Questions answered
How buying, trials and licences work, then what each app does and the questions people ask about it. Owners will find the full user guides in their account.
Buying, licences
and trials
These work the same way for every app.
Can I try an app before I buy it?
Yes. Every app has a free 7-day trial with every feature working, exactly like the paid version. Download it from the app’s page and click Start free trial in the app. Each Mac gets one trial of each app, and trying a different app gives you a separate 7 days. When a trial ends, your settings, presets and files stay on your Mac, and everything works again as soon as you enter a licence key.
How does paying work, and are updates included?
You pay once for each app, and updates are free for life. When a new version is out, the app shows a banner with a Download button, and the update installs over the top of the one you have, keeping your settings, presets and licence.
What currency are the prices in?
Prices are in Australian dollars (A$). You can pick your own currency at the top of the page to see a rough conversion next to each price. At checkout, Stripe can show and charge the amount in your local currency at the rate it shows you before you pay. If you pay in Australian dollars instead, your bank converts it and may add its own fee.
How many Macs can I use an app on?
Each licence covers up to 3 of your Macs at the same time, such as a studio Mac and a laptop. Your licence key comes by email when you buy, and it’s always in your account too.
How do I move a licence to a new Mac?
Free up a seat for it. If you still have the old Mac, open the app there, go to the licence section in Settings and click Deactivate this machine. If the old Mac is gone, broken or wiped, sign in to your account here and remove it from the list of Macs under that licence. Then enter the same licence key on the new Mac.
I’ve lost my licence key. Where is it?
Sign in to your account to see every key you own, or search your email for the purchase receipt. If it still doesn’t turn up, our support team can find it for you.
What if an app isn’t working for me?
Open a support ticket and tell us what’s happening, with your Mac model, macOS version and the app version if you can. The team that builds the apps reads every ticket, and most problems turn out to be a setting we can walk you through or a bug we can fix in an update. Questions about a payment go to the same place: choose Billing.
Which computers do the apps run on?
Every app is made for macOS. Each app’s page lists the macOS version it needs and whether it runs on Apple silicon Macs only or on Intel Macs as well. All the installers are signed and notarised by Apple, so they open without security warnings.
Where are the full user guides?
In your account. When you own an app, its full user guide appears on your account page under User guides, from installing to every control, along with the guide to licences, Macs and updates.
NAM Suite
A guitar rig for NAM captures that runs as its own app beside your DAW at a small buffer, with up to four amps, a cab IR loader and two pedalboards that also host your own VST3 and AU plugins. The DAW records it through a virtual audio device, and an AU/VST3 plugin brings the same rig into the mix.
Your plugins before and after the rig
The standalone app hosts your VST3 and AU effects on both boards: the Pre board runs before the amp and the Post board after the cab. Click Rescan once and they’re listed by maker. Each opens in its own window, follows the rig’s tempo and shows any latency it adds. A plugin that crashes on load is switched off so NAM Suite still opens.
Low latency at any DAW buffer
The standalone app opens your interface at its own buffer, as low as 32 samples, and shows the round-trip latency. Play and monitor at that while the DAW project stays at 1024 or 2048 samples doing the heavy lifting.
Record any point in the chain
The NAM Suite virtual device shows up as an input in every audio app, with four stereo taps: DI, post-amp, post-cab and post-effects. Record whichever you want, re-amp the DI later, and the takes line up because the device reports its latency.
DAW link for Studio One and Studio Pro
NAM Suite follows the song open in Studio One / Studio Pro: title, tempo, key, the arranger sections in their colours, markers and the chord track. Its transport buttons run the DAW: play, stop, record, loop, markers, click, undo and save.
Can I use my own plugins in NAM Suite?
Yes, in the standalone app. Open the insert browser on the Pre or Post board and click Rescan, and your VST3 and AU effect plugins are listed by maker beside the built-in effects. Click one to add it, then drag it wherever you want it on the board. Instrument plugins aren’t listed. If a plugin crashes while loading, NAM Suite disables it and names it in a banner with a re-enable link, and holding Option as the app starts opens your rig without any hosted plugins.
What does the DAW link do?
If you record in PreSonus Studio One or Studio Pro, the standalone app follows the song you have open. A strip under the snapshots shows the song’s tempo, key and arranger sections with your markers, and its buttons run the DAW’s transport once you add NAM Suite Control as a control surface. You can save a rig against the song, and it loads by itself the next time you open that song. The DAW link works with Studio One and Studio Pro for now, and NAM Suite itself works in any DAW.
