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SoundSource
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SoundSource has been in development in one form or another since 2003, with versions for Mac OS X 10.2 (!) and higher. In that time, the application has gone through three distinct phases. It began life as a very simple freebie, a MenuExtra for switching devices. In 2017, it gained additional features when it was merged with the now-retired LineIn and provided as a free add-on for owners of other products. Two years later in 2019, it finally became a full-fledged product, the powerful sound control we know today.
Learn even more with our full article about SoundSource’s history. Below, you can see screenshots of SoundSource through the years. Visit Rogue Amoeba’s Historic Screenshot Archive to see many more images of our apps over time.
Though we no longer have a binary of the original SoundSource, we do have a single screenshot.
SoundSource 1.0.5 dates to over two years after the original release, but its interface is likely identical to the original.
SourceSource 1.2 added an option to open “Audio MIDI Setup”, which is a little-known part of the Mac’s OS.
SoundSource 1.3 may look identical to the previous version, but there’s one key difference: the menu bar icon was updated.
What’s notable about these images is actually not specific to SoundSource 1.4, but rather to changes on Apple’s end. As you can see, these screenshots no longer show “Headphones” as a distinct device from “Internal Speakers”. This was due to a change Apple made, which prevented the internal speakers from being accessed if the headphone jack was in use. Many years later, Macs would again support these as two distinct devices.
SoundSource 2.0 (March 3, 2008) added handy volume sliders to the menu, for fast adjustments.
The update to version 2.5 saw SoundSource become a stand-alone application. Previously, it had been a MenuExtra which required installation.
As a result of Mac OS X itself incorporating most of the functionality of the old SoundSource, we decided to end its development in 2012. Several years later, however, we decided to resurrect it in a new form. We combined it with LineIn, another free tool for playing audio through from a microphone, to create SoundSource 3.0. We released it on February 14, 2017, as a valentine of sorts to our customers - it was free for owners of any other Rogue Amoeba product.
SoundSource 3.1 added a “System” sub-menu for fast access to both the Sound System Preference and MacOS's bundled Audio MIDI Setup application.
A little over a year later, in March 2019, we unveiled SoundSource 4.0. This was a major update, which added substantial new functionality. It made it possible to control audio on a per-app basis, including volume controls, output device selection, and audio effects.
SoundSource 4.1 came out just two months after the major 4.0 update. It included a new Dark theme, as well as a small “FX” badge to indicate when audio was being adjusted.
SoundSource 4.2 added a new “Volume Overdrive” effect, as well as an optional menu bar meter for the selected output device.
Though SoundSource 4 was less than 18 months old, we knew we had something big with SoundSource 5.0, which we released in August 2020. This upgrade overhauled the way audio adjustment worked so that whenever an app produced audio, it appeared in SoundSource, ready for adjustment. We also reworked many parts of the interface, and added a compact option as well.
SoundSource 5.2 added initial support for Apple’s new Apple Silicon-based Macs, modified the Preferences window, and more. This version was the first to respect the user-specified system-wide “Accent” color on MacOS 10.14 (Mojave) and up, as well as Big Sur's new “Multicolor” option (using an appropriate, app-specific green). This collection is also the first to show SoundSource’s “Quick Tour”.
SoundSource 5.5 was released in May 2022, and offered many non-visual features, such as Shortcuts support. One change that can be seen is user-customizable Audio Unit nicknames.
SoundSource 5.6 added support for Apple’s “Sound Isolation” effect, which works to isolate voice from background audio. Using SoundSource 5.6 made it possible to apply this effect to any audio on the Mac.
This update included the new Permissions window, to easily enable system permissions for the app.
See what SoundSource looks like currently by visiting the SoundSource product page and downloading the latest version.
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