If you’re seeking a method to accomplish this on earlier OS versions, refer to: Using SoundDesk as a macOS audio mixer and router.

Note: This functionality requires your permission to capture system audio. A dialog will appear when required.

Navigate to the All-in-One Setup in the Preferences window. You’ll notice that the devices list also includes a list of open applications. If the application you’re looking for isn’t listed, open it and ensure it’s playing audio.

Once the device appears in the list, we tick the Use option to add it as a virtual device. We can also mute the original audio by using the Mute Source option.

Ensure that the input interface in SoundDesk is the All-in-One Device. Then, we can easily navigate to any channel on our desk and load the application stream, just as we would on any other device.

That's it, we’ve got inter-app audio capturing ready to go!


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In SoundDesk, plugins that support side chaining will display the input options in the insert box contextual menu. Currently, all types of channels can be directly used, except for MIDI instruments.

Note that side chain buses are taken at the input stage of a channel, after the signal generator but before any other channel processing. To use the output stage of a channel, we need to send it to an I/O bus first and set a new channel as the receiver. This created channel can then be used for side chaining (MIDI channels can use this technique as well).

Side Chain Compression:

• Load a side chain compatible plugin (e.g. cDSP Compressor) on the track to be compressed.

• Enable the side chain option by selecting the triggering track from the insert box dropdown menu.

• Fine-tune the compressor ratio and threshold to suit your setup.

That's it, we’ve got audio ducking ready to go!


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This combo allows you to stream audio using the local network; we recommend at least 1Gb wired connection.

In this example, we will be sending audio from the SoundDesk master section to a SoundDesk channel on a second machine.

Sender

First, we need to insert an AUNetSend in the Master section of the sender desk:

[Insert > Apple > AUNetSend]

Note: For uncompressed audio the Data Format should be configured to 24 or 32-bit floating point PCM.

Receiver

On the receiver machine, we now insert an AUNetReceive in the first insert slot of a regular channel.

[Insert > Apple > AUNetReceive]

In the AUNetReceive Directory table, we should find the Bonjour name that we gave to the AUNetSend (in this case SD Master Send), and select it as the host.

The Status should report a Connected state and the Sender reports the Bonjour name given to the AUNetSend.

Audio will be streamed from one SoundDesk to the other until we disconnect one of the nodes.

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LoudLAB

First, at the stage that we intend to monitor using Sonic Atom, we insert an AUNetSend.

[Inserts > Audio Unit > Apple > AUNetSend]

Note:
• Using the Bonjour name option can be helpful if we intend to use multiple Send/Receive pairs.

• For full resolution the Data Format should be configured to 32 bit floating point PCM.

Back in Sonic Atom, we navigate to File > New Source… and open a new AUNetReceive.

In the AUNetReceive Directory table, we should find the Bonjour name that we gave to the AUNetSend, and select it as the host.

If all is working, the Status should be Connected and the Sender reports the Bonjour name given to the AUNetSend.

This combo allows you to send audio over the local network, it works for a single machine but it also works for multiple machines connected to the same network. Let’s say we have a workstation dedicated to Logic Pro X, we can stream audio from it to a laptop in the same network with Sonic Atom installed (at least 1Gb wired connection recommended).

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This allows you to send/receive audio from/to all your devices simultaneously.

In the Audio Setup window (shift+cmd+A) you can disable/enable the All-in-One and access the advanced setup options.

Note: if we intend to use other Aggregate Devices created by the Audio MIDI Setup.app in SoundDesk, is advisable to disable the All-in-One to prevent conflicts.

All-in-One Advanced Setup

For the most part, the All-in-One Device follows the conventions of Aggregate Devices created with the Audio MIDI Setup application, with a couple of exceptions:

• Hot plugging/unplugging a device will create an audio interrupt to add/remove the device from the All-in-One automatically, except for auto-excluded devices (see Auto Exclusion bellow) or devices that have been manually excluded using the Use option.

• Only valid hardware and virtual devices can be used as a Clock/Master device.

The smooth operation of the All-in-One device depends on all devices being correctly synchronised. SoundDesk will try to automatically synchronise all devices for you, but this can fail for a myriad of reasons.

