These apps give complete control over the levels of sound coming out of your Mac. Volume Mixer is the first Mac app on the list and it allows you to control system volume by application. Sound Control lets users use a software volume mixer. Sound Control enables users to easily and quickly change app volumes as well as selectively apply a system-wide EQ to app audio. Sound Control does this by adding a software mixer to the menu bar of your Mac. Stream and download the best new songs, albums, and playlists for free and play them offline data-free! Browse music from top categories like Hip-Hop, Rap, R&B, EDM, Afropop, and Reggae on the Audiomack free music app. Download songs and even listen offline, without using your data! Audiomack provides streaming and free download access to the newest and hottest tracks, right at your fingertips. Download Audacity, the free audio editor. Use free Audacity software to record and edit sound on windows, mac and linux. Sound Siphon makes it easy to capture your Mac’s audio. Use it to create virtual input audio devices that send audio from one app to another. Or, record right in the Sound Siphon app.
If the sound on your Mac has stopped working, there are a number of possible explanations and solutions. The first thing to check is that the sound definitely is not working. Below we'll explain what to check.
No sound on Mac? Check these things first
1. Check the volume
As simplistic as it may seem, the first thing to check is that the volume hasn’t been muted intentionally. Tap the volume up (F12) key to turn up the sound level.
Pro tip: If you hold down Option+Shift when you press F12 or F11 to increase or decrease the volume, it will move in smaller increments than the full step changes that occur when you use the keys on their own.
2. Is it an app problem?
It may be that there’s no sound on your Mac because it won’t play audio in a specific app. If, for example, you can’t hear sound from a video in Safari, make sure the audio isn’t muted, by clicking the volume control in the video. You should also check other sound sources, like iTunes and QuickTime movies to find out if they can play sound.
Tip: if you’re fed up with websites you visit automatically playing video with sound when you’re working, go to Safari>Preferences and click the Websites tab. Click Autoplay, and in the bottom right of the window, choose Stop Media with Sound.
3. Check for hardware issues
Next, check there’s nothing plugged into the headphone/line out port and look to see if there’s a red light on that port. If there is, it could be there’s a problem with the port, or something blocking it. Try blowing on it to clear dust, if that’s the case.
4. Are you running the latest version of macOS?
If there’s still no sound on your Mac, Apple’s advice is that the first thing you should do is make sure you’re running the latest version of macOS.
To check which version of macOS your Mac is running, click the Apple menu and then About this Mac. The window that opens will have the name of the version of macOS currently installed at the top. Now the latest version is macOS High Sierra. If you’re not running High Sierra, you should consider installing it by going to the App Store app, and clicking on it in the sidebar on the right hand side of the main window.
If you don’t want to install High Sierra, at least make sure you’re running the latest update to whichever version of the OS is installed. To check that, click Software Update in the About this Mac window. That will check for updates and let you know if there’s one available. If there is, install it.
Before you install either a new version of the OS or an update, backup your Mac using Time Machine, or whichever backup tool you normally use.
5. Run Maintenance scrips
If you’ve determined your Mac’s sound definitely isn’t working, consider running CleanMyMac X’s Maintenance scripts. These optimize the performance of your Mac by running a number of routines such as repairing disk permissions, verifying your startup disk, and rebuilding the launch services database.
Here's how to run Maintenance scrips:
Download CleanMyMac X here (it's free to download).
- Launch the app.
- Click Maintenance.
- Choose Run Maintenance Scripts and click Run.
Following this link, you can get CleanMyMac at 20% off.
How to check your sound settings
If you’re running the latest version of macOS and your sound still isn’t working, the next step is to check your Sound settings.
- Click on the Apple menu and choose System Preferences.
- Click on the Sound pane.
- Select the Output tab and choose Internal Speakers. If that’s not available as an option, contact Apple Support.
- Check if the volume slider is low, if so slide it to the right and check the sound again.
- Make sure the Mute box isn’t checked.
If, when you check your sound settings, you see a USB device selected rather than Internal Sound, and you can’t change it, disconnect all USB devices from your Mac and try again.
Is there an app interfering with the sound?
Some applications, like screen recorders, install their own audio output drivers so that when you record the screen you can direct your Mac’s output to the recording app. It’s possible that if you’ve installed an app like that, its driver could be interfering with your Mac’s sound output.
