What you can do with BlackHole

Once installed, BlackHole becomes a virtual microphone selectable in Gniark Live. Here are the four main use cases:

Stream music

Send Spotify, Apple Music, or any audio player directly into your live.

Mix voice + music

Combine your physical mic and a software audio source via an Aggregate Device.

Jingle & soundtrack

Trigger ambient sound, a jingle, or an effect from GarageBand, Logic, or a player.

Lightweight virtual studio

Turn your Mac into an audio control source without extra external hardware.

Prerequisites

  • macOS 10.13 High Sierra or later (Apple Silicon M1/M2/M3/M4 compatible)
  • Administrator rights on your Mac (to install the driver)
  • Up-to-date Google Chrome, Firefox, or Safari

Install BlackHole

Download

BlackHole is distributed free of charge by Existential Audio. For live streaming, choose BlackHole 2ch (stereo two-channel, sufficient for 99% of use cases).

  1. 1Go to existential.audio/blackhole and enter your email address to receive the download link.
  2. 2Open the downloaded .pkg file and follow the installation wizard. Your Mac will ask for your administrator password.
  3. 3Restart your Mac or log out and back in so the driver loads correctly.
  4. 4Verify installation: go to System Settings → Sound (or System Preferences → Sound on macOS Monterey and earlier). You should see BlackHole 2ch in the Input and Output tabs.
Alternative

BlackHole is also available via Homebrew: brew install blackhole-2ch. No restart required with Homebrew.

Configure audio routing on macOS

Option A: BlackHole only (single source)

If you want to send only audio from an application (music, jingle) into your live without mixing in your voice:

  1. 1In your source app (Spotify, GarageBand, VLC…), open its audio preferences and select BlackHole 2ch as the audio output.
  2. 2In Gniark Live, select BlackHole 2ch as the microphone. Your app audio will be captured and streamed live.

Option B: Voice + software audio (Aggregate Device)

To combine your physical microphone AND a software audio source, create an Aggregate Device in Audio MIDI Setup:

  1. 1Open Audio MIDI Setup (search in Spotlight or in Applications → Utilities).
  2. 2Click + at the bottom left and choose Create Aggregate Device.
  3. 3Check BlackHole 2ch and your physical microphone (USB mic, audio interface, built-in mic…).
  4. 4Rename the device (e.g. Live Mix) so you can find it easily.
  5. 5In Gniark Live, select this new aggregate device as the microphone. Your voice and software audio will be mixed and sent together to the live.

Local monitoring (hear what you broadcast)

To listen to what you send to the live at the same time, create a Multi-Output Device in Audio MIDI Setup combining BlackHole 2ch and your headphones or speakers. Set this multi-output device as the system output in Sound preferences.

Select BlackHole in Gniark Live

  1. 1Open your live in Gniark Live and start the video/audio stream.
  2. 2When the browser asks for microphone access, allow it.
  3. 3In the audio device selector, choose BlackHole 2ch (or your Aggregate Device if you created one).
  4. 4Start playback in your source app. Audio is now streamed to your live in real time.
Tip

Run an audio test before your live by asking a participant to confirm sound reception. Perceived latency on the viewer side depends on your internet connection, not BlackHole.

Solution page

This guide covers technical setup. Explore the Gniark Live commercial offering for this use case.

View solution page — Remote AV studio workflows that scale with your shoots

Frequently asked questions

Is BlackHole free?

Yes, BlackHole is fully free open-source software, distributed under the MIT license by Existential Audio. It is available on GitHub and via the official website.

Which BlackHole version should I choose: 2ch or 16ch?

For standard use (live streaming, jingle, music), BlackHole 2ch (2 channels) is sufficient. BlackHole 16ch is intended for professional audio productions requiring multiple simultaneous tracks.

Does BlackHole work on Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3)?

Yes, BlackHole is compatible with Apple Silicon Macs (M1, M2, M3, M4) as well as Intel Macs running macOS 10.13 and later.

My browser does not show BlackHole in the microphone list, what should I do?

Check that BlackHole is installed via System Settings > Sound. Restart your browser after installation. If BlackHole still does not appear, create an Aggregate Device in Audio MIDI Setup and select that device in Gniark Live.

Can I hear what I send to the live while broadcasting it?

Yes, by creating a Multi-Output Device in Audio MIDI Setup that combines BlackHole and your headphones/speakers. The signal is sent simultaneously to the live and to your local monitoring.

Does BlackHole add latency?

BlackHole is designed for ultra-low latency (effectively zero for streaming). The limiting factor will be your internet connection and browser settings, not BlackHole itself.

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