On OS Mavericks, When i Face Time it lowers the system volume. Like iTunes and the adjustment sounds for volume up, and down, and such. Is there a setting, or preference to stop it from lowering every other volume?

Awesome. Finally a real solution. Never thought I'd see advice from Comex on the Apple Discussions!

david.liu.sg wrote:

The following Terminal code works for me, as posted by @comex in Twitter.

Each time before a FaceTime call, first launch the FaceTime app. Then open Terminal and past the following line, and press enter.

printf "p *(char*)(void(*)())AudioDeviceDuck=0xc3\nq" | lldb -n FaceTime

Then make the call.

Hi Jay and others in the post,

I don't know if you guys can see this post or if this problem is actually solved, since its from three years ago. But I seem to have found a (sort of) solution to this problem. It is not perfect, but it can help a little bit... at least you can FaceTime and listen to music at the same time.

The "solution" is a bluetooth headphone, and possibly the newest sierra system which added selecting output function. (I am not sure whether choosing output is new in sierra in fact. Did not notice before.)

You connect your headphone, and then you choose the output source of FaceTime as the headphone (in videos - output) then other output as speaker (volume adjust in menu bar - output) (or the other way round). Then you will find that the music playing through speaker resumes to normal volume, and FaceTime through headphone remains the same.

New iTunes also offers an option to change output.

In short, choosing different outputs between FaceTime and other volume.

This is not a smart way though, as one of the sound will have to be played through speaker. But... it is a way anyway.

I do not have other speakers or outputs to test (what I have is a beats solo 2 bluetooth and a normal wire headphone), but I am sure that this works with bluetooth but not wire headphones (because connecting it will change the output option to only headphone).

Hope APPLE CAN GIVE US A REALLY WORKING SOLUTION!

ok, for mavericks you will need to execute the following in you terminal:

printf "p *(char*)(void(*)())AudioDeviceDuck=0xc3\nq" | lldb -n FaceTime

If you don't have lldb (Xcode additions) you will be prompted to install them first.

On Sierra you will have to deactivate the System Integrity Protection first.

To do this, start in recovery mode and execute:

csrutil disable

in terminal over there.

Keeping the aforementioned terminal code somewhere (I know i personally am not going to remember it) or looking it up every time is very tedious, so I found kind of a silly workaround that at least I can remember how to do.

Download Soundflowerbed (I do audio work w/ outputs from my computer so I already happened to have it). From the video menu of FaceTime route the output audio through a Soundflowerbed channel, and then route the same channel to your built-in output. FaceTime will only lower the volume of other things routed through the Soundflowerbed channel.

This is the same idea as the bluetooth headphones idea listed earlier in the thread. This works a bit better for me because I don't have bluetooth headphones, and Soundflowerbed is free.

This is a new feature in Mavericks.

Hopefullt there's a hack that will disable this. Extremely annoying.

That's not a solution either. But thanks for suggesting it.

I agree, I just use it so i can hear my music a little better. My pleasure

I also want to be able to turn off this feature as well. Seriously, why in the world would they add this feature WITHOUT including the ability to turn it off?

I also want to be able to turn off this feature as well, please help apple ????????????????????????????,

I would love a solution to this. Anybody find some Terminal code to disable it?

Oooo Sorry,,,,, for trying to help...

Exactly the same for me!

SOLVED!!!

Install Windows or Linux!

I completely agree! I'm a big girl who would like to regulate her own output balance...

this **** blows mane. ALL I WANNA DO IS LISTEN TO MY MUSIC IN PEICE 😢