Ginger Audio GroundControl is a free Soundflower alternative
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Ginger Audio Ground Control is a free SoundFlower alternative · Source: Ginger Audio, Gearnews
Ginger Audio has released GroundControl Cube v2.0, a virtual audio device for macOS. GroundControl makes it easy to send multi-channel audio streams from one application to another with zero latency, picking up where Soundflower left off. And it’s free!
Update: GroundControl Cube 2.0 released
In the latest version, GroundControl Cube now lets you create your own virtual audio drivers for use in other software like DAWs or stand-alone software synths. You can specify the cable count for each virtual driver and give it a recognizable name. Nice!
Ginger Audio GroundControl
Routing audio streams between applications on your computer should be a simple task, but in reality, it’s often trickier than it sounds. And there are many situations that require you to send the audio output of one application to another, like streaming, recording on-screen video, recording stuff from the web, using multiple DAWs and more.
On the Mac, Soundflower was a widely used solution until it fell into disrepair. With GroundControl, Ginger Audio has just released a free alternative that’s designed to easily pass audio from one app to another. According to the developer, GroundControl has zero latency and provides up to 64 channels at sample rates up to 192 kHz. It also works on the latest Macs, including the M1 processor and macOS Big Sur.
GroundControl adds three virtual audio devices to your macOS Audio/MIDI Setup. There’s a basic 2-channel device for stereo streams, and two multi-channel variants with 16 and 64 channels. To route audio between applications, all you need to do is select GroundControl as the audio output device in the source application and as an audio input device in the target app.
GroundControl adds three virtual audio devices to your system
But there’s more: GroundControl also lets you monitor the virtual audio stream so you can hear what’s going on. The included GroundControl Cube app provides a large volume knob alongside mute, dim and mono buttons, just like you’d find on any good monitor controller. There’s also a VU meter that helps to catch any clipping that might occur. This is a nice touch that sets GroundControl apart from other solutions like Blackhole and VB-Cable.
Compatibility
Ginger Audio GroundControl is available for macOS. It requires macOS 10.13–10.15.7 or macOS 11 Big Sur and supports Intel and M1 processors.
More information
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4 responses to “Ginger Audio GroundControl is a free Soundflower alternative”
Ground control is not for free, but asks for 61€ on its webpage 😉
Hi Cem. It’s not that clear but Ground Control Cube is free (bottom of the home page). Ground Control Caster and Room is not free.
don’t forget about rogue amoeba loopback (not free)
wish there was a good solution for windows – voicemeeter appears to have compatibility problems for months now . . .
I want to try