How do I keep latency low while the DAW is at a big buffer?
Play through the standalone app, set to a small buffer in Audio I/O, and record its DI and rig taps in the DAW through the NAM Suite virtual input device. The DAW can sit at any buffer. Keep both apps at the same sample rate.
Where do I get NAM captures?
TONE3000 is a community library of NAM captures and IRs. Connect your free TONE3000 account and you can search, preview and download from inside NAM Suite, straight into your library. Any .nam file you already have loads too.
Can I use my own plugins in the DAW version?
The standalone hosts your VST3 and AU plugins on its boards. Inside a DAW, the plugin uses its built-in effects, so put your other plugins in the track’s chain around it. Live Rig lists which ones to add.
Does it run on Intel Macs?
Yes. NAM Suite is a universal app for Apple silicon and Intel Macs on macOS 11 or later.
What does the installer add?
The app, the AU and VST3 plugins, and a small audio driver for the NAM Suite virtual device. The standalone asks for microphone access so it can hear your guitar.
What is a NAM capture?
A .nam file is a neural network model of a real amp, pedal or full rig, made with Neural Amp Modeler, the open-source project created by Steven Atkinson. Thousands are shared on TONE3000, and NAM Suite plays them with a cab IR and pedals around them.
Does NAM Suite load the new NAM A2 captures?
Yes. It loads every NAM architecture: WaveNet, LSTM and ConvNet (A1) and the newer A2 slimmable models. With an A2 capture loaded, the Width selector in the bottom bar runs it at Lite, Mid, Wide or Full: Full sounds best, and the lower settings use less CPU.
Can I run two amps at once for a stereo dual-amp sound?
Yes, up to four. Click Add amp under the amp card, and each capture gets its own Input, Bass, Mid, Treble, Mix and Pan. Pan one hard left and one hard right for a classic stereo pair, and each amp also has its own dry output for re-amping.
Can I record a clean DI and re-amp it later?
Yes. Channels 1 and 2 of the NAM Suite virtual device carry your guitar after the input trim and before any effects, so you can record it beside the rig and rebuild the tone later. In the plugin, a separate DI output bus does the same job.
How does NAM Suite compare to the free Neural Amp Modeler plugin?
Both play the same .nam captures. The plugin from the NAM project is free and open source, runs on Mac and Windows, and loads a capture and a cab IR on a DAW track. NAM Suite is a Mac app and AU/VST3 plugin that adds up to four amps, two pedalboards with your own plugins, snapshots, TONE3000 browsing and a virtual device for recording the standalone rig.
How is NAM Suite different from the TONE3000 plugin?
The TONE3000 plugin is free and open source, runs on Mac, Windows and Linux as a plugin and a standalone app, and builds chains of A2 captures and IRs straight from the TONE3000 library. NAM Suite also downloads from TONE3000 through your own account, plays both A1 and A2 captures, hosts your own VST3 and AU plugins on its boards in the standalone app, and records into any DAW through its virtual device.
Is NAM Suite an alternative to Tonocracy?
Both play NAM captures on a Mac as a plugin and a standalone app. Tonocracy, from Atomic Amplifiers, is free and also has its own amp models and ToneSnap capture system. NAM Suite plays .nam captures only, with up to four amps in parallel, your own plugins on the boards and a virtual device for recording the rig.
Drum Monitor
A headphone-mix console for a drum kit that runs beside your DAW on the same interface at a 32-sample buffer, with zero-latency inserts, your own plugins kept in phase, parallel and aux buses, and a 32-channel virtual device for recording what the drummer hears.
32 samples, beside the DAW
Drum Monitor opens your interface with its own buffer: 32 samples, stepping up to 64 or 128 if the interface needs it. The header shows the round-trip latency the drummer hears, and a large DAW buffer adds nothing to it.
Ten zero-latency inserts
Gate, Comp (VCA, Opto or FET), Bus Comp, Crush Comp, EQ with high-pass, Tape, Drive, Delay, IR Reverb and Algo Reverb, on every channel and bus.
Your plugins, in phase
Put VST3 and AU plugins on any channel. Each insert shows its latency, and every other channel is delayed to match, up to a cap you set. A plugin that crashes on load is quarantined.
Parallel and aux buses
Inline crush buses sum back into the Drum Bus in phase. Add as many deferred aux buses as you like for heavy reverbs and delays, each running at 128, 256 or 512 samples.