- Go to System Preferences and choose Sound.
- Click on the Output tab.
- If there’s an output option that looks like a software app and it’s selected, that may be why the sound is not working on your Mac.
The best thing to do in that instance is to uninstall the app. You could just drag the app to the Trash, but that won’t uninstall it properly or remove all the files the app has placed on your Mac. To do that, you should use a dedicated uninstaller like CleanMyMac X.
CleanMyMac makes it very easy to completely uninstall any app so that it doesn’t leave any fragments or stray files behind. By using CleanMyMac, you can be sure you’ve deleted all the files associated with the app and that it hasn’t left anything behind. You can download CleanMyMac for free here.
Restart the sound controller
If there are no software audio drivers interfering with your Mac’s sound output, nothing plugged into the headphone jack, USB, or Thunderbolt ports, and your sound still doesn’t work, the next step is to restart the sound controller. This requires launching Activity Monitor and quitting a process, but don’t worry, it’s not too scary!
- Go to Applications>Utilities and double-click on Activity Monitor to launch it.
- In the search bar, type 'coreaudiod’ to locate the Core Audio controller.
- Click on coreaudiod, then click ‘X’ in the tool bar to quit it.
- Coreaudiod will restart.
Mac volume not working and stuck on mute?
If the volume control is not working on your Mac, either using the keyboard or the slider in the menu bar or System Preferences, it could be ’stuck’ on mute. The most common occurrence of this problem is on pre-2015 Macs that had a digital audio output support in the headphone jack.
On those Macs, there was a sensor in the port that detected whether a headphone jack or a digital audio device was plugged in. The Mac would then change the output to headphones or digital output accordingly. However, sometimes the sensor failed to recognise when a digital audio device had been unplugged and so the audio output remained locked on digital output, with no way to change it. With no digital audio output connected, there is no way to change the volume or hear sound.
The solution in that case is to plug the cable back in to the socket and remove it again. Try it a few times, if necessary, to ‘trip’ the sensor and make the Mac recognise the digital audio device is no longer connected. If that doesn’t work, there could be some gunk blocking the socket. Try blowing on it to remove any dust. If that doesn’t work, buy a can of compressed air and, carefully, spray the socket to bow out the dust.
Sound Application For Mac Mojave
If that still doesn’t do the trick, buy a foam-tipped swab (don’t use a cotton bud as these leave tiny threads behind) and dip it in rubbing alcohol. Put the swab into the headphone jack and clean it, wiping away as much of the link as possible.
Bluetooth sound not working on Mac
Your Mac can play audio wirelessly via Bluetooth, so if you have Bluetooth speakers or headphones, you can use those to listen to music, or anything else on your Mac. Sometimes, however, they don’t work.
Make sure Bluetooth is switched on.
- Go to System Preferences and click the Bluetooth pane.
- If it says Bluetooth turned off, turn it on.
Make sure your headphones or speakers are connected.
- Look in the list of devices in the main window to see if your headphones or speakers are listed.
- If not, put them in pairing mode (you’ll need to refer to their instructions to find out how to do that) and when they appear, click Connect.
- If they are listed but not connected, make sure they’re switched on and Control-click on them in the main window and choose Connect.
Tip: If you check the box labelled Show Bluetooth in menu bar in Bluetooth preferences, you can connect from the menu bar item.
Once your headphones or speakers are connected, click on the volume control in the menu bar and choose them. If you don’t have the volume control displayed on the menu bar, go to System Preferences, choose Sound and then the Output tab and select the Bluetooth speaker or headphones. While you’re there, it’s a good idea to check the box labelled Show volume in menu bar — it’s in the Sound Effects tab.
To conclude, there are a number of reasons why the sound is not working on your Mac. If you follow the guide above and take it one step at a time, you should be able to fix the problem. If none of the steps above work for you, the next step is to contact Apple support and, if possible, make an appointment at the Genius Bar of an Apple Store. If that’s not possible, Apple will advise you on the best course of action to get your audio working again.
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If you are looking for good audio recording software, our blog here has listed some of the most popular and top recording software for macOS.
Known for its performance, ease of use and stability, Mac is the most preferred platform for audio and video professionals. Although a Mac comes with built-in audio recording software it cannot support high-end recordings like podcasts and music production.
