It’s time for new calendars, and that means it’s also time for another annual status report. Today, I’m going to take a look back at what Rogue Amoeba accomplished in 2025, then preview a few of the things we’re looking forward to in 2026. Let’s jump right in!

Software Updates

We’re a software company, so our biggest news ought to be updates made to our software. It was!

SoundSource 6

Our single biggest update in 2025 was SoundSource 6. Hopefully, you already know about SoundSource, which provides instant access to audio settings right from your Mac’s menu bar, giving you powerful per-app control and the ability to apply effects to any app’s audio.

In version 6, we added dozens of helpful new features, alongside countless improvements. When an upgrade is this big, it can be difficult tough to convey all that it contains, so we focused our marketing on four key features: Quick Configs, AirPlay support, grouped output devices, and the powerful new Audio Devices window. You can learn about those, and so much more, on the What’s New page.

Whether you’re new to SoundSource, or just haven’t checked out version 6, download the free trial to check it out on MacOS 15 and higher. And if you previously purchased SoundSource 5 (or even SoundSource 4), you’re eligible for a discounted upgrade to version 6.

Free Updates, Big and Small

In addition to one paid upgrade, we also shipped a whopping 49 free updates across our product lineup in 2025, including three big releases.

With Audio Hijack 4.5, we removed the “Beta” label from the relatively new Transcribe block. That means Audio Hijack’s powerful speech-to-text abilities are now fully supported. This update also made transcription much faster and less CPU intensive.

Fission 2.9 included some notable interface improvements, like a better top navigation bar. However, user feedback convinced us that our choice of new colors was a misstep. We rectified things in subsequent updates, while also improving VoiceOver support.

We optimized SoundSource 5.8 to reduce CPU usage and correct an assortment of rare but irksome issues. The new SoundSource 6 is the current version of the app, but version 5 remains supported for existing users. In fact, it received another bug fix just a few days ago.

Rather than on-going subscriptions, all of our products are sold as one-time purchases. Nevertheless, the apps are always being refined, with a constant flow of free updates. In 2025, we shipped new features, performance enhancements, and hundreds of bug fixes to make all of our apps as reliable as possible. We also invested significant effort on full compatibility with MacOS 26 (Tahoe), ensuring everything was ready when it arrived.

Important MacOS Updates

Speaking of MacOS, we once again found ourselves eagerly awaiting point updates from Apple. While we have full control over our own apps, corrections to problems with the Mac’s underlying audio system can only come from Apple. Both MacOS 15 (Sequoia) and MacOS 26 (Tahoe) saw critical fixes arrive after their initial releases, with important improvements in Sequoia 15.4, as well Tahoe 26.1. We tested those OS updates in beta to validate Apple’s changes, and issued updates where needed.

Celebrating Our Team

We were delighted to have the chance to celebrate two employee milestones in 2025. Our ace designer, Neale Van Fleet, has now been with us for 10 years and counting. In that time, he’s done incredible work to make all that we do look good. Meanwhile, our support manager, Chris Barajas, crossed the 15-year mark. Chris has done more than anyone to make things better for customers. We know we’re lucky to have them both, and we hope our users do too.

One More Thing

One other project worth noting is our new Customer Dashboard. It provides automated access to full details on all your purchases from Rogue Amoeba. Retrieve lost licenses, download the latest version your license can unlock, view your purchase history, and update the email address under which your purchases are stored.

Click to check it out. You shouldn’t need it often, but when you do, the Customer Dashboard will be ready for you.

Updates Big and Small

We’re a software company, so our biggest plans ought to be updates for our software. They are!

First, I’m delighted to spill the beans on a major new feature coming to our audio router Loopback: audio effects! Currently, using effects to make microphone input sound better requires pairing Loopback and Audio Hijack. That’s not as streamlined as we’d like it to be. In the future, Loopback may be all you need to make your mic audio sound great.

We’re aiming to begin beta testing soon, so if you’re a Loopback user interested in testing the next iteration, we’d be glad to have you. Click here to apply, by sending your full name and your favorite food.

