Best Mac audio tools for streamers and podcasters
If you stream or record a podcast, you probably need more than a volume mixer. This guide is honest about that, even though we make one.
Short answer
- To send app audio into OBS, Zoom or a recorder: Rogue Amoeba's Loopback. It creates virtual audio devices that combine apps and mics. Per-app volume mixers can't do this.
- To record calls, apps and mics to files: Audio Hijack, also from Rogue Amoeba.
- To control what you hear while you work: SoundSource (with EQ and effects) or a lighter mixer like Faders or FineTune.
Faders is a listening tool. It changes what comes out of your speakers. It doesn't create devices for OBS and it doesn't record. If that's what you need, don't buy Faders for it.
What streamers and podcasters actually need
- Capture. Getting a specific app's audio (a game, a browser, a soundboard) into OBS or a recorder, separately from everything else. This takes virtual audio devices.
- Recording. Saving guests, mics and apps to separate tracks.
- Monitoring. Hearing everything at a comfortable level in your own headphones. This is the only part a per-app mixer helps with.
- Processing. EQ, compression and noise reduction on your voice, usually via Audio Unit plugins.
The picks
Loopback (Rogue Amoeba)
Paid · see Rogue Amoeba's site for price and requirements
Loopback is the standard tool on the Mac for building virtual audio devices. You combine, for example, your mic and a music app into one device and pick it as the input in OBS, Zoom or Riverside. Nothing on the rest of this page does that.
Good
- Purpose-built for routing
- Long-established vendor
Not so good
- Overkill if you only want quieter Slack pings
Audio Hijack (Rogue Amoeba)
Paid · see Rogue Amoeba's site for price and requirements
Audio Hijack records any app, mic or call to files, with effects on the way. Podcasters use it to record remote interviews and keep each source on its own track.
Good
- Records apps and mics
- Effects in the chain
Not so good
- Not a per-app volume mixer
SoundSource 6
$49 once, free trial · macOS 15 or later · Faders vs SoundSource
For the listening side, SoundSource is the strongest pick for creators: per-app volume, a 10-band EQ, Audio Unit plugins per app, a cough-button mic mute and output groups so you can hear audio on several devices at once. It's from the same company as Loopback and Audio Hijack.
Good
- EQ + Audio Unit effects
- Cough button
- Output Groups
Not so good
- $49
- Needs macOS 15
Faders
$5.99 once at launch ($15.99 regular) · macOS 14.2 or later · Made by us
If your capture setup is already sorted and you just want a quick way to keep the game, chat and music at sane levels in your headphones, Faders does that cheaply. Its global ⌃⌥⌘M mutes every physical mic at once, which is a decent panic button. But it has no EQ, no effects, no virtual devices and no recording.
Good
- Cheap per-app monitor mix
- One key mutes every mic
- 0.0 % CPU when idle
Not so good
- Can't feed OBS or record
- No EQ or plugins
- No free trial
FineTune
Free, open source · macOS 15 or later · Faders vs FineTune
Per-app volume, 10-band EQ, AutoEQ headphone correction and multi-device output, for free. A good monitoring tool on macOS 15, with the same limits as Faders: no virtual devices, no recording.
Who does what
| Loopback | Audio Hijack | SoundSource | Faders | FineTune | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual devices for OBS / Zoom | ✓ | — | — | — | — |
| Record to files | — | ✓ | — | — | — |
| Per-app volume for what you hear | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| EQ / effects on app audio | — | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ EQ |
| System-wide mic mute | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | Not listed |
Loopback and Audio Hijack rows reflect what each product is for. Check Rogue Amoeba's site for full feature lists and current prices.
Free things to try first
- OBS's own audio capture. Recent versions of OBS on macOS can capture application audio directly. Check whether your version covers your setup before buying anything.
- Your call app's recording. Many remote-recording services record each guest separately on their side.
Questions
Can Faders send one app's audio into OBS?
No. Faders changes volume and output devices for listening. It doesn't create virtual inputs. Use Loopback or OBS's own app capture.
Can I use Faders alongside Loopback?
We haven't tested every combination, so we can't promise it. Faders only processes apps you've adjusted, so leaving the apps you capture at 100 % keeps Faders out of their path.
Will Faders affect my recorded levels?
It can, if you adjust an app that's also being captured. That's another reason to keep capture and monitoring separate.
Only need a quick monitor mix?
For capture and recording, use the tools above. If you just want the game, chat and music at the right levels in your headphones, Faders is $5.99 once.
Related
Sources
- Rogue Amoeba (Loopback, Audio Hijack, SoundSource)
- What's new in SoundSource 6 (Output Groups, cough button)
- FineTune on GitHub