2022 update: routing Mac Built-In audio to PT?

[Eric Lambert]

A long-term challenge for users of PT/Avid hardware is routing the Mac's Built-In audio into ProTools. When PT is open, it doesn't easily allow you to route other apps' audio into the PT world. Source-Nexus (from Source Elements) is designed for this purpose, because they offer an AAX plugin which can be used to grab that audio stream, but, historically, there haven't been many options. Nexus is what we use, but it's expensive, and this should be an easier task to figure out.

Now that it's 2022, is anyone aware of a new option? Perhaps new Blue Cat products? Rogue Amoeba products?

[Burbree]

You need Blue Cat's Patchwork to do this and the plugins that are found in /System/Library/Components/CoreAudio.component

Load AUNetSend into Audio Hijack or anything else that loads AU plugins
Load AUNetReceive in PT

[Eric Lambert]

Originally Posted by Burbree

You need Blue Cat's Patchwork to do this and the plugins that are found in /System/Library/Components/CoreAudio.component

Load AUNetSend into Audio Hijack or anything else that loads AU plugins
Load AUNetReceive in PT

Is there anything I need to know about the configuration of AUNetSend once loaded into Audio Hijack? I haven't been able to try it yet and don't know what options might exist, I'm just asking in advance so I'll be prepared.

[Eric Lambert]

I got it working, but it's in mono. I'm currently trying the demos of both Patchwork and Audio Hijack -- maybe mono is a limitation in one of them?

[The Weed]

SonoBus may be able to help, not sure: www.sonobus.net

Worth a look at least.

[Eric Lambert]

Originally Posted by The Weed

SonoBus may be able to help, not sure: www.sonobus.net

Worth a look at least.

Yes, Sonobus is working well, in tandem with Virtual Desktop. No need for Audio Hijack, just run Sonobus in standalone mode and route the Built In audio through Virtual Desktop and into Sonobus. Sonobus AAX in PT connects easily and there's very little latency. Aces!

[justinhill]

I do this with a rather grisly cheat. I set the Mac audio out to 'digital out' and have an optical cable from it to my Behringer SRC2496, and balanced +4 analogue from there to a pair of Pro Tools inputs. And I don't have to worry about a difference in sample rate/bit depth between my open session and whatever I'm ingesting, and I don't have get involved in clock sources.

Works well for me but I happened to have the SRC2496 anyway, and I actually rather like that device - one of Behringer's better products. (And I have a CD player on the SRC2496's S/PDIF input and a DAT machine on the AES/EBU input so it's a digital patchbay of sorts.)

Only downside is there's a slight click as I start the play-in while the SRC2496 locks to optical and detects the sample rate. This is because unfortunately there's no signal coming out of the Mac's digital output until it starts playing so there's nothing for the D/A to lock onto.

[The Weed]

Originally Posted by Eric Lambert

Yes, Sonobus is working well, in tandem with Virtual Desktop. No need for Audio Hijack, just run Sonobus in standalone mode and route the Built In audio through Virtual Desktop and into Sonobus. Sonobus AAX in PT connects easily and there's very little latency. Aces!

IIRC, there is a way to adjust latency in Sonobus.

[Burbree]

turns out this is even simpler if you use the routing on your audio interface and audio hijack

Screenshot 2022-02-01 at 20.17.20.jpg

[Benoni]

Another option: If you audio interface has loopback you can use that.

There's also another app called GroundControl ROOM that will do this too.

Set it as the Playback engine for Pro Tools and for System sounds.
Set the input to GroundControl ROOM 1+2, Mute the track, and record.

GC ROOM does a lot more, I have a video about it here, but I don't cover the recording in DAW part in the video.