How to Record Mac System Audio in Logic Pro With BlackHole

The reliable route is: source app → macOS Multi-Output Device → BlackHole 2ch → a stereo Input 1-2 track in Logic Pro. The Multi-Output Device also sends the same source to your speakers, headphones or audio interface, so you can hear it. Inside Logic, keep the output on that physical device and leave input monitoring off. That prevents doubled audio and stops Logic from feeding its own playback back into BlackHole.

Checked against current BlackHole and Apple documentation on August 30, 2026. This is a documentation-led setup. It doesn’t claim a latency or stability benchmark across every Mac. Use the workflow only for audio you created, licensed or otherwise have permission to record.

The signal path that actually works

This separation is the part many quick guides miss. BlackHole doesn’t grab sound from the air. The source app must send its output into BlackHole, and Logic must listen to the same virtual device. If either side points somewhere else, the track meter stays flat.

Before installing BlackHole

• Save the Logic project and close Logic, Audio MIDI Setup and other audio applications.
• Decide what you will monitor through: Mac speakers, wired headphones or an audio interface.
• Use BlackHole 2ch for ordinary stereo system audio. The 16-channel build adds routing complexity without improving a two-channel browser or media capture.
• Choose a sample rate the physical output and BlackHole both support. For most music or video work, that will be 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz. Consistency matters more than choosing the larger number.

BlackHole’s developer describes it as a macOS virtual audio loopback driver for Intel and Apple Silicon. The project says the driver adds no extra latency, but that doesn’t make the complete Logic monitoring path latency-free. Logic’s buffer, output device and any plug-ins still matter.

1. Install BlackHole 2ch from the official project

Use the current installer linked by Existential Audio or the official Homebrew formula. The project’s installation instructions say to close audio applications before opening the package and restart when prompted. If you already use Homebrew, the documented command is brew install blackhole-2ch.

Reopen Audio MIDI Setup after installation. You should see BlackHole 2ch in the Audio Devices window with two inputs and two outputs. Do not continue with a similarly named old Soundflower device or an Aggregate Device left over from another tutorial. The names in the next steps need to match the devices you actually created.

2. Create a Multi-Output Device so you can still hear the Mac

1. Open Applications → Utilities → Audio MIDI Setup.
2. If the Audio Devices window is not visible, choose Window → Show Audio Devices.
3. Click the + button at the bottom of the device list and choose Create Multi-Output Device.
4. Rename it to something obvious, such as System Audio + BlackHole.
5. Enable your physical listening device first: Mac speakers, wired headphones or the output of your audio interface.
6. Enable BlackHole 2ch.
7. Set the physical output as the primary or clock device. Enable Drift Correction for BlackHole.
8. Confirm that both devices show the same sample rate.

Apple’s guide confirms that a Multi-Output Device plays one stream through several output devices. BlackHole’s current Multi-Output instructions add the practical clocking detail: keep the speakers, headphones or interface as the clock source, enable drift correction for BlackHole and use matching sample rates.

An Aggregate Device is not a substitute here. A Multi-Output Device fans one output stream to several destinations. An Aggregate Device presents the channels from several devices to Logic as one larger input/output device. You need the aggregate route later only if you also want a separate microphone or interface input.

3. Send Mac system audio to the Multi-Output Device

In Audio MIDI Setup, Control-click the new Multi-Output Device and choose Use This Device For Sound Output. You can also open System Settings → Sound → Output and select the same device.

Play a short source in the browser or media app. You should still hear it through the physical output. At the same time, the signal is reaching BlackHole. If the source app has its own output-device selector, set it to the system default or the new Multi-Output Device. An app pinned to a different interface will bypass the Mac system route.

The Mac’s normal volume keys may stop controlling volume while a Multi-Output Device is selected. That’s a macOS limitation documented by the BlackHole project. Adjust the physical device in Audio MIDI Setup, on the interface itself or with its control app. Do not treat disabled volume keys as proof that routing failed.

4. Set BlackHole as Logic’s input, but keep a physical output

1. Open Logic Pro and choose Logic Pro → Settings → Audio → Devices.
2. Set Input Device to BlackHole 2ch.
3. Set Output Device to the physical speakers, headphones or interface used in the Multi-Output Device.
4. Click Apply if Logic shows the button.

Using the Multi-Output Device as Logic’s output is tempting because it has the right name. It’s also how users accidentally capture Logic’s own playback. The safe route is different: other Mac apps use the Multi-Output Device, while Logic listens to BlackHole and plays through the physical output only.

Apple’s Logic audio-device guide confirms that installed Core Audio devices appear in the Devices pane. BlackHole’s current Logic guide also says to restart Logic after installation if the virtual device is missing.

5. Create a stereo Input 1-2 audio track

1. Press Option-Command-N or click the Add Tracks button.
2. Choose Audio → Mic or Line.
3. Set the track format to stereo.
4. Choose Input 1-2.
5. Deselect the default patch if you want a clean track with no plug-ins.
6. Create the track, then leave its I input-monitoring button off.

Input 1 records only the left side of BlackHole 2ch. That may look fine with a centered voice and fail with stereo music, panning or ambience. The two linked-circle stereo format and Input 1-2 preserve both channels.

Keep input monitoring off because you already hear the source through the physical branch of the Multi-Output Device. If Logic monitors the BlackHole track too, you hear a delayed copy on top of the direct source. If Logic is also outputting to the Multi-Output Device, monitoring can create a feedback loop.

