I looked back in my archives and I’ve been using SoundSource from Rogue Amoeba since at least 2019 when I wrote this review of SoundSource version 4 where I stated:
If you’ve never reached for the little speaker icon in your macOS menu bar, then SoundSource 4 isn’t for you. For everyone else, I think SoundSource 4 is worth picking up to make your Mac life sound sweeter.
I’ve been testing the beta of SoundSource version 6 for the last couple of weeks and I’d say that still holds true.
This is the stock sound menu in the macOS’s (15.6.1, Sequoia) menubar by default and if you hold the Option⌥ key down while clicking which displays Input options as well as Output:
And this is what SoundSource v6 looks like in standard and narrow view settings:
I feel like it’s fairly obvious which one is easier to navigate and understand, even if you’re not an audio nerd like me. System output, input, and sound effects are all clearly labelled with a slider and percentage for levels, as well as where they’re outputting or inputting from.
What’s really nice is SoundSource’s ability to have audio routed to different locations based on the application. So in the screenshot above, I have the Music app set to go to my HomePod mini in my office. That way it’s always going to play music through my HomePod mini, regardless of where else I might have audio playing, and I don’t have to reselect HomePod mini each time I play music.
Hiding Audio Devices
Another nice feature is how it lets you hide audio devices completely so you never see them and also tries to ensure you or macOS don’t use them again. In the above screenshot I have my Anker C200 webcam that also has a mic built in, but I don’t ever want to use that webcam mic when I have a $400 Shure SM7b connected via my Elgato XLR Dock. I can click the eye icon beside any device I want to hide, which is why they don’t show up in the main SoundSource list.
New in SoundSource v6
New in SoundSource 6 is the ability to route audio to multiple outputs at once. You can build a custom group of devices—your kitchen speaker, the HomePod in the backyard, and your monitor speaker in the den—and route all audio or just app specific audio through that speaker group with a click.
Also new are Profiles. You can build a complete configuration set up based on work mode, evening party mode, streaming to Twitch, etc. and have all the routing switch for you automatically with a click. This is one I need to dig into more as I’m often wanting to switch audio routing around based on different contexts I’m working in.
Along with that, SoundSource has even more options for automating with macOS’ Shortcuts, including new “Get Mute Status”, “Get Source Volume”, “Get Source Named”, and “Set Effect Parameter” actions.
For podcasters and streamers, SoundSource 6 has a new “cough” button configuration that lets you assign a Toggle Mute keyboard shortcut, then press it to instantly mute.
There’s a lot more new features in version 6 that you can check out on Rogue Amoeba’s website.
Try Out SoundSource 6
The best way to understand SoundSource is to try it out by downloading the free trial from Rogoe Amoeba. The trial version lets you use it for 20 minutes before audio noise is played overtop. So don’t forget to quit it and wonder why your audio is sounding weird.
An even better option is to buy a license for $49USD or if you have a previous version of SoundSource it’s only a $25USD upgrade cost. It’s one of those apps where I didn’t know I needed it until I started using a fresh Mac that didn’t have it installed yet and wondered why the sound menu looked so plain.