After unveiling SoundSource 6 last month, we found plenty to polish in subsequent minor updates. Now, we’re working hard on SoundSource 6.1, a sizable update we hope to ship before spring. It will contain some features that didn’t make it into 6.0, as well as backend enhancements which will reduce latency and CPU usage.

And of course, we’ll be keeping things shipshape in all the rest of our products. The steady procession of free updates to our entire product line will continue apace in 2026.

Still Faster Beta Support

When Apple provided MacOS 26 betas last year, most of our product line worked without needing updates. However, Loopback and SoundSource took a bit more time, because the ARK plugin they use for audio handling required an update for the new OS. Last fall, we decided it was time to change that.

While we’ll continue to counsel caution when running beta OS versions, you’ll no longer need to wait for updates from us just to run the apps. For the first time ever, when Apple provides a beta of the next version of MacOS, you’ll be able to use our entire product line on it from day one. We know our users will appreciate it.

Fascinating Blog Posts

I don’t think I’ve ever teased blog posts in a status report before, but there are two in the works from other Amoebas that I’m personally very excited about. Neale’s design evolution posts are always excellent, so I’m eager to read his forthcoming “Design of SoundSource 6”. Meanwhile, Chris recently spearheaded some customer outreach that’s worth hearing about, and he’ll be posting about it soon.

Staying Up-To-Date

This annual status report is a good chance to reiterate how you can keep up with our latest news. Of course, our apps themselves offer automated update checking, with comprehensive release notes. But beyond that, there’s our:

Mailing List

Want our biggest news? We send just a few emails a year, and your address is never shared. Click right here to subscribe.

Blog

On Under the Microscope, you’ll hear about big updates, smaller updates, and other stories too. Subscribe to the RSS feed in a reader like NetNewsWire, or even get an email for every post with a service like Feedrabbit.

Social Media

You can follow @RogueAmoeba on an assortment of social media sites. We post about nearly all of our updates, provide links to articles on our blog, and share other ephemera.

New Year, Same Rogue Amoeba

We’re well into our third decade of developing the best audio tools for the Mac, and we don’t have any plans to stop. Everyone at Rogue Amoeba is hard at work on multiple updates we’ll be unveiling in the months ahead. It’s time to get back to that, so please allow Ammo and me to close by wishing you a happy new year.

Last year was a long one for us here at Rogue Amoeba, and not just because February had an extra day. Let’s kick off the new year with a look back at 2024 and a brief preview of 2025, in our latest annual status report.

A Major Transition Completed

Our biggest undertaking last year was the transition to our new audio capture technology, known as ARK. The backends for Airfoil, Audio Hijack, Loopback, Piezo, and SoundSource were all completely rewritten and replaced. Updating those apps with ARK was the culmination of a multi-year effort discussed at length last month. This grueling process was what led to 2024 feeling so long for us, and we’re thrilled that it’s finally complete.

The new ARK-powered versions of our apps greatly simplify the first launch experience, so you can get started in under a minute. Better yet, there are no extensions, no adjustments to the arcane “System Security Policy” in the Mac’s startup options, and no restarts at all.

Free Updates Abounded

42 is more than just the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything. It’s also how many updates we shipped last year. In addition to the ARK transition, we added full support for MacOS 15, fixed bugs, worked around issues, and implemented new features.

Our aim is to provide outstanding value when you purchase our products, and boy did the team deliver last year. Every one of those 42 updates was free for existing customers. That’s nothing new, however. Since our founding, we’ve provided nearly 1,000 free updates across our product line.

And More

In addition to our many software releases, we enjoyed two distinct celebrations in 2024. First, Audio Hijack was enshrined in the Upgradies Hall of Fame. It’s the founding member of the “Best Mac App” category, and we’re very proud!

We were also thrilled to celebrate an employee milestone, Nathan Tiddy’s five-year anniversary. Nathan is part of an outstanding team of a dozen people here at Rogue Amoeba, all working hard on the apps you use and love.

In the fall, we noted Apple’s releases of MacOS 15.1 and MacOS 15.2, which brought important audio improvements that fixed issues users may have hit while using our tools. While we can often work around bugs in MacOS, some problems require Apple to provide the cure. When they do, we want to highlight those improvements, so you know how to get the very best experience with our products.