Does it work with my interface?
It works with any Core Audio interface. In Console mode, mute your interface’s direct monitoring for the drum inputs so the kit is heard once. Sidecar mode keeps the interface mixer on the dry kit.
Is it a plugin?
It’s a standalone app that runs beside your DAW, which is what lets it monitor at 32 samples while the DAW uses whatever buffer it needs. Inside it, you can use your VST3 and AU plugins as inserts.
Can the drummer hear a click and backing tracks?
Yes. The tempo chip has tap tempo and a zero-latency click (Beep, Wood or Stick), and the play-along deck plays backing tracks with markers and A–B looping. DAW playback reaches the drummer through your interface’s mixer as usual.
Does it run on Intel Macs?
Drum Monitor needs an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 13 or later.
How do I get rid of latency in the drummer’s headphones when the DAW buffer is high?
Monitor the kit through Drum Monitor and turn off your DAW’s input monitoring on the drum tracks. Drum Monitor opens the same interface at its own small buffer, so a large DAW buffer adds nothing to what the drummer hears, and the DAW still records the dry mics as usual.
Will a plugin on the snare make the kit sound phasey?
Not with Align monitoring on, which is the default. Drum Monitor delays every other channel to match the slowest plugin, up to a strip latency cap you set, and a plugin that would go over the cap is bypassed and flagged in red.
Can I use a big reverb plugin without delaying the kit?
Yes. Put it on a deferred aux bus, which runs on its own thread at a larger block size and returns only the effect. The dry kit stays at the small buffer, and only the reverb arrives a little later.
Can I do parallel compression on the drums in the headphone mix?
Yes. Add an Inline bus, put Crush Comp on it and choose which channels feed it. It sums back into the Drum Bus in phase, and the Comp insert also has a Mix knob for parallel compression on a single channel.
Can I record the drummer’s headphone mix in my DAW?
Yes. Send any channel or bus to one of the 32 taps on the Drum Monitor virtual device and record that input in your DAW. Choose Rec to record a channel with its inserts or Mon to record it dry, and the device reports its latency so the takes line up with the mics.
Do I need Drum Monitor if my interface has a DSP mixer like UAD Console or RME TotalMix FX?
Those mixers run monitoring effects on the interface’s own DSP for that maker’s hardware: UAD plug-ins on Apollo in UAD Console, and built-in EQ, dynamics, reverb and echo in TotalMix FX. Drum Monitor runs on your Mac with any Core Audio interface and lets you put your own VST3 and AU plugins on the kit. If you like your interface’s mix, Sidecar mode leaves the dry kit there and adds rooms and reverbs as wet returns.
Can I run Drum Monitor from a MIDI controller?
Yes. Right-click almost any fader, knob or button and choose MIDI Learn, then move a CC, note or program change on your controller. App controls such as tap tempo, the click and next or previous preset work in every preset.
Audio Funnel
Eight virtual stereo input devices, called funnels. Route any interface channel, the sound of an app or a DAW track into a funnel, and it is mixed onto channels 1 and 2 for any app to record or stream.
Eight funnels
Each funnel is a stereo input device that macOS lists under the name you give it. Switch funnels on and off from the menu bar.
Any channel, any interface
Pick any input channel on any connected interface, channel 33 included, and send it left, right or both, with a trim from −24 to +12 dB.
App audio
Capture the sound of a single app, such as Music, Safari, Chrome, a video player or a game. Needs macOS 14.4 or later. Installed apps can be added before they’re running.
Send from your DAW
The Audio Funnel Send plugin (AU and VST3) streams a track, bus or master into a funnel at any session rate from 44.1 to 192 kHz. Up to four sends mix into each funnel, labelled with their track names.
Does it install a driver?
Yes, a Core Audio driver that adds the funnels as audio devices, plus the Send plugins. Installing them needs your admin password once.
Will my browser or video call see it?
Yes. A funnel is an ordinary stereo input, so anything that can pick a microphone can pick a funnel.
What permissions does it need?
Microphone access to read your interfaces’ inputs, and on macOS 14.4 or later, permission to record system audio if you capture apps.
Does my DAW session have to be at 48 kHz?
The Send plugin works at any session rate from 44.1 to 192 kHz and converts what it sends to 48 kHz. The funnels themselves run at 48 kHz, so run your interface at 48 kHz for hardware channel sources, and record from a funnel at 48 kHz.
