Our flagship recording tool Audio Hijack has just been updated to version 4.2. This release includes three brand-new blocks, as well as over two dozen additional improvements. Read on for more details, or update immediately by selecting “Check for Update” in the Audio Hijack menu.

Three Brand-New Blocks

In the Advanced section of any session’s Blocks tab, you’ll find three brand-new audio effects.

Parametric EQ

Experience unparalleled control over the sound of your audio with the new Parametric EQ. This powerful new effect enables you to adjust with surgical precision, using multiple bands with fully customizable filter types, frequency, Q, and gain. The interface provides a wealth of options you can experiment with, making precise audio adjustment a pleasure.

Speech Denoise

Make speech pop while eliminating the rest. With the state-of-the-art denoise function found in Speech Denoise, you can suppress background noise and highlight speech like never before. Speech Denoise harnesses the power of machine learning (ML) to let your audio shine, all with an incredibly simple interface.

FIR Filter

The new FIR Filter lets you give your audio a signature sound, by emulating specific environments or hardware. It works by applying a mathematical convolution to your audio with a pre-recorded impulse response file, imprinting the relevant characteristics onto your new audio. What that means is that whether you want the feel of a grand concert hall or a cozy studio room, you can recreate it, right from your Mac.

Improvements to Existing Blocks

We’ve also advanced the state of the art in many of our existing blocks. Those improvements include:

• System Audio Updates: It’s now possible to drag and drop multiple applications to the System Audio block’s Excluded Sources area, and to select multiple items for removal. The Exclude Source menu has also been improved visually.

• Mixer Refinements: Volume Group Presets have been improved in the Mixer effect, and colors have been updated for better clarity.

• Improved Readouts: The Balance and Pan blocks now have clearer and more helpful interfaces.

• EQ Sparklines: Handy sparklines in multiple effects make it easy to visualize audio adjustments.

Polishing Our VoiceOver Accessibility

VoiceOver users, we’re always looking out for you, working hard to ensure our apps are fully accessible. For Audio Hijack 4.2, we spent quite a bit of time polishing many aspects of the app based on user feedback. Among other improvements, it’s now possible to navigate to the global window via VoiceOver, and VoiceOver navigation of the global menu itself has been improved. As well, sections in the blocks library are now easier to navigate, and a bevy of elements throughout the app are now more accessible.

Feedback from users is essential when it comes to perfecting accessibility. If you ever get tripped up when using any of our apps with VoiceOver, please contact us!

Visual Enhancements

We’ve honed many smaller aspects of Audio Hijack’s interface with this updates, including improving the way presets work throughout the app, with better defaults and bug fixes for blank names. Colors have been updated and standardized, including the coloring of Menu Bar Meters. We even fixed assorted small bugs, such as the playhead incorrectly disappearing off the end of a recording when it was played back.

In general, we don’t expect these changes to catch your eye. Our hope is simply that using the app feels better than ever.

Get Audio Hijack 4.2 Right Now

For in-depth details on all the changes, have a look at the full release notes for 4.2. Of course, the best way to experience the new version is simply to download it. It’s a free update for existing users, who can select Check for Update from the Audio Hijack menu.

If you’re new to Audio Hijack, you can click here to download the free trial or visit the app’s product page to learn more.

Audio Hijack 3 users who haven’t made the jump to version 4 can still do so at the heavily discounted upgrade price of just $29. Get started on the “What’s New in Audio Hijack 4” page.

We’ve just posted another free update to our supremely useful audio control utility SoundSource. This update brings support for the new AUSoundIsolation effect that’s part of MacOS 13 (Ventura). The Sound Isolation effect works to isolate voice from background audio, and it can now be used with any app on your Mac. Today’s SoundSource update also adds support for new AutoEq profiles in the Headphone EQ effect, and fixes a small number of bugs.

SoundSource 5.6 is a free update, available available for download right from our site. If you’re already using SoundSource, use the Check for Updates button in the Settings (née Preferences) window to get this free update.

If you aren’t using SoundSource yet, see what you’ve been missing. Visit the SoundSource page to learn more and download the free trial.