Faster Beta Support

It’s very likely Apple will unveil MacOS 16 this summer, and that they’ll offer public betas you can install. It’s wise to be cautious when installing beta OS versions, but we know that some folks are eager to experiment. In 2025, it will be possible to use our apps on the new OS much sooner.

With the transition to ARK, we were able to remove restrictions which previously blocked our apps from running on unrecognized OSes. Now, when you install the MacOS 16 beta, Airfoil, Audio Hijack, Farrago, Fission, and Piezo will allow you to test the software without needing an update from us. Exciting!

You might notice that Loopback and SoundSource aren’t listed above. The new ARK plugin they use will require a new version to get those apps running on MacOS 16, but we intend to provide those necessary updates quickly.

Big Updates Afoot, And Smaller Ones Too

In last year’s status report, I mentioned pending updates to our three most popular products: Audio Hijack, Loopback, and SoundSource. While the backends for those apps were overhauled as part of the ARK transition, we have more in the pipeline that didn’t make it out last year.

In 2025, we’re aiming to ship major updates for all three of those apps, and I’m very excited about what we’re working on. Stay tuned for more, including chances to beta test ahead of official releases.

Of course, it won’t just be big, splashy new versions. We’re always working to keep things running smoothly for you, so expect plenty of smaller updates that squash bugs, implement new features, and add support for new versions of MacOS.

Keep in Touch

That’s it for today’s status report, but you can stay in the know by finding us on:

Social Media

Rogue Amoeba is on social media. We’re partial to:

 

This Very Blog

The blog carries in-depth information to accompany our major updates, but we also post things that are informative or just plain fun. Subscribe to our handy feed in any RSS reader.

Our Mailing List

Members of our extremely low-traffic mailing list get word of our biggest news, as well as some exclusive discounts. We send just a few emails each year, and work hard to make them worthy of your inbox.

Onward to 2025

We’re aiming for a big year here at Rogue Amoeba, so it‘s time to get to it. For now, Ammo and I will close by wishing you a happy new year!

A new year is upon us, and that means it’s time for another annual status report. Let’s have a look back at Rogue Amoeba’s 2023 and preview some things to look forward to in the coming year.

Last year was very busy for us, but an unusually high percentage of our work took place behind the scenes. Much more will be revealed in the coming months, but there was still plenty to see in 2023.

49 Updates Shipped

Averaging nearly one release per week is no easy task, but the 49 updates shipped last year actually represented our lowest total since 2019. When COVID struck in 2020, the global shift to working from home caused a rapid increase in our user base. The resulting flood of feedback and new use cases led to an unprecedented 80 updates that year. Since that stressful high-water mark, we’ve made a concerted effort to be more deliberate with our update schedule. We bundle bug fixes and feature updates into a smaller number of robustly-tested releases. Things now flow more smoothly internally, and we disrupt our users less frequently as well.

We continued to provide outstanding value to our customers, with all but one of those 49 updates being provided free for existing users. In the fall, we had support for MacOS 14 (Sonoma) well before its release. We also added dozens of new features throughout the year, polished myriad interfaces and interactions, and exterminated plenty of bugs.

Three Big New Audio Hijack Releases

Audio Hijack started off 2023 by winning its third Upgradie for “Best Mac App”, which meant it also received a Lifetime Achievement award. Things got even better from there.

Audio Hijack 4.1 arrived shortly after, with a whopping 53 enhancements. Included among these was a more powerful System Audio block, as well as the ability to greatly decrease the screen space the app uses.

In May, Audio Hijack 4.2 brought three powerful new blocks. Parametric EQ adjusts audio with surgical precision, using multiple bands with customizable filter types, frequency, Q, and gain. Speech Denoise harnesses machine learning (ML) to let your audio shine. And with the FIR Filter, you can give your audio a signature sound.

Perhaps the most unexpected update, however, came in Audio Hijack 4.3. The new Transcribe block uses the power of OpenAI’s “Whisper” to provide transcriptions for any audio on your Mac. Audio Hijack can now serve as your own personal stenographer, and people are using it in all sorts of amazing ways.

