benefitted while playing music and especially movies, where dialogue was clearer and easier to hear.
By default, SoundSource tethers to the menu bar, but clicking the pin icon in the upper left corner conveniently detaches the window so it floats over whatever else youre doing.
Sweeter sound If thats all SoundSource did, it would still be worth the money, but version 4.0 kicks things up a notch with per-application audio controls.
This allows users to raise, lower, or mute the output of individual apps, enable Magic Boost only for specific software, or redirect apps to a different output altogether.
This amazingly powerful addition comes configured with a selection of sound-producing apps when you install SoundSource, but others can easily be added, with drag-and-drop support for arranging icons in any order you like.
Thats rightif you already have AU plug-ins installed on your system, theyll now work directly in SoundSource 4 straight away, while the equalizer includes over 20 presets with the ability to create and save your own.
These advanced options are tucked away out of sight, accessible by clicking the right-facing arrows next to each device or application.
The software makes it easy to switch between input or output sample ratesthat is, unless you have dedicated video hardware which locks the output sample rate at 48Hz.
SoundSource 4 supports macOS Dark Mode and includes an option to display the output volume indicator on the menu bar just like the current Sound preference setting.
That may seem trivial, but I toggled this option on, disabled Apples Show volume in menu bar option, then moved SoundSource 4 to the same position on the menu bar using the Option key and havent looked back.
We couldnt get this to work with our AJA T-Tap connected to a Yamaha receiver, but that had more to do with the hardware conversion from Thunderbolt to HDMI output than a limitation of the software itself.
The news isnt all rosy for longtime SoundSource users, however.
Version 4.0 drops support for audio play-thru of input devices.
The developer explains this feature, which monitored incoming audio through the Mac, was only used by a small group of users and no longer a good fit with SoundSource.
Personally we dont miss it, but for those who do, check out the companys excellent Audio Hijack instead.) Bottom line SoundSource 4 is must-have utility for any Mac user who wants more control over audio input and output, and truly puts Apple to shame for how anemic the built-in macOS controls really are.
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