If one or more devices go rogue, the Syntonization column will display a red flag indicating the responsible device. Syntonization failure will normally manifest itself with breaks in the audio stream that can cause audible pop-like sounds or distortion.

To fix it, we can manually change the sample rate for that device to the appropriate one, unless the device can not be synchronised (see Auto Exclusion below)

Auto Exclusion - Incompatible

Not all devices can be synchronised without using resampling. Unlike other Aggregate Devices, SoundDesk Auto Excludes by default, devices that can not be synchronised without penalty. This avoids conflicts and performance penalties introduced by real-time resampling.

We can change this behaviour by unchecking the Incompatible option in the Auto Exclusion section.
This option should be considered a last resource and avoided to prevent the penalties discussed above.

Note: When the Incompatible option is off, incompatible devices will always show a red flag.

Auto Exclusion - High Latency

By default, SoundDesk allows devices that have large latency requirements in the All-in-One. These devices (frequently Bluetooth, airplay and some virtual devices) will add to the overall latency of the All-in-One device, therefore for minimal latency, we should avoid them and enable the High Latency option in the Auto Exclusion section.

Sample Rate changes when using the All-in-One device

When changing the sample rate in the DSP section, one or more devices may refuse to update to the selected sample rate, in this case, SoundDesk will negotiate a sample rate value accepted by all devices, and update the DSP settings accordingly.

CPU usage and Driver overloads

The All-in-One device adds an extra layer of processing that takes time. The more devices you have the less time is available to process the actual mix. Finding a balance between the desk size, complexity and the number of devices that you can run simultaneously at a given sample rate and buffer size, can require some fine-tuning.

If you are experiencing audio overloads (audible audio breaks or distortion) you may need to consider downsizing by removing devices (including virtual devices) that you do not need from the All-in-One, reducing the desk complexity or closing other applications.

When using virtual devices to connect audio streams from/to SoundDesk and other applications, remember that those applications will also need some of the driver IO cycle time to retrieve/deliver their audio. If there is multiple application that can do the same task (e.g. browsers), it can be helpful to test them to find the one that uses the least time to deliver/receive audio. This can increase the time that SoundDesk has available to perform audio processing.

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With the desk window selected, navigate to the File menu and click on Set As Default… to save a “snapshot” of the setup.
From now on, every new desk initial setup will mirror the “snapshot” taken.

To clear the default state, we navigate to the File menu and click on Clear Default.

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Close the Utilities view; the default audio input options should now contain MIDI in and out options.
We use the MIDI in menu to set up the controller that will drive the plugin instrument on that channel.

Now we simply add a generator (for example the AUSampler) to the first insert slot and any audio processing inserts to the proceeding ones.

Note: we can repeat this procedure for as many devices as we have connected.

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Fluctus 4 - Batch Export

Fluctus and Fluctus Expert batch export using markers.

When the batch export option is active and two or more Markers are in place, Fluctus will export audio between Markers.

Start by creating markers at the limits of each section that you intend to export and optionally name them.

Now open the [File -> Export] menubar option and tick the Batch Export Using Markers.

Setup any other preferences and click Export.

Each section will now be exported into a unique file, numbered in order and named after the first Marker of the section.

Fluctus Expert 4 - MIDI Controller

Fluctus Expert can now be controlled by a MIDI device that uses the Mackie Control or HUI protocols.

Navigate to the Project Preferences

and locate the MIDI Control section

Select the protocol that your device uses and the device itself.

Now you can use your MIDI device to control the transport bar and automation layers.

For the full list of MIDI functions available go to: Project Preferences - MIDI Functions

Note: If a device is connected but not present on the menu, try closing and opening the project again.

Fluctus 4 - Recording

Fluctus and Fluctus Expert have a new recording system that aims to be more flexible than before.

It lets you record in mono, stereo or do a multi-track recording.

First select the input audio interface as usual.

The new recording options will now be available on the transport bar.

A popup menu will offer an array of mono and stereo configurations (depending on your audio interface), plus a multi-mono option:

Select a mono or stereo configuration to record a new region, or select the multi-mono option and record to individual mono regions simultaneously.

The multi-mono recording will work perfectly with the channel assignment option on the region inspector.

Start by moving the Export Markers (red markers) to the limits of the section that you intend to export.

Optionally, make a selection in the timeline and navigate to the menubar [Edit -> Mark Selection].