See the Audio Hijack page to get the latest, and to learn more.

SoundSource 5.6

In recent years, SoundSource has become a favorite tool for all sorts of Mac users. Our product lineup aims to help a wide range of users, but many of our tools are particularly helpful for prosumers like podcasters and folks making lots of audio calls on their Macs. SoundSource, on the other hand, is something no Mac should be without.

With SoundSource 5.6, we added support for Apple’s Sound Isolation effect, which works to isolate voice from background audio. Using SoundSource, you can now apply Sound Isolation to any app on your Mac. The update also improved the Headphone EQ effect, with updated support for AutoEq profiles.

With its fast access to devices, per-app controls, and so much more, SoundSource can help any user who listens to audio on their Mac. That’s almost certainly you, so visit the SoundSource page to check it out.

Farrago 2

Farrago 2 represented our lone paid upgrade in 2023. It brought more than 75 new features and improvements, including a built-in audio editor, integrated search of the Freesound.org sound database, support for Stream Deck and OSC controllers, audio previewing, and more. Farrago was already the Mac’s best soundboard app, and version 2 is better than ever.

Every aspect of the app was reviewed, with improvements made across the board. Neale once again blogged about the process of designing the new version, with “The Design of Farrago 2”. I especially love the way the before and after comparison images so quickly show off months of progress.

Odds & Ends

Of course, we did more than just release product updates. In early March, we unveiled one of my favorite projects in recent memory: the Rogue Amoeba Historic Screenshot Archive. It’s a whole lot of fun, and worth checking out. In a similar vein, Rogue Amoeba’s 21st anniversary in September was the occasion for Neale to create a lovely icon flowchart. Give it a look to see how our app icons have progressed over time.

Other notable 2023 blog posts included “The RIAA v. Steve Jobs” and “A Word of Caution on MacOS Updates”. The former is a rather horrifying tale of the near-death of Audio Hijack, and perhaps Rogue Amoeba, way back in the mid-aughts. Meanwhile, the latter is the first blog post from our newest support tech Aaron, and it provides a thoughtful look at what it means to run beta versions of Apple’s OSes.

Aaron’s actually been with us since 2021, but we did increase our headcount last year. In fact, 2023 saw Rogue Amoeba grow to the largest its ever been, with 12 full-time employees. We’ve got a fantastic team dedicated to the Mac apps you love, and I couldn’t be prouder to work alongside them.

As previously mentioned, much of the work we did last year hasn’t been made visible quite yet. In 2024, we expect to unveil much of the fruits of those labors. I’ll discuss two major efforts we’re focused on.

A Dramatically Simplified Launch Experience

We’re incredibly excited about updates coming in the next few months, which will improve the first launch experience for all of our audio capture apps: Airfoil, Audio Hijack, Loopback, Piezo, and SoundSource.

As a result of changes Apple made back in MacOS 11, our apps have been stuck with a setup process that’s much more complicated than we’d like. Currently, an annoying restart is required to get going on Intel-based Macs. Setup is even more burdensome on Apple’s newest M Chip-based Macs, with multiple restarts required, as well a change to the Mac’s “Security Policy”. This has been a notable pain point, which comes before a user even has a chance to try the app. It’s been very frustrating for us to not be able to do better for our customers, and there’s no doubt that this has deterred people from using our products.

We’re now very close to removing those obstacles completely. We’ll soon be shipping updates that simplify things immensely. In fact, Airfoil, Audio Hijack and Piezo will feature an installer-free setup that won’t even need your administrator password. Meanwhile, Loopback and SoundSource will use a new audio capture plugin called ARK that won’t require a single system restart. It’s going to be an incredible improvement to our user experience.

These changes may go unnoticed until you’re setting up your next Mac, but they’re going to allow new users to blast off in seconds. We’re beyond thrilled to streamline our setup process, and to help many more people harness the power of our tools.