6. Check the meter, then record

1. Play the source briefly and watch the stereo meter on the Logic audio track.
2. If both sides move, stop the source and return it to the beginning.
3. Select or record-enable the Logic track.
4. Press R in Logic first.
5. Start playback in the source app. Recording first leaves a small silence you can trim and avoids losing the opening transient.
6. Stop the source, then press Space in Logic.
7. Play the new region with the source app paused. Check left and right channels before changing any device settings.

Do not normalize, limit or add a loudness plug-in while capturing. Record the clean stream at the level delivered by the source. If it clips before reaching Logic, lower the source application or its player rather than pulling down the Logic fader, which sits after the recording input.

To record a microphone and system audio on separate tracks

Keep the Multi-Output Device for the Mac’s system output. Then create an Aggregate Device that contains your microphone or audio interface plus BlackHole 2ch, and choose that aggregate as Logic’s input device.

Apple’s Aggregate Device instructions explain the detail that prevents wrong inputs: subdevice order determines channel numbers in Logic. If an interface with two inputs comes before BlackHole, the BlackHole stereo pair may appear as Input 3-4 rather than Input 1-2. Keep Audio MIDI Setup open and map the colored channel ranges instead of guessing.

• Use the most reliable physical interface as the aggregate clock source.
• Enable drift correction for devices that are not the clock source.
• Create one mono track for the microphone or interface input.
• Create one stereo track for BlackHole’s channel pair.
• Use headphones so the microphone does not recapture the speakers.

For the broader device logic, channel mapping and recovery steps, use our Audio MIDI Setup for Logic Pro guide. The general Logic Pro audio-recording workflow covers gain, recording folders and takes from microphones and interfaces.

BlackHole and Logic Pro troubleshooting

The Logic meter does not move

Check the route in order. The Mac output must be the Multi-Output Device. That device must include BlackHole 2ch. Logic’s input device must be BlackHole 2ch. The track must use stereo Input 1-2. Finally, confirm the source app isn’t sending to a different output device.

If the route is correct, open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and allow Logic Pro. macOS groups access to audio inputs under Microphone even when the input is virtual. Apple documents the permission control in its Mac privacy guide.

BlackHole does not appear in Logic

Quit and reopen Logic after installing the driver. If it’s still absent, confirm BlackHole 2ch appears in Audio MIDI Setup, then restart the Mac as the official Logic-specific wiki recommends. Reinstall only after those checks. Repeated installation won’t fix an application that hasn’t reloaded the Core Audio device list.

The recording works, but you cannot hear the source

Your Mac is probably outputting to BlackHole alone. Select the Multi-Output Device and confirm that it contains both BlackHole and the physical listening device. When you’re finished recording, switch System Settings → Sound → Output back to the normal speakers, headphones or interface.

The source sounds doubled, hollow or phasey

Turn off the Logic track’s I button. You’re hearing the direct physical branch and Logic’s delayed monitored copy together. Also confirm that Logic’s output device is physical, not the Multi-Output Device.

The capture clicks, crackles or drifts over time

Set the same sample rate for BlackHole and the physical output. Keep the physical output as primary and enable drift correction for BlackHole. If Bluetooth is involved, test a wired output before changing Logic’s buffer or reinstalling anything. A Bluetooth device adds another clock and a large wireless buffer to a route that’s already combining devices.

The recording is mono

Replace mono Input 1 with stereo Input 1-2 and record again. Converting the finished mono region to a stereo track does not restore the missing right channel.

Logic records its own playback

Set Logic’s Output Device to the physical speakers, headphones or interface. Leave the Mac system output on the Multi-Output Device. This keeps Logic’s playback out of BlackHole while other apps still feed the capture track.

If the signal path is correct but ordinary audio inputs also fail, move to our Logic Pro not recording audio checklist. It owns the wider permission, track, project and interface diagnosis. The Recording & Editing hub collects the complete recording workflow.

Frequently asked questions

Is BlackHole free?

Yes. BlackHole is an open-source macOS loopback driver released under GPL-3.0. Download it from Existential Audio or the official GitHub project rather than a repackaged installer.

Should I install BlackHole 2ch or 16ch for Logic Pro?

Use BlackHole 2ch for ordinary stereo Mac system audio. The 16-channel build is for workflows that intentionally route several discrete channel pairs. It adds no quality advantage to a stereo browser or media capture.

Why is there no sound after selecting BlackHole?

BlackHole is a virtual destination, not a speaker. Selecting it alone sends the stream away from the physical output. Create a Multi-Output Device containing BlackHole and your speakers, headphones or interface so the same signal reaches both.

Do I need an Aggregate Device to record system audio?

No. A Multi-Output Device plus BlackHole 2ch is enough for system audio alone. Use an Aggregate Device only when Logic also needs inputs from another microphone or audio interface at the same time.

Can BlackHole record audio from a browser or media app?

It can receive audio from an app that uses the Mac system output or the selected Multi-Output Device. Protected playback and app-specific routing can behave differently. Record only material you own, licensed or have permission to capture and reuse.

Why does BlackHole sound doubled in Logic Pro?

The Multi-Output Device is already sending the source to your physical output, and Logic input monitoring adds a second delayed copy. Turn off the track’s I button and keep Logic’s output on the physical device.

Restore normal audio when you finish

1. Switch the Mac sound output from the Multi-Output Device back to the normal speakers, headphones or interface.
2. Change Logic’s input device from BlackHole to the microphone or audio interface you normally use.
3. Leave the Multi-Output Device in Audio MIDI Setup for the next capture, or remove it if you no longer need it.

The setup is easier to remember as three separate choices: the Mac sends, BlackHole carries, and Logic records. Keep those jobs separate and system-audio capture becomes a short routing task instead of a cycle of silent tracks and device restarts.