Budget, updates, and who answers 3 a.m. texts
Nonprofits and bedroom producers often start on BlackHole; production companies billing clients may prefer Loopback’s GUI and vendor support.
Many-to-one buses vs visual graphs
- BlackHole: combine aggregate devices in Audio MIDI Setup — powerful, slightly more homework.
- Loopback: drag cables between nodes — faster onboarding for occasional volunteers.
Lock 48 kHz everywhere when WebRTC is downstream
Mismatched 44.1 vs 48 kHz invites hidden resampling — tighten CoreAudio, DAW project rate, and OBS before you blame the network.
Detailed technical guide
This page covers the commercial offering. For step-by-step setup, read our technical guide.
Read the technical guideFrequently asked questions
BlackHole vs Loopback: which should I choose for music live streaming?
BlackHole is enough to route Spotify, GarageBand, or system audio to a live browser. Loopback is worth the investment if you capture multiple apps individually with per-source level control.
Can I use both on one machine?
Possible but confusing — standardize on one virtual device per show to limit feedback loops.
Does macOS Ventura break drivers?
Check current release notes before tour season; keep a tested OS image.
What about Soundflower successors?
BlackHole is the common modern replacement path for many teams.
Will this fix Zoom-quality audio by itself?
Routing is half the battle — you still need gain staging and a WebRTC-first destination.
Is BlackHole free for a nonprofit live?
Yes. BlackHole is free and documented in our /help/blackhole guide — ideal to prototype before a gala.
Is Loopback worth the price for an online tour?
If your macOS audio patch exceeds three critical buses, Loopback can pay for itself on ticketed dates.
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