Loopback on your Mac — 2.5.0

The Pass-Through device is where Loopback starts to feel like magic. You create a virtual device, pick which inputs feed into it, and suddenly your microphone and your game audio are one stream. That combined audio is then available anywhere on the Mac, so you can use it in a voice chat app, a screen recording, or even with Elgato Game Capture hardware to record both your voice and the game sounds together.

• Combine multiple input devices into a single virtual device.
• Capture microphone audio and app audio in the same screen recording.
• Use a wired interface to configure routing without guesswork.
• Works with Elgato Game Capture for game and mic recording.
• Current version 2.5.0 supports macOS 27.

If you teach or create tutorials, Loopback saves you from juggling separate audio tracks later. The setup takes a few minutes, and the result behaves like any other output device on your system.

Route audio only after opening the source app

The most common mistake I see at the game club is people trying to route audio through Loopback before they have the source app open. Loopback's wired interface shows only the audio sources that are currently active on your Mac. If a browser tab or a game is not making sound yet, the app simply won't appear in the source list. Open the app first, let it play audio, then add it as a source inside Loopback.

Another one is forgetting that the Pass-Through device needs to be selected as the output device inside the app you are recording or streaming from. Creating the virtual device is only half the work. You still have to tell the game or the voice chat software to send its audio to your new Loopback device. Otherwise the routing chain stays empty.

Some beginners also add too many sources at once. They combine the microphone, system audio, a browser, a game, and a voice chat app into one device, then wonder why the levels are off or why things sound muddy. Start with two sources: your microphone and one application. Once those work reliably, add a third.

And a small but frustrating one: making the virtual device the default system output without meaning to. Loopback does not do this on its own, but if you select it in System Preferences and then close the window, your Mac may keep sending all sounds to a device that expects a different routing setup. Always check that your regular speakers or headphones are set back as the default output when you are done recording.

Best for podcasters who record remote interviews

Loopback is useful for anyone who needs to send audio between applications, but a few groups benefit more than others. Podcasters who record remote interviews often use it to combine their own microphone audio with the incoming call from a guest, so the recording captures both voices cleanly without an echo. Streamers on Twitch or YouTube can mix game audio with commentary in real time, then send that combined stream to broadcasting software like OBS.

Screen recorders, especially educators and tutorial makers, get a lot out of it too. Instead of recording system audio and microphone audio on separate tracks and syncing them in a video editor, you can route both into a single virtual device and let QuickTime Player or any other recorder capture everything at once. This saves time and avoids sync errors.

Musicians and audio producers who use a Mac for live performance or practice setups sometimes loop audio between apps. Loopback can send the output of a DAW into a voice chat app, or combine a MIDI instrument with a backing track for a livestream. And for anyone who uses Audio Hijack, Loopback serves as a clean output device in that capture chain, so you can further process the combined audio before saving it.

A workflow for combining microphone and game audio

Let's walk through a common task: recording a game session with your voice commentary, all in one track, so you do not need to edit separate audio files later.

1. Open Loopback and create a new virtual device. Click the plus button below the device list and give it a name, such as "Game Recording."
2. Add your microphone as a source. Click the plus button under Sources and choose your microphone from the list of input devices. The blue bars should show movement when you speak.
3. Add the game as a source. Open the game first so it plays audio. Then in Loopback, click the plus button under Sources again, and select the game from the list of running applications. You will see its audio activity appear in the meter.
4. Adjust levels. Use the volume sliders next to each source to balance your voice against the game sounds. A good starting point is to set your microphone slightly louder than the game audio, so your commentary stays clear.
5. Select the virtual device as your recording input. Open QuickTime Player, choose File, then New Audio Recording or New Screen Recording, and select your "Game Recording" device as the microphone input. The combined audio will be captured exactly as you hear it.
6. Test before recording. Speak a few words and listen to the meter in QuickTime. If the levels seem off, go back to Loopback and adjust them. Once everything looks right, start recording.

If you use Elgato Game Capture instead of QuickTime, select the Loopback device in the Game Capture software as the audio source for your microphone. The same principle applies: the hardware captures the game video, and Loopback delivers the combined audio.

No more warning dialog after updating to macOS 27

Loopback 2.5.0 added support for macOS 27. If you have updated to that version of the operating system, you no longer see a warning dialog when you launch Loopback. The app opens and works without that extra click, which matters more than it sounds like during a busy recording setup. The ARK plugin, which handles the audio processing inside Loopback, was updated to version 13.5. That update is mostly under the hood, but it keeps the routing stable on newer macOS releases.

For daily use, the most noticeable change is simply that nothing changes. The workflow, the interface, and the wired routing panels are the same as before. You get the same control without the compatibility warning, which makes for a cleaner experience when you are setting up a stream or a recording session in a hurry.

Drag cables to reorder sources or change outputs

The wired interface in Loopback deserves a closer look. Each source connection is shown as a cable that you can drag from one point to another. If you need to reorder sources or send audio to a different output, you can see the path visually and adjust it without digging through menus. This is especially helpful when you have three or four sources and want to change which one feeds into which channel.

Loopback also works as a system-wide audio tool even when you are not recording. You can create a virtual device that combines your microphone with music from a streaming app, then select that device in a voice chat app to share both your voice and background music with friends. No extra software needed.

And if you ever need to route audio from a Mac app into Elgato Game Capture hardware, Loopback handles that pairing directly. The virtual device shows up in the Game Capture software as an audio input, so you can record console or PC gameplay through the hardware while your Mac's audio is mixed in alongside it. That is one of those features you do not think about until you need it, and then it saves you from buying additional mixing gear.

• Added support for macOS 27.
• No longer shows a warning on launch when running macOS 27.
• Updated the ARK plugin for audio handling to version 13.5.

• macOS 11 or later
• Intel or Apple Silicon
• English interface