Why won’t audio Input via USB-C play through MacBook Pro speakers?

Question

Why won’t audio Input via USB-C play through MacBook Pro speakers?

I have a device called the Polyend Play and it can play audio through USB-C. I have set it up as input in my Sound settings and have the output set to built-in speakers. I can see the audio levels responding to the input in the control panel but no sound comes out of the speakers. Interestingly I can record the sound no problem but I cannot get it to play out of the speakers no matter what I do.

Notes:

It won't play through hardwired headphones either
Tried using Audio midi setup to no avail
It will play through GarageBand and Ableton Live if I turn on monitoring

Questions:

Is this a me thing or do other people have the same issue?
Was this done on purpose to prevent feedback or is it a bug?

Any input would be appreciated.

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 14.5

Posted on Jan 16, 2025 11:06 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Andrew Harris1 Author

Level 1

96 points

Jan 23, 2025 1:34 PM in response to Andrew Harris1

I have found an answer to this. This is indeed default MacOS behaviour. MacOS will not play USB-C audio through the built-in speakers by default. You can record the audio but you can't hear it while it's being played back. My guess is this is done to prevent feedback if somebody plugs in a mic.

There are two ways to overcome this issue:

Install Blackhole and create an aggregate device in Audio Midi Setup
Use GarageBand: Use a audio channel and turn on monitoring

Since GarageBand is free I would recommend using that as the Blackhole solution is a bit fiddly.

You can find the discussion here:

Connecting USB turntable to MacBook Pro - Apple Community

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Answer 2

leroydouglas

Level 10

199,488 points

Jan 20, 2025 7:26 AM in response to Andrew Harris1

Andrew Harris1 wrote:

• I have a device called the Polyend Play and it can play audio through USB-C. I have set it up as input in my Sound settings and have the output set to built-in speakers. I can see the audio levels responding to the input in the control panel but no sound comes out of the speakers. Interestingly I can record the sound no problem but I cannot get it to play out of the speakers no matter what I do.

Notes:

It won't play through hardwired headphones either

• Tried using Audio midi setup to no avail

• It will play through GarageBand and Ableton Live if I turn on monitoring

•

Questions:

Is this a me thing or do other people have the same issue?

• Was this done on purpose to prevent feedback or is it a bug?

Any input would be appreciated.

for your third party— anything over here: https://backstage.polyend.com/

https://backstage.polyend.com/t/play-not-recognized-on-macos/14132

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Answer 3

Jan 23, 2025 1:35 PM in response to leroydouglas

Thank you for the response but this is a MacOS issue not a Polyend Play issue. Please see my follow up comment.

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Why won’t audio Input via USB-C play through MacBook Pro speakers?

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