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SoundSource: Sound Control So Good, It Should Be Built Into macOS (Sponsor)

This week, MacSparky is sponsored by SoundSource, a utility I use daily. The problem with the Mac’s native sound controls is that they are designed for people who need them once every few years. If you need to adjust your sound settings more than that, you need SoundSource.

SoundSource is the sound settings controller that should be built in. Whether you listen to podcasts, blast music, or stream video, SoundSource is for everyone who uses audio on their Mac. It gives you per-app audio control, letting you change the volume of any app and route individual apps to different audio devices. Mute your browser, or send music to one set of speakers and everything else to another.

It doesn’t just give you sources; it also lets you apply effects to any audio on your Mac. Boost volume levels, add an equalizer, and even apply Audio Unit plugins. SoundSource also provides fast access to your Mac’s audio devices, so there’s no need to dig around in System Settings when you need to adjust things.

Main menu bar pull-down window for the SoundSource app from Rogue Amoeba, showing the various sections of the utility, along with 4 favorite apps, which have a green star to the left of their name.

If you have a DisplayPort or HDMI device that fails to offer volume adjustment, SoundSource can help there, too. It gives those devices a proper volume slider, and the Super Volume Keys feature also makes your keyboard volume controls work. And the best part is you don’t have to click through cryptic preferences boxes. With SoundSource you get all of these tools right in your menu bar.

And don’t forget, SoundSource is from Rogue Amoeba, which is the authority for sound processing on your Mac.

Best of all, through the end of February, MacSparky readers can save 20% by purchasing with coupon code SOUNDSPARK20. Learn more and download a free trial on the SoundSource site.

Record and Edit Your Audio with AudiOn (Sponsor)

A man wearing an open red shirt with a white T-shirt underneath. He is sitting, talking into a microphone, and wearing headphones. he is looking at the microphone, and has a tablet between his hands right behind him is a really big red circle signifying a record button, and behind that you can see a waveform in red with some smoke, on a black background. This image is a product shot for the AudiOn, a voice recorder for iOS and android.

This week I welcome a new sponsor to MacSparky: AudiOn, from the makers of Boom3D, an app that lets you record and edit audio easily on iPhone, and that gives you a lot of great editing options.

I record my voice a lot to capture thoughts, ideas for content, or anything else that comes to mind. AudiOn takes that experience to a whole new level. You can do a lot to bring your recordings to life once they’re captured. You can add some effects like reverb or use the built-in equalizer, blend your voice with music, and also edit and merge recordings. I can see AudiOn being used by podcasters, voice actors, or anyone that use their voice to create content.What impressed me the most after using the app to record my voice is how clear the recording is. I was also able to use the Voice Isolation feature right within the app. You can of course record any audio, not just your voice, and have access to a nice set of editing tools.Take your iPhone audio recording to the next level with AudiOn, available for free on the App Store (with optional in-app purchase).

Capture Your Ideas Easily with Whisper Memos

I’m pleased to welcome a new sponsor to MacSparky: Whisper Memos.

I love this app’s blend of utility and simplicity. You just open the app and start talking. It uses AI technologies to get an excellent transcription of your words, separated logically into paragraphs. You then get an email with an AI-generated subject line, so you’ve got your words captured with no extra effort. It’s that simple. You talk, and your words are reliably transcribed and captured.

Whisper Memos also shines on Apple Watch, and if like me you’re sporting the Apple Watch Ultra, you can set the Action Button to start a recording in the app. You can also add a complication on your Watch face; no need to open the app, just tap and talk!

Behind the scenes, Whisper Memos is using OpenAI and GPT-4 to get the best possible transcription, and Google Firebase for authentication and data protection. You can opt out of storing your transcripts in your account, so Whisper Memos just sends them to your email and then dumps them, leaving no traces on their server

I’ve been using it (on Private Mode) for months now. It’s simple and incredibly useful. If you like to record your ideas and thoughts, I think you’ll love it, too.

DEVONthink: The Place for Documents and Files (Sponsor)

I often hear from listeners/readers looking for a research solution in the Mac ecosystem. My favorite app for this, without a doubt, is DEVONthink. DEVONthink is the most professional document and information management application for the Mac. It’s the one place for storing all your documents, snippets, or bookmarks, and working with them.

The Integrated A.I. assists you with filing and searching, while the extensive search language with advanced Boolean operators.

DEVONthink features a Flexible sync system that supports many cloud services – or lets you synchronize over the local network too – with everything securely encrypted. This gives you the choice for however syncing works best for you!

It has Smart rules and flexible reminders that let you automate all parts of your workflow and delegate boring, repeating tasks. Let DEVONthink automatically organize your data with rules you define!

DEVONthink’s AppleScript dictionary is one of the largest on the Mac. There’s no part of DEVONthink that can’t be automated. Extend DEVONthink’s functionality with your own commands by adding them to its Scripts menu.

Even templates can have scripts inside and you can set up new documents with data from placeholders, or inserted by your own AppleScript code.

DEVONthink To Go, the iOS companion app, has really seen a lot of updates this year. The latest version, 3.8, adds in-document search to text documents, formatted notes, and RTFs. Search using quotes and Boolean operators. When you open a document from a global search, DEVONthink To Go reuses the query to highlight occurrences in the document. You can now also undo and redo many item actions, from moving and replicating to converting and more. It even now shows replicated or duplicated items in color, just like on the Mac.

I find DEVONthink’s combination of innovative features and automation support irresistible. Interested? MacSparky readers can get a 20% discount on DEVONthink.

Get Your Life Back with SaneBox – Sponsor


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This week MacSparky is sponsored by SaneBox, the email service I use every day to manage my email. SaneBox acts as your own personal email assistant, sorting your inbox for you so you only see the most important emails with less important email getting relegated to other mailboxes for later.

I’m not the only one that relies on SaneBox. It’s also used by companies like eBay, Coca-Cola, Adidas, and LinkedIn to help their employees stay on top of the most important email.

SaneBox has many additional features, like the ability track and notify you if people don’t respond to your email and defer incoming email until later. It really serves as a set of power tools to make every aspect of using email easier and it works with just about any email platform: including iCloud, IMAP, Google, and Exchange. If you’d like to become the boss of your email, go sign up for free SaneBox trial today and use the links in this post to get a significant discount when you sign up.

 

Sponsor: HoudahSpot and 20% Discount

My thanks go to HoudahSpot for sponsoring MacSparky this week. HoudahSpot is a powerful search application for your Mac. Think of it like adding rocket jets to the Finder. For a short time, MacSparky readers get 20% off.


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With HoudahSpot you can start with a simple search and then begin adding additional criteria. You can tell it to look at certain folders and ignore others and you can sort by any of the hundreds of columns available.

The thing I like about HoudahSpot most is the way it displays search results. I find it much more easy to review and understand then the native Finder.

With HoudahSpot you can create a search that looks for image files with the name “logo” that are 512 pixels wide and were opened in the last 30 days. Creating the search is as simple as clicking a few checkboxes in the application and it always finds what you are looking for. This let’s me combine search criteria in ways that are simply not possible with the native Finder.

I use HoudahSpot to find documents, mail messages, photos, and image files. If you’d like to save time searching your Mac, get yourself a copy of HoudahSpot. They’re currently on version 4 and it’s awesome.

For a limited time, you can get 20% off HoudahSpot with this link. Thanks again HoudahSpot for sponsoring MacSparky.com.