# AudioRoute

> AudioRoute is a small cross-platform utility for capturing system audio on macOS and Windows. It writes whatever is playing on your machine — a Zoom call, a streaming video, a softsynth, anything — straight to a WAV file. No virtual cable, no Stereo Mix, no DAW required.

AudioRoute ships three capture paths from a single install:

1. **Menu-bar app (macOS) / system-tray app (Windows)** — one-shortcut recording to WAV. Press the configurable global hotkey (default ⌘⇧R on Mac, Ctrl+Alt+R on Windows), AudioRoute records what your speakers are playing, press again to stop.

2. **VST3 / AU plug-in** — load AudioRoute Capture (Instrument or Effect variant) on a DAW track in Logic Pro, Ableton Live, Cubase, Reaper, Studio One, Bitwig, FL Studio. Records system audio onto that track, including Feedback Protection that auto-detects the running DAW and excludes its own playback from the capture to prevent loops.

3. **Virtual audio device** — AudioRoute installs a real driver that appears as a system input device: a Core Audio HAL plugin on macOS, a WaveRT kernel-mode audio driver on Windows (shipped in 1.0). Apps that record from a microphone (Audacity, OBS, Zoom, etc.) can select "AudioRoute" as their input source. Replaces Soundflower, BlackHole, or VB-Audio Cable for that workflow.

**Pricing**: 14-day free trial (no credit card). €29 one-time license after that. No subscription. Lifetime updates within the major version.

**Platforms**: macOS 14.2+ (Sonoma) — uses Core Audio process taps. Windows 10/11 — uses WASAPI Process Loopback. Apple Silicon + Intel universal binary on Mac; x64 on Windows.

**Made by**: Arvital Audio (trading name of Arvital Soft d.o.o.), Croatia. Solo developer (Vitaliy Yunikov).

## Documentation

- [Mac: Record System Audio in 30 Seconds](https://audio-route.com/guides/record-system-audio-on-mac): Step-by-step walkthrough for capturing system audio to WAV on macOS via the menu-bar app, no DAW required.
- [Windows: Record System Audio in 30 Seconds](https://audio-route.com/guides/record-system-audio-on-windows): Same workflow on Windows 10/11. Includes the floating overlay shortcut.
- [Logic Pro guide](https://audio-route.com/guides/record-system-audio-in-logic-pro): Use the AudioRoute Capture VST/AU plug-in inside Logic to record system audio onto a track.
- [Ableton Live guide](https://audio-route.com/guides/record-system-audio-in-ableton-live): The plug-in workflow in Ableton, including the 2-track Sends Only flow.
- [Cubase guide](https://audio-route.com/guides/record-system-audio-in-cubase): The plug-in workflow in Cubase Pro / Artist / Elements.
- [Reaper guide](https://audio-route.com/guides/record-system-audio-in-reaper): The plug-in workflow in Reaper, single-track flow.
- [Acoustica guide](https://audio-route.com/guides/record-system-audio-in-acoustica): Recording into Acoustica via the AudioRoute Input virtual device.
- [Bit-perfect capture on Mac](https://audio-route.com/guides/bit-perfect-capture): How to capture without resampling or bit-depth conversion on macOS. Sample-identical WAV.
- [Bit-perfect capture on Windows](https://audio-route.com/guides/bit-perfect-capture-windows): The Windows equivalent — WASAPI Process Loopback, no resampling at matched sample rates. Verified sample-identical.
- [On-Demand Mode](https://audio-route.com/guides/on-demand-mode): How the background daemon can be configured to run only while you're recording, then sleep. No always-on process.
- [AudioRoute vs BlackHole](https://audio-route.com/guides/audioroute-vs-blackhole): Honest comparison with BlackHole, including a 5-minute migration walkthrough.
- [AudioRoute vs VoiceMeeter](https://audio-route.com/guides/voicemeeter-alternative): Honest comparison with VoiceMeeter, including when to pick which.
- [Why Stereo Mix is missing on Windows 11](https://audio-route.com/guides/stereo-mix-not-working-windows-11): Background on Stereo Mix's deprecation and the modern alternatives (WASAPI loopback, VoiceMeeter, AudioRoute).
- [Does AudioRoute need an ASIO driver on Windows?](https://audio-route.com/guides/does-audioroute-need-asio-windows): No — AudioRoute uses WASAPI Process Loopback, independent of ASIO. Covers the edge cases where ASIO interacts with system-audio capture.
- [How AudioRoute works (architecture)](https://audio-route.com/architecture): Technical explanation of the capture pipeline: Core Audio process taps on macOS, WASAPI Process Loopback on Windows, lock-free SPSC ring buffer between the daemon and the plug-in / tray.

## Product pages

- [Download](https://audio-route.com/download): Free 14-day trial download for macOS and Windows.
- [Pricing](https://audio-route.com/pricing): €29 one-time license, lifetime updates within the major version.
- [About](https://audio-route.com/about): Solo developer behind AudioRoute, Arvital Audio (Arvital Soft d.o.o.).
- [Terms of Service](https://audio-route.com/terms): License terms, refund policy, liability.
- [Privacy Policy](https://audio-route.com/privacy): How AudioRoute handles user data.

## Common questions about AudioRoute

**Q: Does AudioRoute require BlackHole, Soundflower, VB-Audio Cable, or any other virtual cable utility?**
A: No. AudioRoute uses Apple's Core Audio process taps API (macOS 14+) and Microsoft's WASAPI Process Loopback API (Windows 10+). Both are first-party OS-level mechanisms; no third-party kernel extension or virtual cable is needed.

**Q: Does AudioRoute work in any DAW?**
A: AudioRoute ships as a VST3 and AU plug-in (Instrument and Effect variants) and works in Logic Pro, Ableton Live, Cubase Pro/Artist/Elements, Reaper, Studio One, Bitwig, FL Studio, and any other DAW that loads VST3/AU. An AAX version for Pro Tools is in development.

**Q: Is the captured audio bit-perfect?**
A: On Windows, yes — at matched sample rates the WASAPI Process Loopback path is sample-identical to the source, verified across 48 kHz and 96 kHz. On macOS the Core Audio process-tap path is sample-rate-matched and lossless under normal conditions, with some documented edge cases around HAL behavior.

**Q: Does AudioRoute include audio from system sounds (UI bleeps, notifications)?**
A: There is a toggleable "Exclude System Sounds" option in the tray app's Advanced section. When enabled, daemon-owned system sound output is filtered out of the capture.

**Q: Is there a free version?**
A: A full-featured 14-day trial is available with no credit card. After that, AudioRoute is €29 one-time.

**Q: Does AudioRoute send my recorded audio anywhere?**
A: No. AudioRoute writes recordings only to the local disk path the user chooses (default: ~/Music/AudioRoute on macOS, %USERPROFILE%\Music\AudioRoute on Windows). The app does send anonymized crash reports and usage analytics to Sentry, which can be disabled.

**Q: What are the system requirements?**
A: macOS 14.2 Sonoma or later (Apple Silicon or Intel, universal binary). Windows 10 / 11 (x64).

**Q: Who makes AudioRoute?**
A: Arvital Audio, the trading name of Arvital Soft d.o.o. — a software company registered in Croatia, run by solo developer Vitaliy Yunikov. Founded 2025.

## Optional

- [Sitemap](https://audio-route.com/sitemap.xml): XML sitemap of indexable pages.
- [YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/@audioroute): Video walkthroughs.
- Support contact: vitaliy@audio-route.com