MAC OSX Sequoia + Rogue Amoeba SoundSource Issues

[Zim]

Just updated to Sequoia and it seems to be causing issues for me, particularly when using Rogue Amoeba's SoundSource.
It seems to not like bluetooth devices as my audio keeps getting cut off when using my Airpod Pros or bluetooth-based headphones. No issues with wired connections though (DAC, etc).
I'm also unable to disable the privacy indicator despite following steps to turn it off (on an external display).

I guess the big question I have is are there alternative parametric EQ apps/plugins out there that would allow independent EQing for each channel?

 

[sam_adams]

Have you updated the app to the latest version?

 

[failkale]

Not OP, but sounds like I got the same issue (audio plays for a second, then cuts out for a second, then plays, repeat. Only on bluetooth headphones.)
I was running the latest version (5.7.0), and the issue went away as soon as I quit SoundSource, and came back when I started it. (was fine on macOS 14)

 

[sam_adams]

One of the dangers of updating to a x.0 release of macOS. Years of experience have demonstrated that the x.3 release is the one with the least number of bugs for a new OS version.

 

[Zim]

Have you updated the app to the latest version?

Yep running the latest version as the previous version doesn't work on Sequoia unfortunately.

Note to self to never be in a rush to update Mac OSX in the future.

 

[Zim]

So I've managed to set up BlackHole + Hosting AU as an alternative. No issues with wired or wireless connection. So the wireless issue is definitely on SoundSource's end.

That said, both SoundSource and the BlackHole+Hosting combo now enable the privacy indicators on Mac OS. So watching things full screen will always have those annoying coloured dots on the top right.

 

[Notwist]

The issues with the system audio purple dot in the corner and the audio issues with AirPods are 100% related to SoundSource: the new ARK Audio Capture Backend triggers the control panel "recording" notification dot in the upper right hand corner (tested in Mac OS 14 Sonoma, haven't upgraded to Mac OS 15 Sequoia yet). Additionally, I was also having audio dropout issues on my AirPods Pro when using the newest SoundSource version.

I just uninstalled ARK and went back to using the previous version of SoundSource I had installed since my ACE installation was still present and working.

In my opinion, unless Apple fixes how it handles audio device usage notifications, SoundSource should just stick with ACE: yes it takes a bit longer to install but it WORKS, and it doesn't cause the stupid purple dot to appear, and it works great with AirPods. We should all submit feedback accordingly.

EDIT: used their feedback page to tell them about the downsides to the new ARK backend and requesting they stick with ACE (or at least allow ACE optionally) for those who prefer, since it worked flawlessly for me compared to this ARK solution.

 

[dfan]

I found this thread (and site) while searching for discussion of SoundSource issues. Here's my data point: Still on Sonoma (14.6.1), upgraded to SoundSource 5.7.0 yesterday and now have the occasional audio dropout with my Bluetooth headphones as other people have described. So that's consistent with it being an issue with SoundSource 5.7.0 and not Sequoia.

 

[mike18g]

Experiencing the same issue with Bluetooth playback on local files. Browser audio seems to be stable for me but it has a second of delay before starting.

 

[_thelaughingman]

Just updated to Sequoia and it seems to be causing issues for me, particularly when using Rogue Amoeba's SoundSource.
It seems to not like bluetooth devices as my audio keeps getting cut off when using my Airpod Pros or bluetooth-based headphones. No issues with wired connections though (DAC, etc).
I'm also unable to disable the privacy indicator despite following steps to turn it off (on an external display).

I guess the big question I have is are there alternative parametric EQ apps/plugins out there that would allow independent EQing for each channel?

Please reach out to Rogue Amoeba, they sent me the next update that they're working on and it fixed my sound issues.

 

[Windswepttown]

I'm experiencing the same Bluetooth issue with my AirPods Pro 2 cutting out every few seconds. This problem started after I upgraded to macOS Sequoia on 9/15/2024 and updated to SoundSource 5.7.0.

I spend hours in meetings daily, and since the upgrade, the sound cuts out briefly about every 3 seconds. It's really frustrating, as it disrupts the flow of conversations and affects the quality of my meetings.

I downgraded to SoundSource 5.6.4, and it seems to be working fine for now. Like Notwist mentioned, my ACE installation was still intact so the downgrade of SoundSource is working. I’m wondering if having ACE and its configuration present is causing some kind of conflict. Hmm???

Thanks, everyone, for sharing your insights! It seems like we've identified the issue for Rogue Amoeba to address in SoundSource. By the way, I absolutely love having SoundSource on my MacBook Pro—it’s a fantastic tool!


-- Correction --
I installed the 5.6.4 thinking this would downgrade, but when i check the version, it was still running 5.7.0 somehow.

-- Update (success) --
I thought I would try to uninstall ACE and uninstall SoundStream the proper way by clicking on the Gear icons, choose Help then Uninstall SoundSource. Then I reinstalled 5.7.0 with ARC plugin and so far the last few hours of using Bluetooth and being on meetings, the periodic drop out has not returned.

 

[mhardy6647]

I don't know anything about anything in this thread, but I did want to take a moment to say that I am really diggin' the concept of a rogue amoeba.

 

[_thelaughingman]

FYI, there is a new SoundSource update available and should be pushed to the app.
SoundSource
App Version: 5.7.1fc2
Build ID: 7b79305fc175cf1
Build Date: 2024-09-19 15:33:03

OS Version: MacOS 15.0
Audio Engine: ARK Plugin (12.0.5d2)

 

[ElJaimito]

Experience in the studio context has taught me never to upgrade Mac OS versions until after the audio software providers have released a fix for everything that is broken - that is, not until after the first update to the upgrade. Saves much pain.

 

[dfan]

SoundSource 5.7.1 is now publicly available and seems to have fixed all my issues.

 

[lordhumungous]

Didn't fix mine. Its a complete mess and even causing the infamous beach ball to show and slowing my m2 mac mini to a crawl.

 

[lordhumungous]

Just reopened soundsource and roon music completely stopped. Went to change Roon and ouput to RME dac and no sound This is 5.7.1 the latest update.

I just quit Soundsource till this is all worked out.

 

[_thelaughingman]

I think the ARK backend is not playing well with sound source

 

[lordhumungous]

I think the ARK backend is not playing well with sound source

I concur

 

[monx]

SoundSource has been pretty okay for me, right up until I upgraded from 5.6 to 5.7.1. Now it's a sh*tshow.

I'm on Sonoma 14.6.1. I use Airpods and switch devices a lot.

It frequently gets in a broken state, and macOS hangs up on applications waiting to play audio; i.e. YouTube videos fail to start playing, with no user feedback.

It will be a shame if Rogue Amoeba can't sort this out; I already tried and gave up on Sound Control.