User Guide

SoundSwitch User Guide

From first setup to everyday use, settings and troubleshooting. This guide covers version 0.4.0.

App interface: Japanese

The app's menus and buttons are in Japanese only. In this guide, the Japanese label shown in the app follows the English name in parentheses, for example "Edit favorites" (お気に入り編集).

Getting started

SoundSwitch lives in the menu bar; it does not appear in the Dock. If you have not installed it yet, see How to install.

Reading the key symbols

⌃ is the Control key and ⌥ is the Option key. ⌃⌥O means "hold Control and Option and press O".

Recommended setup

Open the panel
Click the speaker icon in the menu bar.
Pin two or three outputs you use often
For example: built-in speakers, headphones and a USB audio device. Hover over a row and click the pin that appears.
Reorder if needed
"Edit favorites" (お気に入り編集) at the bottom of the panel changes the order ⌃⌥O cycles through.
Do the same for microphones
Pin devices in the INPUT list too, and ⌃⌥I will cycle through them.

Kanade

Two or three pinned devices are the easiest to cycle through.

The first time you open the app, a welcome window (SoundSwitch へようこそ) summarizing the main controls appears once. Its "Set shortcuts…" (ショートカットを設定…) button lets you change the key combinations right away.

Basics

Actions on the menu bar icon, and shortcuts that work from any app.

Action	What it does	Notes
Click the icon	Open or close the panel	Click again, or click outside the panel, to close it.
Scroll over the icon	Change the volume	Two-finger scroll or a mouse wheel. Scrolling up while muted unmutes automatically.
Scroll over a volume slider in the panel	Change that volume	Works on the output, Music, browser and call-level sliders (0.4.1 or later).
`⌥`-click	Mute or unmute	While muted, the icon changes to a speaker with a slash.
Right-click (`⌃`-click)	Show the menu	Rescan devices (デバイスを再スキャン), Settings… (設定…), Check for updates… (アップデートを確認…), Quit SoundSwitch (SoundSwitch を終了).
`⌃⌥O`	Cycle outputs	Moves through the pinned outputs that are currently connected.
`⌃⌥I`	Cycle inputs (microphones)	Inputs cycle in the order you pinned them.
`⌃⌥M`	Mute or unmute	No on-screen indicator, but the icon changes to the slashed speaker.

The icon's shape reflects the current output type (speakers, headphones, display and so on) and the mute state.

The panel

OUTPUT and INPUT lists are shown. The device in use has a check mark at the end of its row and a light highlight.
Click a row to switch to that device. The panel stays open, so you can change output and input in a row.
Use the slider for volume. Click the speaker icon to its left to mute.
For devices whose volume cannot be controlled, such as a display over HDMI, the slider and mute are disabled and the value shows "—".
When you switch the output, system sounds such as alerts follow to the same device.
At the bottom are "Edit favorites" (お気に入り編集), Settings (設定), Quit (終了) and the "Open at login" (ログイン時に起動) switch.

On-screen indicators

Volume indicator: appears briefly at the top edge of the screen where the pointer is when you scroll.
Switch indicator: when you switch with a shortcut, it appears slightly above the center of the screen. Dots (● ○ ○) show how many favorites there are and which one is current.
If you have no favorites, or none of them is connected, the indicator says so.

Pinning and reordering favorites

Hover over a row to see a faint pin. Click it and the pin fills in; that device becomes a target of ⌃⌥O / ⌃⌥I. Click again to unpin.
Outputs can be reordered in "Edit favorites" at the bottom of the panel. Drag the ≡ handle; the order you set is the order of ⌃⌥O. Use ⊖ to remove and "Add device…" (デバイスを追加…) to add a connected output.
A favorite that is not connected is shown faded as "not connected" (未接続) with its last known name, and is skipped when cycling.
Inputs have no reorder screen. To change their order, unpin and pin them again.

Apple Music and Spotify volume

Adjusts only the music app's volume, 0 to 100%, while the Mac's volume stays as it is. It works with Apple Music and Spotify, and only while that app is running (it never launches a music app on its own).

The first time, press the "allow" button for that app in the panel (…の連携を許可…). macOS asks for Automation permission; allow it. This happens once per app.
When both apps are running, choose which one to control. If only one is playing, it is chosen automatically.
"Lower" (下げる) turns the volume down to the conversation level (it never raises it above the current volume). "Restore" (戻す) returns to the volume before lowering.
The conversation level is set under "Conversation volume settings" (会話用音量の設定). 0% is silent. The new value is used the next time you press "Lower".

