Per-app audio capture via Core Audio Taps. No virtual drivers, no kernel extensions, no Soundflower. Record or stream to AI — from any app.
macOS 14.2 introduced Core Audio Taps — a proper Apple API for capturing audio from individual apps without installing system-level audio routing software. AudioPiper wraps this API in a free menu bar app that captures, mixes, and streams audio to ToolPiper for real-time transcription.
Zoom, Chrome, Spotify, Slack — capture audio from individual apps. Toggle sources on and off with one click.
Combine microphone + system audio + per-app audio. Per-source volume controls let you balance levels in real time.
Uses Apple's Core Audio Tap API (macOS 14.2+). No Soundflower, BlackHole, or Loopback. Nothing to install, nothing to break on macOS updates.
Actor-based streaming WAV recorder uses constant memory regardless of recording length. Record for 5 minutes or 5 hours — memory stays flat.
Real-time waveform display with 8x gain for visual monitoring. See audio levels from every source at a glance.
Sits in the menu bar. Toggle sources with one click. No window to keep open, no UI in your way.
Stream audio to FluidAudio for real-time speech-to-text as you speak. All processing runs on your Mac.
Capture Zoom audio, transcribe locally, summarize with an LLM — all on-device. No audio uploaded anywhere.
Only capture the browser tab playing a webinar, not Spotify in the background. Per-app capture means you choose exactly what the AI hears.
Audio streams over WebSocket to ToolPiper on port 10002. Low-latency, real-time audio delivery for AI processing.
| AudioPiper | BlackHole | Loopback | SoundSource | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per-app capture | Yes (Core Audio Taps) | Manual routing only | Yes | Yes |
| Installation | Mac App Store, one click | Download + install kernel ext | Download + install plugin | Download + install plugin |
| Virtual driver required | No | Yes (kernel extension) | Yes (audio plugin) | Yes (system plugin) |
| Memory usage | Constant (streaming writer) | N/A (routing only) | N/A (routing only) | N/A (routing only) |
| AI integration | WebSocket streaming to ToolPiper | None | None | None |
| Price | Free | Free (donate) | $99 | $39 |
| macOS version | 14.2+ (Sonoma) | 10.15+ | 10.15+ | 10.15+ |
| Open source | No (App Store) | Yes | No | No |
Free from the Mac App Store. Grant microphone permission when prompted.
Click the menu bar icon. Toggle which audio sources to capture — mic, system audio, or individual apps.
Hit record for a WAV file, or connect to ToolPiper for live AI transcription.
Core Audio Taps are Apple's official API for audio capture. No kernel extensions, no system modifications, no breakage on macOS updates.
No subscription. No in-app purchases. Free on the Mac App Store.
Yes, for recording. AudioPiper records audio to WAV files independently — no other software required. You need ToolPiper for live AI transcription, where AudioPiper streams audio over WebSocket and ToolPiper runs speech-to-text on-device.
No. Core Audio Taps respect DRM restrictions enforced by macOS. Audio from DRM-protected sources like Apple Music or Netflix is not available for capture. This is an Apple-level restriction, not an AudioPiper limitation.
macOS 14.2 (Sonoma) or later for per-app audio capture via Core Audio Taps. Microphone and system audio capture work on macOS 13+. Apple Silicon (M1 or later) is required.
WAV (lossless, uncompressed). This is ideal for AI processing and archival. Files are roughly 10 MB per minute of stereo audio at 48kHz. If you need MP3 or AAC, convert the WAV after recording with any audio tool.
Capture Zoom, transcribe with AI, summarize the key points — all without uploading audio anywhere.