To mark a region (audio block) or a group of regions, select them and navigate to [Region -> Mark for Export...].

Now open the [File -> Export] from the menubar, set the file export options and click Export.

The marked section will now be exported into the selected audio file.

Sonic Atom now offers a light mode color scheme as an alternative to the default dark mode.

Navigate to the General Preferences Window and locate the Meter Colors box.

Tick the Use Light Color Scheme and a light background color will be used by all meters.

The Sender:

Go to the sender channel and open the "Aux Send" options. Channel Overview

Now, we can send the signal as pre or post-fader/pan, set the signal amount and either send one channel or both (stereo).

In this example we will send a stereo pre-fader signal to Aux 1/2 at 0dBFS (see image above).

We repeat this procedure for all channels that we want to send to Aux 1/2.

The Receiver:

Go to the receiver channel and open the "Utilities" view. Channel Overview

The first option sets the listener as a mono or stereo, and the next popup menu activates the auxiliary receiver.

In our example we set the channel to listen for Aux 1/2 in Stereo.

Now that we have an auxiliary receiver, we can send it to any real output or send it to the Master bus.

Again, we can repeat this procedure for as many receivers as needed.

Our final setup will look like this:

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LoudLAB

LoudLAB 3 exporting using markers

LoudLAB 3 use a marker system to set the "start" and "stop" cues of the exporter.

We start by selecting the audio samples that we intend to export:

Then we can either use the Edit Menu or the Marker Button (Editor ToolBar), to mark the selection for exporting.

Edit Menu:

Editor ToolBar:

Once we marked the selection, two red markers will be placed on the selection to indicate the export boundaries.

Now, we just do the regular exporting steps, and voilà! LoudLAB will only export the marked section.

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LoudLAB 3 Real-Time Metering Suite

On Startup, LoudLAB 3 presents options to open the RT Metering Suite and to open/create projects.

We can either open the metering suite by pressing the welcome screen button (see arrow above), or by selecting it on the Tools menu. If we have an open LoudLAB project window, the RT Metering Suite can be found on the File menu.

Once loaded, we can start by setting the signal input, in this case, SoundFlower (2ch) input 1 and 2 (stereo), at 44100 Hz (sample rate). Within this section, we also have the Goniometer and Spectrograph buttons to open the respective meters.

The Goniometer presents us with two modes: Standard Goniometer and Goniometer + Phase Correlation. The Goniometer + Phase Correlation meter represents the stereo positioning on the horizontal axis and the Phase Correlation on the vertical one (phase -> top half, anti-phase -> bottom half). We also have a Persistence toggle, that changes the refresh rate depending on the signal dynamic range, giving us more time to analyse the most relevant bits of the signal.

The Spectrograph is very straightforward, with a single control that changes the speed at which we release the meter state.

Now, if we go back to the main window, we will see the complete loudness metering suite straight from there: - Momentary Loudness (400ms time window in LUFS/LKFS) - Short-Term Loudness (3000ms time window in LUFS/LKFS) - Integrated Loudness (calculated from the moment Start is pressed until we press Reset - excluding Paused bits) - LRA or Loudness Range (calculated at the same time as the Integrated Loudness) - True-Peak Meter (also known as intersample peak meter)

We can also change Modes (e.g. EBU R-128, ITU-R BS.1770 and other standards) and the metering scales represented by the Momentary and Short-Term meters.

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Getting Started with LoudLAB 3

On Startup, LoudLAB 3 presents options to open and create projects.

-New Project: Creates a new clean project; -New From Media: Creates a new project by selecting an audio file to import; -Open Project: Opens a Finder window to search for an existing project; You can also drag and drop a LoudLAB file to the welcome window. More About LoudLAB 3 Projects

Let's start by creating a new project:

LoudLAB 3, should present you an empty project window, at which point you can either import an audio file by searching the Finder or drag-and-drop it to the Waveform view.

Once loaded, you can start editing the file, for example, add an s-curved fade-in and out to the "Amplitude Layer".

Once you are done editing, you can select Export Audio from the File menu to open the export window and set the exporting preferences (resampling, bit depth, etc).

You can also add some Metadata to your file:

Now, just click Export and select a file format to save. Once the exporting is complete, you will be notified.

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