How do I get channels 3 and 4 of my audio interface into Zoom or a browser?
Route both channels into a funnel, set one to L and the other to R, and pick that funnel as the microphone in Zoom or your browser. The funnel is a normal stereo input, so the app sees your channels on 1 and 2. The same works for channel 33 of a big interface.
Can I mix my microphone and my Mac’s app audio into one input?
Yes. Add your mic’s interface channel and the apps you want, such as Music or Safari, to the same funnel and balance them with each source’s trim. Capturing apps needs macOS 14.4 or later, and on earlier versions you can still mix interface channels, DAW sends and other funnels.
Can I send my DAW’s output to a video call or OBS?
Yes. Put the Audio Funnel Send plugin (AU or VST3) on your master, a bus or a track, choose a funnel under Send to, and pick that funnel as the input in the call or in OBS. You still hear the track through your interface as normal.
Can I capture the sound of just one app, like Safari or Music?
Yes, on macOS 14.4 or later. Click + next to the app in the Apps list and its sound goes into the funnel while you keep hearing it normally. Adding Safari or Chrome includes the audio from their web pages, and apps that aren’t running yet can be added too.
Is there a Mac alternative to Loopback?
Audio Funnel does a similar job for stereo inputs: it mixes interface channels, single apps and DAW tracks onto a virtual device that any app can pick as a microphone. Loopback, from Rogue Amoeba, builds devices of up to 64 channels with custom channel mapping and pass-thru devices, and its current version needs macOS 14.5 or later. Audio Funnel’s funnels are stereo at 48 kHz, run on macOS 11 or later, and come with a Send plugin for DAW tracks.
How is Audio Funnel different from BlackHole?
BlackHole is a free, open-source loopback driver: you set an app’s output to BlackHole and another app records it as an input, in versions from 2 to 256 channels. Audio Funnel adds the mixing. You choose interface channels, single apps and DAW sends for each funnel, set a trim on each, and they land together on channels 1 and 2.
Is Audio Funnel a replacement for Soundflower?
It can take over the common Soundflower jobs of getting app audio and interface channels into another app as an input. Soundflower’s last release was 2.0b2 in December 2014, and Rogue Amoeba, which hosted it for a time, no longer maintains it. Audio Funnel is a Universal app for Apple silicon and Intel Macs on macOS 11 or later.
Does Audio Funnel record audio itself?
No. It makes the funnels, and the app you point at a funnel does the recording or streaming, such as QuickTime, a browser recorder, Zoom, OBS or your DAW. Audio Funnel doesn’t store or send the audio anywhere.
Outboard
A rack plugin (AU and VST3) that runs the plugins you load into it in separate helper processes on the same Mac, spreading the plugin load outside the DAW. Latency is reported for delay compensation, and a plugin crash leaves the DAW running.
Spread the load
Per Plugin mode gives every hosted plugin its own helper process. Grouped mode runs a whole rack of up to 32 plugins in one. The Sessions tab lists every helper across your open projects, with its CPU use and latency.
A rack on one insert
Chain plugins in series, reorder them, bypass any one or the whole rack, and save the rack as a .outboardrack preset to load on any track.
Latency reported
Outboard tells the DAW its exact latency, shown on the rack as samples, so delay compensation keeps the track aligned. Grouped mode makes one round trip for the whole chain.
VST3 in Logic, AU in Cubase
The Outboard plugin comes as AU and VST3, and both versions host both formats. Logic Pro can run VST3-only plugins, and Cubase and Nuendo can run Audio Units.
Does it make my plugins use less CPU?
Your plugins do the same amount of work. Outboard moves that work into separate helper processes, so it is spread outside the DAW’s own processing and each helper’s load shows on the Sessions tab.
Does it add latency?
Yes, a small fixed amount, which the DAW compensates for. Each round trip adds the Safety Buffer (256 samples by default, and at least your DAW’s buffer size). Grouped mode makes one round trip for the whole rack.
Should I put UAD DSP plugins in it?
Those run on the UAD hardware wherever they’re loaded, so Outboard would only add latency. Load the native UADx versions in Outboard.
Where do the plugin windows open?
Each hosted plugin opens in its own floating window beside the DAW. Outboard remembers where you put it. The Outboard menu bar app starts automatically when a project needs it.
How does Outboard compare to AudioGridder?
