Why Does macOS Lack a Per-App Volume Mixer?
The absence of a per-app volume mixer forces Mac users to adjust volume within each application individually. Spotify has its own slider, Discord has its own slider, and games have their own audio settings. Switching between apps to balance audio levels during a stream or voice call is tedious and breaks workflow.
Third-party developers have filled this gap with tools that intercept app audio at the system level. LitLink Pro uses Apple's Process Tap API to provide per-app volume sliders in a single interface, giving Mac users the volume mixer that macOS should have included years ago.
How Does LitLink Pro Compare to SoundSource and Background Music?
SoundSource comes from Rogue Amoeba, the same company behind Loopback and Audio Hijack. Users already invested in Rogue Amoeba's ecosystem may prefer SoundSource for consistency, but the $49 price is $20 more than LitLink Pro for comparable per-app volume and EQ features.
Background Music works well for basic volume control but relies on a virtual audio device that can conflict with other audio tools. Users running soundboard setups for Discord sometimes find that Background Music's virtual device competes with BlackHole or other routing tools, creating audio conflicts that LitLink Pro's Process Tap approach avoids entirely.
What Can You Do with Per-App Volume Control?
Streamers benefit the most from centralized volume control. During a live stream, adjusting the balance between game audio, alert sounds, and music requires touching multiple app settings without per-app control. LitLink Pro consolidates these adjustments into a single panel, and the per-app audio routing capability lets streamers send each source to a different destination simultaneously.
Musicians working with DAWs and reference material can keep a YouTube tutorial at low volume while their DAW runs at full level, all without adjusting the master volume that affects both. The per-app EQ in LitLink Pro adds another layer, allowing users to shape each app's audio profile independently. LitLink Pro extends per-app control beyond volume to include frequency shaping through a parametric EQ for each application on Mac that adjusts tonal balance independently.
How Do You Set Up Per-App Volume Control on Mac?
Background Music requires users to set it as the system output device in System Settings, then use its own interface to control individual app volumes. This virtual-device approach means all audio passes through Background Music first, which can introduce compatibility issues with professional audio interfaces.
LitLink Pro's Process Tap approach intercepts audio at the process level without rerouting the entire system output. Users keep their preferred audio device as the system default while LitLink Pro handles per-app adjustments transparently. The same technology powers the full LitLink Pro feature set including routing and EQ.
Does Per-App Volume Control Affect Audio Quality?
Audiophiles concerned about signal chain purity will appreciate that LitLink Pro does not insert a virtual audio device into the path. The audio flows from the application through the native macOS audio stack with only a volume coefficient applied at the process level. This differs from virtual-device tools that capture, process, and re-emit audio through a synthetic device.
Professional users working with high-sample-rate audio (96 kHz or 192 kHz) in DAWs can use LitLink Pro's per-app volume to manage other applications without affecting their DAW's audio pipeline configuration. The Mac volume mixer functionality remains independent of each application's internal audio processing.
Marcel Iseli is an indie developer, DJ, and music producer with over 20 years behind the decks and in the studio. Rooted in hip hop culture, he collects drum machines, samplers, and vintage audio gear. LitPads grew out of that obsession: decades of triggering samples on hardware led him to build the software equivalent he always wanted.