Big Updates To Our Most Popular Apps

In 2023, we also began a trio of initiatives to update our most popular apps: Audio Hijack, Loopback, and SoundSource. Each product is led by a different member of our talented team, and the work they’re doing is coming along well. If you’re already using one or more of these apps, you’re going to love the additions coming this year.

If you haven’t checked out Audio Hijack, Loopback, or SoundSource before, however, there’s no need to wait. They’re already fantastic and ready to assist you today.

In addition to these major undertakings, our entire product line will of course continue to be updated. There are certain to be maintenance releases, and likely a few other surprises as well.

Ways to Keep in Touch

You won’t want to miss out, so here are a few ways you can keep up with the latest news from Rogue Amoeba.

Follow Us on Social Media

On our social media accounts, we post about updates big and small, along with the occasional bit of amusing randomness. Following the decay of Twitter in 2023, you can now find us on more social media platforms than ever, including:

 

Read the Release Notes

Built-in version checking will alert you to our latest updates, with detailed release notes telling you what’s new. Those release notes are also provided on our site. Click your favorite app to see them:

 

Read This Blog

Our blog is the place to read about major updates in depth. You can subscribe to our handy feed in any RSS reader.

Join Our Mailing List

Last but not least, we recommend all users join our very low-traffic mailing list. We send just two to four emails each year, with information on very biggest news, along with exclusive deals.

Until Next Time

We’ve got lots to do, so it’s time to get to it. Have a happy new year, and then stay tuned for much more from your favorite Mac audio software company.

It’s the start of a new year, which means it’s time for another edition of Rogue Amoeba’s annual status report, recorded before a live studio audience. Read on for a look back at 2022 and a preview of 2023.

What happened in 2022? A lot!

61 Individual Updates

Across our product line, we shipped an incredible 61 updates to add features, improve functionality, and fix bugs. We averaged well over one release each week, all year long. This consistent parade of updates meant our apps stayed both fresh and functional.

Worth noting, 60 of these updates were entirely free for existing users. When you purchase a product from us, you’re buying the app as it exists now. Additional updates are never guaranteed. However, we take pride in offering tremendous value to our customers. Our decades-long track record demonstrates this, with products continuing to receive improvements long after a purchase is made.

Audio Hijack 4

In order to run a sustainable business, when we add major new functionality to a product, we charge a discounted upgrade price to move to the new version. As 2022’s lone paid upgrade, Audio Hijack 4.0 offered over 100 new features and enhancements, including powerful new blocks, automation support via scripting and Shortcuts, manual pipeline connections, and so much more.

As part of the release, designer extraordinaire Neale wrote up “The Design of Audio Hijack 4”. This was the latest in a series of posts which pull back the curtain on the design work which goes into our major upgrades. It’s fun to see the early mockups and transitional periods of our designs.

In December, Audio Hijack found itself the recipient of two major awards, winning the “Best App Update of 2022” from MacStories and then the 2022 Upgradie for “Best Mac App”. Suffice it to say, Audio Hijack 4 is a hit, and we’re not slowing down. See the “Looking Ahead” section below for more.

SoundSource 5.5

Last year saw another large update worthy of special mention. SoundSource 5.5 was a free update which brought several major features, the most important of which was the new Shortcuts support.

With Shortcuts coming to both SoundSource 5.5 and Audio Hijack 4, last year was a big one for automation. Automation support has long been one of our most-requested features, and we’re happy to provide it now via Shortcuts. SoundSource now enhances your Mac with a slew of audio device-related actions available to the Shortcuts app, even when you’re not directly using SoundSource. With these shortcuts, you can automate changing device volumes, setting effect presets, toggling effects processing, and much more.

SoundSource is now up to version 5.5.7, and it just keeps getting better. If you’re new to the app, you should visit the SoundSource page to learn more and download the latest.

MacOS 13 (Ventura)

In 2022, Apple’s MacOS update followed their now very predictable pattern. MacOS 13 (Ventura) was first shown at WWDC in June, followed by public betas over the summer, and an official fall release. As always, we strongly cautioned users against running beta versions of MacOS and spelled out our plans for support for Ventura.

