System Devices

At the top of SoundSource's main window, you'll find the controls for System audio devices. Here, you can adjust settings for the default devices the system uses for audio output, audio input, and sound effects.


The System Devices Area

Output Device

By default, all audio on your Mac will play through the system's selected output device. Using these controls in SoundSource, you can switch the specific device being used for output, and adjust the output volume, balance, and sample rate.


Output Device Controls

You can also apply audio effects to all audio played through the output device. For more details, see the Audio Effects page.

Input Device

The system's selected default input device is used to pull in audio in to your Mac, and will generally be something like a microphone or mixer. Using these controls in SoundSource, you can switch the specific device being used for input, and adjust the device's input level and sample rate.


Input Device Controls

Sound Effects Device

Sound effects are a special type of audio played by applications on the Mac, and include things like the ding of a new email arriving or the bonk of an error occurring. You can opt to play sound effects through a secondary audio device, so they don't blast over other content you may be enjoying.


Sound Effects Device Controls

With these controls in SoundSource, you can switch the specific device being used for sound effects, and adjust its volume level.

Contextual Menu Control

Control-clicking a device in SoundSource's Devices list will reveal a contextual menu, containing additional options.


The Output contextual menu


The Input and Sound Effects contextual menu

Disable Metering

With this option selected for a device, the corresponding level meter in SoundSource's main window will be disabled, and will not show audio activity. If the Output or Input menu bar meter setting is enabled in Settings, the corresponding meter will remain visible, but it will cease to show audio activity.

Bypass Effects

When this option is enabled, all effects processing for the output device will be disabled. For more details, see the Audio Effects page's Bypass Effects section.

Reset “<Device Name>” to Default Settings

Adjustments made to an output device's audio settings within SoundSource are stored automatically, then applied whenever audio flows through that device. Selecting this reset option will fully reset a device, removing all adjustments SoundSource is applying to it.

After you reset a device, SoundSource will not adjust its audio in any way until you again instruct it to do so.

Accessing SoundSourcePer-App Adjustments