How to Run System Audio Through AU Plugins With Apple's "AU Lab" for Universal Audio Apollo

How to Run System Audio Through AU Plugins With Apple's "AU Lab" for Universal Audio Apollo

This method doesn't require SoundFlower, BlackHole, or Audio Highjack, only AU Lab to use your AU plugins on what you hear. This will not interfere with what you hear in your DAW as you should have your DAW's Output to Apollo's Main Output. You will assign your system audio to a virtual channel and MUTE that channel in Console. If you don't have an Apollo, you might have to use SoundFlower or BlackHole to properly send audio in AU Lab.

One major issue... Apple's Au Lab doesn't work since updating Mac OS' security. AU Lab requires "Microphone" permission to function, but since Silicon, you are never prompted to give permission to AU Lab on launch.

AU Lab is missing from Apple->System Settings->Privacy & Security->Microphone. First launching a program, you're prompted to give permissions... if it's not AU Lab. Apple won't even let you (easily) add a program to the list. LIKE SERIOUSLY... WHY APPLE!? That's not rhetorical. Luckily for us, the smartest men and women on Earth have solved Apple's blunder for them (I used this post to add AU Lab to Microphone).

You'll be using Terminal with Sudo elevation to write to com.apple.TCC and add com.apple.audio.aulab to its database. This will force AU Lab to show in Microphone.

1. Open Terminal
2. Enter (without quotations) "sudo sqlite3 ~/Library/Application\ Support/com.apple.TCC/TCC.db"
3. Enter your login password
4. Terminal should now be directed at "sqlite"
5. Enter (without quotations nor sudo) "insert into access values ('kTCCServiceMicrophone','com.apple.audio.aulab', 0, 2, 2, 1, null, null, null, 'UNUSED', null, null, 1669648527,null,null,'UNUSED',1669648527);"
6. Quit Terminal (the aforementioned link explains what everything is in step 5)

Au Lab should now show in Microphone. No restarting required. If it doesn't, you copy and pasted something wrong or Apple broke something. Now you're ready to use your AU plugins on what MacOS hears (minus your DAW's audio if it is routed to MON L/R [UAD's default]).

Configuring UAD Apollo Console, Audio MIDI Setup, & AU Lab

1. Open Settings in UAD Console and make sure at least 2 VIRTUAL CHANNELS are activated
2. Link VIRTUAL 1 & 2 together, and for the love of gawd, if you value your ears, hardware, and don't want to die in a fiery death, MUTE THE VIRTUAL CHANNEL you route system audio to (click on channel name to link)
3. Open Audio MIDI Setup and verify your VIRTUAL channel you want to use for you audio interface (ignore that I'm using Pro Tools Aggregate I/O)
4. Click "Configure Speakers..." and change Left and Right to your VIRTUAL channels
5. Quit Audio MIDI Setup
6. Launch AU Lab (can take awhile) and select Stereo In/Stereo Out from the Factory Configuration menu on left
7. Set Audio Input & Output Device to your audio interface (I link my Apollo and Axe FX so I use Aggregate)
8. Set Input 1 to your VIRTUAL channels Assigned in Console (my virtual 1/2 are assigned to 5/6 in Console or seen in image in step 3)
9. Set Output 1 to Apollo's main monitor Output (default is just channel 1/2)
10. Click Create Document
11. (A) Audio Engine Running will toggle AU Lab on and off (you'll need this later if you fecked up step 2)
12. (B) Insert AU plugins on Output 1
13. Play audio to test if (A) Audio Engine Running is on or off (meters don't move if off)

CONGRATULATIONS!!! If you didn't mute your virtual channel in console, you are now deaf, suffering a panic, shat yourself, experiencing an acute heart attack, and bitten by a cobra. Cycle (A) Audio Engine Running off and on to stop the feedback loop. If you value your sanity, mute your virtual channel in Console.

An example of how I use AU Lab. I use Wave's Abbey Road Studio 3 room emulation for headphones to help with mixing on my HD650 or just listen to music or YouTube now. To be able to see the meter with headphones on, I don't mute the OUTPUT on bottom right, but I instead turn it all the way down since headphones don't have their own big meter. I set a clipper to -0.1dB to prevent clipping from Studio 3 plugin. I turn Studio 3 down enough so I don't clip the output heavily since it adds a lot of EQ. I use these plugins because they don't add any latency. AU Lab has it's on buffer setting to control its latency. You can save your load out in an AU Lab document.

You could also setup AU Lab to apply plugins on your audio inputs channels. For example I could use speaker emulation on an input from Axe FX or ADAT before it hits my audio workstation SINCE APOLLO DOESN'T HAVE THEIR OWN IR PLAYER.

I hope this has helped you. Audio Hijacking does this to, but they charge $70 for something you can do with Apple's own plugin FOR FREE.

[Edited by Moderator]