# mactooloud

> A per-app volume mixer for macOS. Every running app gets its own volume slider in the menu bar, plus Auto-Duck on calls, Mystery Sound Finder, per-app device routing, Whisper Mode, Pomodoro focus audio, and saved audio profiles.

mactooloud is a native SwiftUI menu-bar app for macOS 14.4 and later, made by ByteLights. It is the thing Windows has shipped since 2007 and macOS never has: independent volume per application.

It works through macOS 14.4's CoreAudio Process Tap API — **no kernel extension, no HAL plugin, no driver installed into /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/HAL**. The audio engine lives inside the app and disappears when you quit it. This is a different mechanism from BlackHole, BackgroundMusic, and Loopback, which all install virtual audio devices.

- **Pricing:** 7-day free trial, no card required. Then $4.99/month, $39/year, or $90 once (lifetime, one Mac).
- **Requirements:** macOS 14.4+, Universal binary (Apple Silicon and Intel).
- **Privacy:** all audio processing happens on-device. No audio leaves the Mac. No telemetry.
- **Distribution:** direct download, Developer ID signed and notarized. Not on the Mac App Store — the Process Tap API needs entitlements the App Store sandbox does not allow.
- **Latest release:** 0.1.4 (2026-09-22) — An installer that tells you what to do.

## Core pages

- [Home](https://mactooloud.com/): what the app does, feature overview, pricing, FAQ.
- [Download](https://mactooloud.com/download): get the app, system requirements.
- [Documentation](https://mactooloud.com/docs): installation, permissions, every feature explained.
- [Changelog](https://mactooloud.com/changelog): release history.
- [Pricing](https://mactooloud.com/#pricing): plan comparison.
- [Press kit](https://mactooloud.com/press): boilerplate, fact sheet, brand assets.
- [Contact](https://mactooloud.com/contact): support and enquiries.

## Documentation

### Getting Started

- [Installation](https://mactooloud.com/docs#installation)
- [Your first mix](https://mactooloud.com/docs#first-mix)
- [Approving System Audio Recording](https://mactooloud.com/docs#audio-recording-approval)
- [Approving accessibility](https://mactooloud.com/docs#accessibility-approval)

### Features

- [Per-app volume mixer](https://mactooloud.com/docs#mixer)
- [Mystery Sound Finder](https://mactooloud.com/docs#mystery-sound-finder)
- [Auto-Duck on calls](https://mactooloud.com/docs#auto-duck)
- [Per-app device routing](https://mactooloud.com/docs#device-routing)
- [Whisper Mode](https://mactooloud.com/docs#whisper-mode)
- [Pomodoro · Focus Audio](https://mactooloud.com/docs#pomodoro)
- [Audio profiles](https://mactooloud.com/docs#profiles)
- [Browser tab drill-down](https://mactooloud.com/docs#browser-tabs)

### Keyboard Shortcuts

- [Global hotkeys (coming soon)](https://mactooloud.com/docs#global-hotkeys)
- [In-app shortcuts](https://mactooloud.com/docs#in-app-hotkeys)

### Troubleshooting

- [Mixer shows no apps](https://mactooloud.com/docs#no-apps-listed)
- [Auto-Duck doesn’t fire](https://mactooloud.com/docs#auto-duck-not-firing)
- [After a macOS update](https://mactooloud.com/docs#macos-update)
- [Getting logs for support](https://mactooloud.com/docs#logs)

### FAQ

- [Does this require a kernel extension or driver?](https://mactooloud.com/docs#kext)
- [Why is mactooloud not on the App Store?](https://mactooloud.com/docs#app-store)
- [How is this different from SoundSource / eqMac?](https://mactooloud.com/docs#competitors)
- [What happens after the 7-day trial?](https://mactooloud.com/docs#trial)

## Use cases

- [Remote workers](https://mactooloud.com/solutions/remote-workers): Calls don't fight your music. Slack only rings on AirPods.
- [Streamers](https://mactooloud.com/solutions/streamers): Send game audio to OBS, voice chat to your headphones.
- [Musicians & producers](https://mactooloud.com/solutions/musicians): Protect your listening session from notification clutter.
- [Gamers](https://mactooloud.com/solutions/gamers): Discord on AirPods, game on speakers, music on either.
- [Editors & creators](https://mactooloud.com/solutions/editors): Calls, browser, music — each at the volume the task wants.
- [Developers](https://mactooloud.com/solutions/developers): Pomodoro audio, Whisper Mode, distractions ducked.

## Articles

- [Why macOS still doesn't ship a per-app volume mixer in 2026](https://mactooloud.com/blog/why-no-mac-volume-mixer) (2026-09-15): Windows has had one since 2006. Linux distros come with one. macOS still ships with a single volume slider. Here's the long, uncharitable explanation.
- [Whisper Mode: the one-keypress way to keep your Mac quiet](https://mactooloud.com/blog/whisper-mode-quiet-mac) (2026-08-29): Cafes, libraries, late-night sessions. One hotkey caps every app at a polite level — except the call you don't want to miss.
- [Route Zoom to AirPods while keeping Spotify on speakers](https://mactooloud.com/blog/route-zoom-airpods-spotify-speakers) (2026-08-16): The classic split-output scenario macOS makes weirdly hard. Here's why the built-in Multi-Output Device approach falls short, and a setup that actually works.
- [Looking for a SoundSource alternative? How to choose in 2026](https://mactooloud.com/blog/soundsource-alternative) (2026-07-31): SoundSource is the heavyweight per-app audio tool for macOS. It's also $50 and built for audio engineers. Here are the alternatives — and honest advice on when SoundSource is still right.
- [How to find which app is making noise on your Mac](https://mactooloud.com/blog/mystery-sound-finder) (2026-07-12): A sound is playing somewhere on your Mac and you have 30 tabs open. Here are three ways to find it — including the one we built into mactooloud.
- [Auto-duck explained: when your Mac should turn the music down](https://mactooloud.com/blog/auto-duck-explained) (2026-06-30): Auto-ducking is the trick where music gently lowers itself when someone starts talking. macOS doesn't do it natively. Here's how it works and how to set it up.
- [Per-app volume on macOS: the complete guide (2026)](https://mactooloud.com/blog/per-app-volume-macos-guide) (2026-06-16): macOS still ships with one master volume slider in 2026. Here are the three ways to get a real per-app mixer — and which one is right for you.

## Optional

- [Full text version](https://mactooloud.com/llms-full.txt): the above plus FAQ answers and full release notes.
- [RSS feed](https://mactooloud.com/blog/feed.xml): new articles.
- [Sitemap](https://mactooloud.com/sitemap.xml): every indexable URL.
- [Terms](https://mactooloud.com/terms) · [Privacy](https://mactooloud.com/privacy)