Indeed, we have our own now-familiar pattern when it comes to a new MacOS. After multiple months of work to support the new version, we make our initial updates available as test releases, allowing users outside the company to try them during the beta period. Next, as Apple’s release approaches, we provide official releases of our products that offer initial support for the new OS. In 2022, our releases arrived the weekend before Ventura was posted.

After the dust has settled, we typically issue a second set of updates with fully baked support for the new operating system. In 2022, those updates arrived about a month after the release of Ventura, signifying that we were now confident to have all users update their OS when ready.

All seemed well, until the release of MacOS 13.1 in December led to intermittent failures of audio capture. We had a hectic few days shortly before Christmas as we dealt with this, Fortunately, we were able to restore full audio capture to all of our apps in very short order. Though rare, this sort of hiccup is not unprecedented. It should serve as a useful reminder that taking it slow with OS updates is always wise, particularly for those with production machines and mission-critical setups.

Anniversaries

In 2022, Rogue Amoeba celebrated our 20th year in business! The world of technology was very different when Quentin, Alex, and I got started in 2002. The iPod was still in its infancy, the iPhone was years away, and even Mac OS X (as it was then called) was an upstart new OS. From the humble release of Audio Hijack 1.0 in the fall of 2002, our company has grown tremendously. We’re incredibly proud of our many beloved products, as well as the top-notch team we’ve assembled to work on them.

Speaking of that team, we also celebrated Robert Charlton’s fifth anniversary with Rogue Amoeba. We want our company to be a place where employees feel empowered, valued, and encouraged to stay long-term. The many employee milestones we’ve been able to celebrate are a good indication that we’re doing pretty well on that front.

Odds and Ends

In January, I wrote a post about improving the accessibility of our License window. Making our software accessible is no afterthought for us, with countless hours devoted to testing and improvements that make it possible for all users to take advantage of our tools. Still, we know we can always do better, and we’re grateful for feedback on how we can improve.

For several years now, we’ve licensed parts of our technology stack to other Mac software developers. ACE, the audio capture engine that powers many of our own products, is now also used by almost two dozen outside programs as well. Last year, we also signed our first licensee for Resonate, which provides a dramatically easier-to-use interface for MacOS’s CoreAudio. If you’re a developer who needs help handling audio on the Mac, licensing ACE and/or Resonate might be right for you.

There was plenty more, from Airfoil gaining the ability to stream to stereo pairs of HomePods Mini to continued work improving our support center. But now, 2022 is done. It’s time to look ahead to the upcoming year.

In 2023, we’ll of course have maintenance updates to all of our products throughout the year. It’s also likely we’ll need to devote significant time to supporting the next version of MacOS. For now, though, I’ll highlight two big updates planned for the first half of the year.

Audio Hijack 4.1

As noted above, we have plenty more in the works for Audio Hijack. That starts with version 4.1, coming soon. It will offer a more configurable “System Audio” block that enables you to exclude specific sources. The Recording Inspector has also been souped up, to allow you to rename files directly. And if you’ve been using Audio Hijack 4’s new scripting capabilities, we’ve made several refinements to make writing scripts easier and more enjoyable.

Beyond that, we devoted substantial time to interface enhancements. We’ve greatly reduced the screen size Audio Hijack requires, making it possible to shrink Session windows way down. There are also many improvements to lists throughout the app, particularly the “Session List” window, which is gaining new sorting options, as well as new and customizable columns.

We’re eager to show it all off to you. We expect to make the free update to Audio Hijack 4.1 available as a test release in the near future, with an official release soon after.

Farrago 2

Though this update was actually mentioned in last year’s Status Report, an assortment of factors delayed its release to 2023. This sort of slippage is not uncommon, and it’s one reason we’re often tight-lipped about the future. We prefer to under-promise and over-deliver. Now, however, Farrago 2.0 is very close to complete.

We’re eager to get Farrago 2 out into the world, so expect more news soon.

Stay Informed

You can track our latest news in several ways.