AudioGridder is a free, open-source plugin server that runs plugins on another Mac or Windows PC over the network, and since version 1.2 it can also run them on the same computer in sandboxed processes. Outboard works on one Mac only, with no network or server to set up: it is a rack plugin that runs your AU and VST3 plugins in helper processes on that Mac and reloads any that crash. AudioGridder suits spreading plugins across several computers, and it also hosts VST2 and comes as AAX for Pro Tools, which Outboard doesn’t.
Can I use VST3 plugins in Logic Pro?
Yes, through Outboard. Logic Pro loads Audio Units only, so put the AU version of Outboard on a track and load your VST3 plugins into it. They show up as pedals in the rack and open in their own windows.
Can I use Audio Unit plugins in Cubase or Nuendo?
Yes. Load the VST3 version of Outboard in Cubase or Nuendo, and it can host any Audio Unit installed on your Mac alongside your VST3 plugins.
What happens when a plugin crashes inside Outboard?
Your DAW keeps running. In Per Plugin mode only that plugin’s helper goes down, and Outboard reloads the plugin with its last settings after a short gap in the audio. In Grouped mode the whole rack’s helper restarts and every plugin in it reloads.
My DAW maxes out one core on a heavy plugin chain. Can Outboard help?
It can spread that load. The plugins you load into Outboard run in helper processes outside the DAW’s own processing, one per plugin or one per rack, and the Sessions tab shows each helper’s share of a core. Your plugins still do the same amount of work in total.
Bitwig Studio and REAPER can already sandbox plugins. Why would I use Outboard?
If you work in Bitwig Studio or REAPER, their built-in hosting modes (Bitwig’s sandboxing options, REAPER’s separate and dedicated process settings) already keep plugin crashes away from the audio engine. Outboard brings the same kind of isolation to other Mac DAWs that load AU or VST3 effects, such as Logic Pro, and can also host the plugin format your DAW lacks.
Is Outboard like Blue Cat’s PatchWork or DDMF Metaplugin?
All three put a chain of plugins on one insert and can load plugin formats your DAW can’t. PatchWork adds parallel chains and built-in effects, and Metaplugin adds routing tools such as mid-side and multiband splitting. Outboard keeps to a serial rack and runs each hosted plugin in a helper process outside the DAW, so a crash leaves your session running.
Does Outboard support VST2 plugins?
No. Outboard hosts VST3 and Audio Unit plugins, so use the VST3 or AU version of any plugin you also have as VST2.
File Xfer
A native two-pane Mac app for moving files between your Mac and S3-compatible storage, SFTP, FTP/FTPS or WebDAV, with a resumable transfer queue, folder sync with a preview, and editing of remote files in your own editor.
S3, SFTP, FTP and WebDAV
Amazon S3 and S3-compatible services, SFTP, FTP and FTPS with explicit or implicit TLS, WebDAV, and the drives on your Mac. Copy straight from one server to another, such as SFTP to S3.
A queue that resumes
Progress, speed and time left for every transfer. Pause, retry and reorder them. SFTP and FTP resume in both directions, and unfinished transfers come back paused after a relaunch.
Sync with a preview
Sync Folders lists every copy, update and delete before anything happens, with Keep newer files and Delete extras options. Mark Differences badges the files that differ between the panes.
Edit remote files
Open a remote file in your own editor and every save is uploaded automatically. Quick Look and drag and drop with Finder work too.
Do interrupted transfers resume?
SFTP, FTP/FTPS and local copies resume in both directions. S3 and WebDAV downloads resume, and large S3 uploads are sent in parts.
Where are my passwords kept?
Passwords and secret keys are stored in your macOS Keychain. Connection details are kept in a settings file.
Does it run on Intel Macs?
File Xfer needs an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 14 or later.
Can I copy files straight from an SFTP server to Amazon S3?
Yes. Connect one pane to the SFTP server and the other to the bucket, then copy across as you would from your Mac. The data passes through a temporary file on your Mac, so you need free space for the largest file.
Does File Xfer work with Cloudflare R2, Wasabi or Backblaze B2?
Yes. Add an S3 connection and enter the service’s endpoint address, region and keys. Path-style addressing is on by default, which most S3-compatible services need, and leaving Bucket empty lists every bucket your key can see.
Can I sync a folder on my Mac with an S3 bucket or SFTP server?
Yes. Sync Folders makes one pane’s folder match the other in the direction you choose, and lists every copy, update and delete before anything happens. Nothing changes until you press Sync, and deleting extras at the destination is a separate option.
