Visualize System Audio on macOS
By default, MenuBar-VuMeter visualizes audio captured from your Mac’s microphone. If you want to see the sound from your apps (like Spotify, YouTube, or Zoom), you’ll need to route your system audio through a virtual input device.
What You Need
We recommend BlackHole – a free, open-source virtual audio driver for macOS.
Setup Guide
2. Create a Multi-Output Device
- Open Audio MIDI Setup (found in Applications > Utilities).
- Click + and choose “Create Multi-Output Device”.
- Check both your main speakers/headphones and BlackHole.
3. Set Output and Input
- In System Settings > Sound > Output, select the Multi-Output Device.
- In System Settings > Sound > Input, select BlackHole.
4. Launch MenuBar-VuMeter
- Open Preferences
- Select BlackHole as your input device.
- 🎉 Your system audio is now visualized in real-time!