Release Notes

First and foremost, we strongly recommend keeping version checking turned on in “Settings” (née “Preferences”). You’ll be alerted to updates automatically, with detailed release notes so you know what’s new. You can also read each product’s release notes right on our site:

 

Social Media

We mention nearly all of our updates on social media, and offer other fun news and randomness there as well:

 

And look at that, we’ve just set up a new Mastodon account too.

This Blog

This blog offers posts for larger updates and upgrades, as well as other stories. Subscribe to our handy feed in an RSS reader like NetNewsWire.

Our Mailing List

Finally, our very low-traffic mailing list (~2-4 emails per year) will alert you to our biggest stories, as well as exclusive deals.

Stay abreast with one or more of the above methods, because 2023 promises to be a big year. For now, though, we hope your new year is off to a great start. Until next time!

Welcome to the 2022 edition of Rogue Amoeba’s status report, hot off the virtual presses. This annual post offers a look back at the previous year, as well as a preview of our plans for the future.

Let’s start by reviewing some major Rogue Amoeba happenings of 2021.

Updates Galore

A casual user could easily have missed it, but we shipped 59 updates last year, and every single one was free for existing customers.¹ We’re always hard at work updating our seven main products with both new features and bug fixes. The release notes for your favorite Rogue Amoeba apps can prove a very enlightening read:

Per-Product Release Notes

While major updates are perhaps the most eye-catching, steady progress over time is also extremely powerful.

Major Updates

Speaking of major updates, here’s a bit more detail on two from last year.

SoundSource 5.3

As you may already know, SoundSource provides powerful audio control on your Mac. It gives easy access to your system sound settings, as well as per-application audio adjustments, and the ability to add effects to any audio.

With SoundSource 5.3, we added quicker device switching with easy keyboard shortcuts, improved audio effects support with easy effects bypassing and crash-proof Audio Unit hosting, and enhanced Undo support. If you ever find yourself wrangling audio on your Mac, you need to check out SoundSource.

Fission Updates

Our easy-to-use audio editor Fission saw some key changes last year. First, after extended frustrations attempting to ship an update through the Mac App Store, we ultimately released Fission 2.7.1 as a direct-only release.

With that change, we decided to exit the Mac App Store completely. Our products continue to be available for direct download and purchase, just as they always have been. We also helped transition users from the Mac App Store version to our direct version, at no additional charge.

Toward the end of the year, we shipped a major update to Fission’s resampler in version 2.8. Conversions which require a sample rate change now enjoy much higher quality.

App Underpinnings

We also spent a good deal of time working on the backend of all our apps. This sort of infrastructure work is important to keep our products in a good state of repair. To help when issues occur, we overhauled the way debugging works, cleaning up unnecessary logs and options in all of our products. The debugging window is now more accessible, with a new “Quit and Relaunch for Debugging” option that can be accessed by pressing option in the app’s Help menu.

While most users will never use the debugging window, we hope every user sees and uses our update mechanism. The built-in updating in our products makes it easy to stay up-to-date with our latest versions. In an effort to be less obtrusive, we overhauled and simplified the interface for those updates.

Like compound interest, incremental improvements like these really add up over time.

Enhanced Support Resources

We’re also always looking to improve our support resources, to enable you to get the most out of our products. To make it fast and easy to find answers to common issues, we moved application manuals online, where they’re easily linkable, searchable, and updateable. We’ve also continued expanding the content found in our Knowledge Base, with helpful articles on all manner of common tasks. If you have a question about any of our products, make our Support center your first stop.

Of course, we also have a top-notch support team ready to assist. In addition to long-time employees Chris and Robert, we hired on Aaron Wasserman in April. All three work hard to help you make the most of our products. If you don’t find the answer you need in our Support center, reach out directly for a fast and friendly response.

A Pair of 10 Year Anniversaries

In 2021, we had two employees reach a major milestone. Way back in 2011, we hired both Grant Farr and Ed Wynne, and they’ve been with us ever since. Grant’s 10 year celebration came first, with Ed’s anniversary following a few months later. As those linked posts express, we’re honored and grateful to have worked with both of these talented programmers for over a decade. If you’re a user of any of our products, you’ve undoubtedly been positively impacted by their impressive work.

