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Installation

Mac Mixer installs a native macOS menu-bar app plus a CoreAudio HAL plug-in. Alpha builds require care because the plug-in is installed system-wide.

Requirements

Requirement Minimum
macOS 13 Ventura
Audio devices Stereo output devices are the current supported path
Permissions Administrator approval for the first HAL plug-in install

Alpha download

Mac Mixer is currently distributed as a signed and notarized direct-download alpha installer.

Download Mac Mixer Alpha

The direct alpha uses a license key purchased through stokedconsulting.com and validated by the direct license API. It installs a system-wide CoreAudio HAL plug-in and requires administrator approval.

First launch

On first launch, Mac Mixer:

  1. Starts as a menu-bar-only app.
  2. Checks whether the Mac Mixer virtual output device is already installed.
  3. If needed, asks for administrator approval to copy MacMixer.driver into /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/HAL/.
  4. Restarts coreaudiod so macOS loads the new HAL plug-in.
  5. Opens the menu-bar popover and begins syncing output devices and running apps.

Restarting coreaudiod briefly interrupts system audio. This is expected during install and plug-in upgrades.

Quitting

When the app quits, it stops the audio forwarder and attempts to restore the physical output that was active before Mac Mixer took over. The HAL plug-in remains installed so the next launch does not require another administrator prompt unless the driver changes.

Removing the alpha build

Until a packaged uninstaller is published, alpha testers should remove the app and driver only if they understand the system-wide plug-in path:

sudo rm -rf /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/HAL/MacMixer.driver
sudo killall coreaudiod

After removal, choose a physical output device in macOS Sound settings.