SoundSource 5 Brings a Streamlined Interface and More to the Powerful Mac Audio Control Utility

Longtime Mac developer Rogue Amoeba today announced the launch of SoundSource 5, the next-generation version of its software utility that gives you much greater control over audio on your Mac.

soundsource 5
For those unfamiliar with SoundSource, it lives right in the menu bar and gives you quick access to volume levels and input/output devices, as well as the ability to adjust volume levels and output devices on a per-app basis. Audio effects like equalizers can also be applied on a per-app basis.

SoundSource 5 brings a revamped interface with a streamlined main window that can optionally be made even slimmer with a Compact view, and there's a new menu bar icon that displays a rough gauge of the current volume level of your default output device.

With per-app audio controls, SoundSource 5 now automatically manages the apps displayed in the list, adding them whenever they are producing audio and removing them when they stop. Favorited apps will remain in the list permanently.

The new update also adds support for multiple menu meters, letting you optionally see activity for default input and output devices, as well as active apps. The meters also provide one-click access for quickly muting any of the sources.

soundsource 5 eq
Updates for audio effects include an optimized Magic Boost that uses less CPU to provide richer sound, a simplified default view for the pinnable 10-band equalizer, and more.

SoundSource 5 is available as a free full-featured trial, which degrades the quality of its audio adjustments after 20 minutes per launch. A full license is normally priced at $39, but there's a discounted $29 rate available through the end of the month. Owners of SoundSource 4 can upgrade for $19, or a complimentary upgrade if you purchased SoundSource 4 on or after May 1.

For those currently running the macOS Big Sur beta, it's important to note that SoundSource 5 is not yet compatible with the upcoming version of macOS. An update for SoundSource will be available prior to the public launch of Big Sur. SoundSource 5 is fully compatible macOS Catalina, Mojave, and High Sierra.

Popular Stories

iphone 17 dummies sonny dickson

iPhone 17 Air Almost as Thin as Its Buttons, New Images Show

Thursday April 24, 2025 2:14 am PDT by
If you missed the video showing dummy models of Apple's all-new super thin iPhone 17 Air that's expected later this year, Sonny Dickson this morning shared some further images of the device in close alignment with the other dummy models in the iPhone 17 lineup, indicating just how thin it is likely to be in comparison. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be around 5.5mm thick – with a thicker ...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iphone 17 air dummy unbox therapy

iPhone 17 Air's Extreme Thinness Demoed in New Video

Tuesday April 22, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an all-new super thin iPhone this year, debuting it alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We've seen pictures of dummy models, cases, and renders with the design, but Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy today showed off newer dummy models that give us a better idea of just how thin the "iPhone 17 Air" will be. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Launching Later This Year With These 16 New Features

Thursday April 24, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
ipad air windows 11 arm

M2 iPad Air Runs Windows 11 ARM via Emulation, Thanks to EU Rules

Tuesday April 22, 2025 5:01 am PDT by
A developer has demonstrated Windows 11 ARM running on an M2 iPad Air using emulation, which has become much easier since the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations came into effect. As spotted by Windows Latest, NTDev shared an instance of the emulation on social media and posted a video on YouTube (embedded below) demonstrating it in action. The achievement relies on new EU regulatory...
Global Close Your Rings Day Pin

Apple Stores Giving Away a Limited-Edition Pin For Free Today

Thursday April 24, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Starting today, April 24, Apple Stores around the world are giving away a special pin for free to customers who request one, while supplies last. Photo Credit: Filip Chudzinski The enamel pin's design is inspired by the Global Close Your Rings Day award in the Activity app, which Apple Watch users can receive by closing all three Activity rings today. The limited-edition pin is the physical...
Apple Logo Spotlight Blue

White House Hits Back at Apple's Massive EU Fine

Thursday April 24, 2025 5:57 am PDT by
Apple's $570 million fine from the EU has triggered a sharp rebuke from the White House, which called the fine a form of economic extortion, Reuters reports. The fine was announced on Wednesday by the European Commission, following a formal investigation into Apple's compliance with the bloc's Digital Markets Act (DMA), a landmark piece of legislation aimed at curbing the market dominance of ...

Top Rated Comments

WildCowboy Avatar
62 months ago

Paid press release?
For the umpteenth time, we don't do paid articles.

Mac stuff tends to get overlooked in the age of the iPhone, so sometimes we like to give a little extra love to the Mac ecosystem and our roots. There's not much more to it than that.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WildCowboy Avatar
62 months ago

The simple fix for this is to put one sentence at the top of each of these things saying exactly that. Then you won't have to defend yourself for the umpteenth+1 time.
That isn't terribly feasible, disrupting each article from the start with a sort of reverse disclosure. On the relatively infrequent occasions where we've received something associated with an article, such as a product for review (reviews are about the only area where this happens), we disclose that at the bottom of the article. If there's no disclosure, it should be safely assumed there's no compensation.

The assumptions by readers of unethical behavior on our part really confuse me.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
foobarbaz Avatar
62 months ago
I really find Rogue Amoeba's lineup confusing. Sound Source, Loopback and Audio Hijack seem to overlap somewhat, yet have very different UIs. I wish there was some clearer messaging which app is for whom, or some kind of feature matrix.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
4487549 Avatar
62 months ago
Rogue Amoeba is an OG indie Mac developer, and I appreciate the updates I find here.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DeadeyeM Avatar
62 months ago
Paid or not it's not bad i had used eqMac before but it's buggy this does work, would like to get other peoples experience
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JesperA Avatar
62 months ago
Crazy that this isn't already built in, especially with Big Sur since they could easily add some more volume sliders in the new Control Center. One of the things i missed going from Windows to macOS
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)