Support & Help Center

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Echolume need microphone permission?

On macOS, access to all audio inputs (including external audio interfaces, USB soundcards, and microphones) is categorized under "Microphone" permissions in Privacy & Security. Echolume reads inputs locally for real-time mathematical analysis (FFT and peak levels). It never stores, records, or transmits audio data anywhere. Visuals run 100% locally.

Can I capture system audio (e.g., Spotify, Chrome) directly?

Not directly. Echolume reads audio inputs only, so it cannot listen to your Mac's output on its own. That is Echolume's own limitation rather than a blanket macOS restriction, since other tools such as OBS can capture desktop audio natively on macOS 13 and later. To feed system audio into Echolume, download a virtual loopback device like BlackHole 2ch, route your system output to it, and set Echolume's input device to BlackHole. If the sound comes from a supported DAW, the bundled AUv3 plugin does the same job once you enable OSC input, with no loopback driver needed. See the How it works guide for setup details.

How do I register the bundled AUv3 DAW plugin?

The EcholumeAudioTap AUv3 plugin is embedded inside the main Echolume.app. Launching the main Echolume application once registers the plugin globally on macOS. If your DAW (Ableton, Logic) does not display it, try restarting the host DAW to trigger a fresh Audio Unit plug-in cache scan.

The DAW plugin is active but Echolume visuals aren't moving

Make sure you have enabled OSC Input in Echolume's Setup. Open Setup, scroll to the OSC panel, and toggle OSC to enabled on port 9000. If it still does not react, verify that you do not have another application blocking UDP port 9000, and check that your macOS local firewall allows local loopback traffic.

Does Echolume support MIDI controller mapping?

Yes. Open the MIDI section under Input & Output settings and turn on MIDI Learn. Click a visual knob in Setup to arm it, then adjust a physical knob/slider on your MIDI controller. Echolume will detect the CC value and bind it. You can also map MIDI notes to triggers like Randomize, Panic Reset, Next Theme, and Previous Theme. Map presets easily to trigger visuals on stage.

Which macOS version is required?

Echolume requires macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later to support SwiftUI overlays, Metal rendering shaders, and the sandboxed AUv3 bundle system.

Contact & Contributions

Stuck on setup, found a bug, or have an idea? Email support@iamjarl.com. Mention your Echolume version and your macOS version, and what you were trying to do.

Echolume is open source, so if you would rather report a bug or suggest a change in public, you can also open an issue on GitHub.