The powerful macOS together with the best audio recording software will satisfy all your requirements smoothly. So without wasting any more time let’s have a look at some of our picks.
Best Audio Recording Software For macOS 2020
Here, we have listed the best bunch of sound recorder software that will work perfectly on your Mac device. You can refer to our list and choose one as per your desire.
1. WavePad
Wavepad tops our list of best audio recording software for Mac for fairly good reasons and is loaded with an array of professional features. It is a great tool if you want to edit and update your audio in a hassle-free manner.
Read More: 15 Best Free Video Player Apps For MacOS in 2020
With its huge basket of editing tools, you can cut, copy, delete, paste compress tour recordings along with pitch shifting. Apart from this it also supports various other audio effects like amplify, reverb, equalizer, and many more.
This incredible recording software for Mac you can also princess batch files and enjoy noise removal techniques. WMA, VOX, AIF, MP3 are a few of the file formats supported by WavePad.
2. Apowersoft
Suitable for both beginners and professionals Apowersoft is great audio recording software for various sorts of sounds. OCG, WAV, AAC are a few file formats supported by it.
It is an indisputable winner in creating and editing HD audio recordings and can also work seamlessly well as a CD ripper and audio converter tool. It is even capable of recording radio, VoIP calls, and streaming audio files.
It can support audio recording for up to 3 minutes in a go and allows you to download music from online music platforms. Apart from this, you can also use it to add music files to iTunes.
3. Adobe Audition
If you are looking for multi-purpose audio recording software for your mac that can help you in recording, editing, and creating background score then there is no better option than Adobe Audition. Its high-end recording and editing capabilities make it a perfect pick for not only home users but also for digital audio stations.
Its restoration tools, audio clean-up feature, and a massive array of plug-ins make it a highly powerful tool. Use its various plug-ins to add audio effects, remove noise with precision, and much more.
A great waveform editing environment powered with audio ducking features and AI-enhanced tool is perfect for making your audio recording life easy. Its clean and convenient UI also deserves a mention.
4. Audacity
Next on our list of best sound recorder software for Mac is Audacity. It is an open-source freeware tool. In addition to expert features, it is also loaded with live recording capabilities and multi-track editing. If you want to do the audio recording in CD’S, convert various types of audio files and enjoy a hassle-free digital recording experience, then there is no better tool than Audacity.
Use it to cut, copy, paste, and track various audio tracks within seconds. FLAC, MP2, MP3, WAV, WMA, AAC are few file formats supported by this stunning Mac audio recording software.
5. GarageBand
Powered with a professional and convenient user interface, Apple GarageBand surely deserves a spot on our list of best audio recording software for mac in 2020.
Read More: 13 Best Audio Recording Software For Windows PC
It is a great tool for music enthusiasts if you want to learn online piano and guitar. Enjoy class-apart free artist lessons and instrument classes with this incredible tool. It comes as an in-built feature with every mac device and can be used by both beginners and professionals.
Use it to record and mix audio music with ease. Apart from all the features mentioned above it also supports third-party plug-in along with a 24-bit recording.
6. Record Pad
Developed by NCH Software, RecordPad is an ideal choice for all your audio recording needs. It works seamlessly with Mac devices and is fully compatible with Android, Windows, and Linux.
It is a great tool for recording music and audio files which can be saved in your hard drive as mp3 and AIFF files. You can also share your recordings with others via email. Burn your recording on CD with its built-in express burn feature and use its massive basket of editing features for noise reduction, editing silence, and equalize your audio clip.
It’s clean and convenient UI along with an easy to navigate design also deserves a fair mention. It is compatible with multiple music formats including FLAC, MP3, AAC, and WAV.
7. Ardour
Sound Application For Mac Osx
If you are a musician, track editor, or a composer, then look no further, Ardour is the ultimate tool for all your audio recording and editing needs. It is highly suitable for MIDI projects and multi-track recording.
The tool is compatible with a wide range of formats and systems and adds the utmost ease to tour audio recording experience.
Time to Make a Good Choice For Yourself
The audio recording software mentioned above are some of the best available options for both beginners and professionals.
Zoom Application For Mac
We hope that our list of best audio recorder tools for mac has been of great help to you and have been able to answer your questions around “What is the best software that you can use to record audio on your Mac device ”.