Browser volume (experimental)

This is an experimental feature

Basic operation has been checked with Chrome, Comet and Brave. Safari is not supported, Edge is untested, and Firefox is out of scope. macOS 14.2 or later is required, and it may not work in every environment. It applies to the whole selected browser (including meeting audio in that browser), not a single tab.

With audio playing in the browser, choose the browser from the browser-name menu in the panel (only running browsers can be chosen).
Press "Start browser control and lower…" (ブラウザー制御を開始して下げる…) and choose "Start and lower" (開始して下げる) in the confirmation. The first time, macOS asks for system audio capture permission.
While waiting for audio, the slider is disabled; it becomes usable once audio arrives. If no audio arrives within about 45 seconds, waiting ends; check that audio is playing and start again. To stop waiting, press "Cancel start" (開始を取り消す).
"Lower" and "Restore" switch between the conversation level and the original level. The slider value is a percentage of the original sound. Change the conversation level with the gear button.
To stop, press "End control…" (制御を終了…) and choose "End" (終了する). The browser returns to its own volume.

When control ends, the output changes, or the browser's audio process changes, the original sound returns, so it may get louder. Audio is used on your Mac only for volume processing and is never saved or sent.

Settings

Open Settings (設定) from the panel or "Settings…" from the right-click menu. Switch with the tabs along the top.

Shortcuts (ショートカット)

Three keys can be changed: cycle outputs, cycle inputs and toggle mute.
Click a field and press a combination that includes at least one modifier key (⌃ ⌥ ⇧ ⌘). Press Esc to cancel.
"Reset to defaults" (既定に戻す) restores ⌃⌥O / ⌃⌥I / ⌃⌥M.

Devices (デバイス)

Check the devices to show in the panel. All are checked at first.
Unchecking devices you never use, such as virtual devices from meeting apps, shortens the list. Unchecked devices are also removed from favorites.
The device currently in use stays in the list even if unchecked. Newly connected devices appear from the start.
When devices are hidden, the panel shows a count such as "非表示 2" (2 hidden) next to OUTPUT or INPUT. "Show all" (すべて表示) brings them back.

Update (アップデート)

Turning off "Check for updates automatically at launch" (起動時に自動で更新を確認する) stops the launch check. While it is off, the app goes online only when you choose "Check for updates…".
This tab also shows the version in use and a "Check for updates…" button.

Open at login (ログイン時に起動)

Use the switch at the bottom of the panel. When on, SoundSwitch sits in the menu bar whenever your Mac starts.

Troubleshooting

Kanade

If the list looks wrong, try "Rescan devices" from the right-click menu.

A shortcut does not work

Another app may already be using the same key combination. Choose a different one in the Shortcuts tab of Settings.

⌃⌥O does not switch anything

Only pinned devices that are currently connected are cycled. If you have no favorites, or none is connected, an on-screen message says so. Pin devices in the panel and check that they are connected.

The list does not match what is connected

Choose "Rescan devices" (デバイスを再スキャン) from the right-click menu. If a device is missing, check that it is not unchecked in the Devices tab of Settings.

The volume slider is disabled or shows "—"

macOS cannot control that device's volume (for example, a display over HDMI). Switching still works; adjust the volume on the device itself.

It does not open at login

"Open at login" is registered for /Applications/SoundSwitch.app. If you opened it from somewhere else (the Downloads folder or inside the DMG), move it to the Applications folder, open it again and turn the switch back on.

Music volume shows "unavailable" (利用不可)

Check that Apple Music or Spotify is running. If you declined the permission, turn on SoundSwitch's access to that app in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Automation.

Browser volume does not go down

Start while the browser is actually playing sound. If no audio arrives within about 45 seconds, waiting ends. It is not available on macOS earlier than 14.2, or with Safari or Firefox. Also check the system audio capture permission. As an experimental feature, it may not work in some environments.

If that does not help, write to info@k386.sub.jp. Including your macOS version, Mac model and audio devices makes it easier to look into.

Glossary

Output (OUTPUT)	A device that plays sound: speakers, headphones, a display and so on.
Input (INPUT)	A device that picks up sound: a microphone or a headset mic.
Favorites / cycling	Pinned devices. Each press of the shortcut moves to the next one among them (cycling).
Modifier key	A key pressed together with another key, such as Control (`⌃`), Option (`⌥`), Shift (`⇧`) or Command (`⌘`).
Conversation volume	The level used when you press "Lower". Set separately for music apps and browsers.
Automation	A macOS permission that lets one app control another. SoundSwitch uses it to read and change Apple Music and Spotify volume.
System audio capture	A macOS permission that lets an app receive the sound playing on the Mac (macOS 14.2 or later). SoundSwitch uses it for the experimental browser volume feature.
Notarization	Apple's automated check for known malware. It does not guarantee quality or behavior.