Re-Route Audio, Record Skype, iTunes on Cell Phones: Soundflower, Now on Intel Macs
Soundflower, the excellent free utility from Cycling ‘74 for routing inter-application audio on Mac OS X, is now Universal for Intel Macs. Cycling has also put up new suggestions for how to make it useful:
- Access your iTunes library via your cell phone, thanks to DittyBot. (Since this is Create Digital Music, just load up your set on iTunes, hit your gig, head for the bar, and bring new meaning to “phoning it in.”)
- Record Skype: Yep, this is the fastest way to record a Skype call on Mac.
- Inter-application audio: Aside from hooking up your favorite audio recorder to TextEdit’s voice-to-speech so you can pull off the now-cliched “robotic Mac voice”, a la Radiohead, you could actually use this for useful stuff, like routing sound between apps that don’t support ReWire.
Of course, this should sound familiar to anyone who knows the superb Linux-bred utility JACK, which offers this and much more. It’s worth checking out both; JACK has by far the deeper feature set, but if you need only quick-and-dirty routing, Soundflower could be the way to go. Truly die-hard Mac inter-app audio lovers might even use both, especially since they’re both free and now both run on Intel Macs.
Thanks to Nick Inhofe for this, a guy who’s cool enough to have interned at Skywalker and earned an IMDB page!
Previously: Mactel Watch: JACK for OS X now Universal; Free Inter-App Audio on Intel (and other) Macs
22 Comments
Leave a CommentRozling
Scare your friends and family by throwing a ring modulator->delay on your voice mid-Skype. My mate’s fave trick…
August 3, 2006 @ 5:39 pm
bliss
This latest version of Soundflower does not work for me. The installer installs version 1.0.1 and it doesn’t load on boot. Anybody else have these problems? Thanks!
August 4, 2006 @ 1:37 pm
ocp
Not working properly on my MacBook Pro.
Can’t select it as audio in device in Ableton Live 5.2.1 and not able to use it as audio out with the NMG2 demo.
In AudioMIDI Setup the sample rates are erratic for Soundflower.
It was too good to be true : (
August 4, 2006 @ 1:42 pm
ocp
Can’t uninstall; no Uninstall_Soundflower.command : (
August 4, 2006 @ 2:03 pm
bliss
Yeah, same problems here. Bummer.
August 4, 2006 @ 2:27 pm
Peter Kirn
Has anyone tried subscribing to the Soundflower mailing list? Someone may have a solution; I don’t know — I’m not on it.
August 4, 2006 @ 2:43 pm
ocp
I subscribed but no answers so far.
If I get a helpful reply I’ll post it here.
August 4, 2006 @ 8:10 pm
Create Digital Music » This Week on Create Digital Music: Things That Don’t Work!
[...] First, there’s the new Intel-native version of Cycling ’74’s lovely Mac utility, Soundflower. As many reported, something seems not-quite-right about the installer. On my PowerPC-based machine, the driver for Soundflower itself doesn’t appear anywhere (Audio MIDI Setup, etc.) and Soundflowerbed, the menu bar tool for interfacing with Soundflower, displays an error message saying it wasn’t installed. We’re working on getting an answer on this; stay tuned. Just to check, anyone NOT having any problems? [...]
August 5, 2006 @ 10:05 am
ocp
The mailing list doesn’t seem to work either.
What’s up with those guys?
August 5, 2006 @ 10:23 am
Peter Kirn
No worries, I’ve forwarded concerns to some folks at C74 … some things may have just gotten out of sync. Once we get a fix, I’ll be sure to post it.
August 5, 2006 @ 10:27 am
marc
this is such a bummer.
now at least i know that i’m not going crazy. i spent hours on my MacBook trying to get a standalone Max patch routed into Live.
I couldn’t get Jack to work for me either!
August 5, 2006 @ 10:33 am
Peter Kirn
Jack’s installation is a little more complex, and there is an excellent and helpful Jack OS X mailing list. It’s worth checking that out, and I do think they will make this easier over time.
Soundflower looks like it just has an installer issue, and it apparently impacts both PowerPC and Intel Macs.
But never think you’re crazy. We’re all in this together. ;)
August 5, 2006 @ 10:36 am
Casper
I can select it as output in GarageBand but it won’t appear as input in Ableton Live 5.2.1… previous version (on my previous PowerPC Mac…) worked great….!
August 5, 2006 @ 11:38 am
Phil South
Nope it doesn’t come up as a device even though the installer completed.
sigh
I’ve emailed the guys at Cycling 74 to see what’s up.
August 7, 2006 @ 7:08 am
Peter Kirn
Yeah, I had the same result.
We should probably *pause* the email requests, because I think by posting this I’ve just unleashed a flood of bug complaints their way, and given the consistency, I expect there will be a single solution and/or updated installer.
August 7, 2006 @ 8:47 am
bliss
Soundflower 1.2 and Soundflowerbed are now updated and working properly. Cheers!
August 16, 2006 @ 2:40 pm
Create Digital Music » Intel-Native Max/MSP/Jitter Upgrades; Windows Releases Coming; Soundflower Fixed
[...] Previously: Re-Route Audio, Record Skype, iTunes on Cell Phones: Soundflower, Now on Intel Macs [...]
August 16, 2006 @ 8:01 pm
Mary Mary
Oh I’m so happy I found all of you. I’ve spent hours trying to figure out why Soundflower doesn’t work on my MacBook Pro. I thought I was crazy. Plainly speaking, it doesn’t work!!
January 21, 2007 @ 12:52 pm
Greg
Anybody else having problems with Soundflower 1.2 at 96 kHz? I get “gritty” glitches about every 20 seconds. No problems at lower sample rates.
Intel Mac Mini
OS X 10.4.8
Thanks.
January 28, 2007 @ 6:29 pm
Mary Mary
Okay, so I’ve downloaded the recent upgrade to soundflower for intel macs (I have the macbook pro). It worked for awhile, and now it just stopped. It’s heaven when it does work. Is there anything else out there. Soundflower can’t be the only game in town!!!
My main problem is that soundflowerbed will not allow me to monitor. When I try to moniter I get a nasty hum. I checked all my settings again and again, but I’m still getting it.
March 11, 2007 @ 1:38 pm
dnw
it(soundflowerbed) used work perfectly for me until 10.4.9
now soundflower is installed (1.2.1) it functions in my apps, but soundflowerbed doesn’t work.
i can transport audio between devices. I just have to select soundflower as they main output for system in audio.midi preferences
April 12, 2007 @ 9:04 pm
alex
I was having trouble with routing garageband into Ableton, too - try using 16 channels. Worked for me.
December 2, 2008 @ 12:58 am
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