Product: Sound Source 5
Developer: Rogue Amoeba
Price: $29.00 USD
Test Rig: Late 2015 4K 21” iMac, OS X 10.15.7, 16GB RAM, 1 TB Samsung T5 SSD external boot drive
When I was in film school, we were taught that not only was your sound important but perhaps the most important part of your project.
And it’s not only in film. Think of when you’re on a Zoom call or conference. The visuals can be ratty and freeze from time-to-time but so long as the audio is solid, you’ll stick with the presentation. Flip-flop that situation. If the audio doesn’t cut it but the visuals are fine, you’re more likely to drop out.
If you’re not an owner of Rogue Amoeba’s Sound Source, you should be. And if you have Sound Source 5, you absolutely have to download the 5.1.3 upgrade immediately.
– Control the settings for your Mac’s Output, Input, and Sound Effects audio devices right from your menu bar.
– Change the volume of any app relative to others, and send individual apps to different audio outputs.
– Make any audio sound great, with powerful built-in effects, as well as advanced Audio Unit support.
Let’s have a listen.
THE JUICE
Sound Source enables you to customize your audio to unbelievable ends. As it said in the block quote, you can choose to tailor the sound reproduction on every application individually. Choose from Safari, Apple Music, even your productivity apps such as Mail.
You can adjust the volume, use your EQ, Rogue Amoeba’s presets, or even plug-ins. Also pick your sound source: internal speakers, external speakers, over-the-ear headphones, AirPod Pros, what have you.
You can customize the drop-down UI from your menu bar to suit you tastes. All intuitively.
THE PULP
Soundscapes for applications can be customized individually. As an example, I played in bands for years. Even though I subscribe to Apple Music, I also have a limited collection of high definition recordings of albums that are near and dear to my heart. I EQ those differently than my Apple Music library.
I also noticed with this latest upgrade that the sound has more volume and a much greater dynamic range. I noticed this instantly, whether using my AudioEngine 2+ desktop speakers or my Sennheiser cans.
THE RIND
Nothing that I can find.
SUMMARY
This upgrade jettisons Sound Source to a whole new level. If you have version 5, download this without hesitation. If you have version 4, upgrade immediately. And if you don’t own a copy of Sound Source, jump on in, the waters’s fine!
If you love to listen to music, watch films, or binge TV shows on your Mac (particularly 4K or 5K iMacs, although your laptop will also benefit greatly), I can’t recommend this app and/or upgrade enough.
Enjoy.
©2020 Frank Petrie
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