Updates From Apple

Apple had a very busy 2021 as well, and that led to plenty of work for us. Most notable was the release of MacOS 12 (Monterey). This was first announced during WWDC in June, but as always, we strongly advised users to wait for the official OS release. Updating our products for the new OS is an intensive process, one which can take months.

Nevertheless, we always aim to beat Apple’s release date. This year we managed once again, with preliminary support for the new OS available October 18. Two months later, after a second round of testing and updates, we were pleased to declare our entire lineup production ready.

Apple’s Mac hardware updates in 2021 were also worthy of note. Back in 2018, Quentin penned a widely shared post rightly bemoaning the then-sad state of Mac hardware. Since that time, Apple has managed a remarkable turnaround, driven by their own Apple Silicon chips. Quentin celebrated that as well.

Our New Test Release System

After years of hearing from generous users looking to beta test our software, we recently unveiled a new system called “test releases”. These are pre-release builds, posted in advance of an official release. By putting the update in front of a small group of test users, we can stress-test new features and catch lingering bugs. We initially used this for some final testing for Monterey, and we’ve made good use of it since as well.

Though not as vetted as an official version, test releases are generally fit for daily use. If you’re interested in early access to new features and updates, it’s easy to opt into (and out of as well). Get started by reading this Knowledge Base article.

Today, we’re going to pull back the curtain a bit more than we usually do, to tell you about three upcoming releases. We hope to ship all of the following in the first six months of 2022.

An Overhauled Airfoil Satellite for Apple TV

Last month, to keep things rolling for Airfoil users, we posted a small update to Airfoil Satellite for Apple TV. This is one of our least known apps, initially created in 2017 at a time when Apple had broken AirPlay receiving on the Apple TV. When that was eventually fixed, the app became less necessary. However, HomePod-related bugs in tvOS 15 have again made Airfoil Satellite for Apple TV rather useful.

The 1.1 revision to this app was posted as something of a warmup for a larger update. We’re currently hard at work on version 2.0, and it’s a big update. With it, Airfoil Satellite for Apple TV will be on par with our other Airfoil Satellite versions for Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android.

You can check out Airfoil Satellite in the Apple TV App Store now, and watch for the free version 2 coming shortly.

Farrago 2.0

Since its release, Farrago has established itself as the Mac’s premier soundboard application. It’s become a key tool for podcast creators and live performers of all stripes, as well as a much-loved part of our Ultimate Podcast Bundle.

This year, we’ll be shipping a major upgrade: Farrago 2.0. Here’s a sneak peek:

We’re working on adding some of the most requested features, including things like lockable sets, smart sets, Stream Deck integration, basic audio editing, and much more.

If you’re a Farrago 1 user and you’re interested to beta test version 2, we’d be glad to have you. Click to send us an email with your full name and Farrago 1 license key, and we’ll be in touch. At this time, our beta list is full. Watch for more news on Farrago soon.

Major Updates to Audio Hijack

Our flagship product Audio Hijack has been around for almost 20 years now, and it’s more popular than ever. We’re currently hard at work on some impressive new features. The most noticeable change is an interface update that features a new Light Mode:

We’re also working on manual block connections, so you can customize your pipeline exactly how you want it. Powerful new blocks, including a new five-input mixer, will give you even better audio control. For the first time ever, sessions will be able to run all the time, in the background.

Perhaps the single most notable change, however, is something making a return from years back: scripting support. In the years since Audio Hijack Pro 2 was replaced by Audio Hijack 3, we’ve never stopped getting requests for some type of scripting to make a return. After much research and experimentation, we’ll soon be providing a from-the-ground-up JavaScript-based scripting system, as well as Shortcuts support.

We can’t wait to see how you make use of scripting, as well as other new features coming to Audio Hijack. We’ll have more news on Audio Hijack in the coming months.

More to Come

That’s a quick glimpse at just some of what you can expect from us this year. We’re excited to show you these updates and much more, very soon.

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We have big things planned for 2022. As always, stay tuned.

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Footnotes:

1. On a related note, we think our upgrade policy is worth a read. It details how we strive to be fair to our customers while also running a viable business and continually improving our products. ↩︎