Can I edit files on my web server without downloading and re-uploading them by hand?
Yes. Right-click a remote file and choose Edit in External Editor. It opens in your own editor, and every time you save, File Xfer uploads the change back to the server.
How do I share a file from an S3 bucket with a temporary link?
Right-click the file and choose Copy Presigned Link. Anyone with the link can download that file until it expires, after 15 minutes, 1 hour, 24 hours or 7 days, as set in Settings › S3.
How does File Xfer compare to Transmit?
Transmit, from Panic, is a Mac file transfer app with a dual-pane window and file sync. It connects to FTP, SFTP, WebDAV and S3 plus cloud services such as Google Drive, Dropbox, Box and Microsoft Azure. File Xfer covers S3-compatible storage, SFTP, FTP/FTPS and WebDAV, and doesn’t connect to those other cloud services.
Is there an alternative to Cyberduck that shows two panes?
File Xfer shows two folders side by side, and either can be your Mac or a server, so you can copy, compare and sync between them. Cyberduck is a free, open-source browser for Mac and Windows that reaches more services, including SMB, Google Drive, OneDrive and Dropbox. File Xfer is a paid app for Apple silicon Macs and works with S3-compatible storage, SFTP, FTP/FTPS and WebDAV.
How does File Xfer compare to ForkLift?
ForkLift, from BinaryNights, is a dual-pane file manager for macOS that also connects to SFTP, FTP, WebDAV, S3 and Backblaze B2, plus Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, SMB, AFP and NFS. File Xfer is a file transfer app built around four kinds of connection: S3-compatible storage, SFTP, FTP/FTPS and WebDAV. Both compare and sync folders.
Studio Backup
Scheduled, versioned backups of folders, drives or a whole Mac to an external drive or to another machine over SSH. Every backup is a dated folder you can browse in Finder, and unchanged files are shared between versions.
Every version is a folder
Each backup is a real dated folder of your files, readable in Finder with or without the app. Creation dates, Finder tags, permissions and ownership are kept.
Drives or SSH
Back up to an APFS or HFS+ drive, or to a machine over SSH such as a Linux NAS on ext4 or btrfs. The destination is checked for version history and free space before the first run.
Schedules
Every 15 minutes to every 12 hours, daily, on chosen weekdays, monthly, or whenever the drive is plugged in. Runs are skipped when nothing has changed, and laptops can wait for mains power.
History that thins itself
By default it keeps every backup for 2 days, one a day for 30 days, one a week for 52 weeks, then one a month. When the drive runs low it removes the oldest first, keeping at least three.
Should this be my only backup?
Keep more than one backup whichever app you use, with a second copy on another drive or off-site, and test-restore a few files now and then.
What permissions does it need?
Full Disk Access for the app and its backup helper, which you switch on in System Settings, to back up protected places such as Mail and Messages. Drive jobs ask for your admin password once to install the helper.
Can it back up to a network share or iCloud?
It backs up to drives connected to your Mac and to machines over SSH. SMB shares mounted in Finder aren’t supported as destinations; use SSH to reach a NAS. iCloud Drive and other cloud folders are skipped.
Can I restore a whole Mac from it?
Reinstall macOS, then restore the backup on top. macOS lives on a sealed system volume that can’t be copied, so the backup holds your files, apps and settings.
How is Studio Backup different from Time Machine?
Both keep a dated history of your files that you can go back to. Time Machine is built into macOS and backs up to an external drive, a Mac shared on your network, or a NAS that supports Time Machine over SMB. Studio Backup saves each backup as a plain dated folder, backs up to drives or to any machine you can reach over SSH, and lets you choose the schedule and how long versions are kept.
How does Studio Backup compare to Carbon Copy Cloner?
Carbon Copy Cloner, from Bombich Software, backs up to external drives and network volumes and keeps earlier versions as snapshots. Studio Backup keeps each version as a dated folder with unchanged files shared between them, and can also back up over SSH. If Carbon Copy Cloner already keeps a copy of the same source, Studio Backup can take that folder over and copy only the changes; its snapshots stay where they are and aren’t imported.
Can I back up my Mac to a Linux server or NAS over SSH?
Yes. You need to be able to log in with an SSH key (ssh user@machine works in Terminal without a password), the machine needs tar installed, and your account must be able to write to the backup folder. Linux filesystems such as ext4 and btrfs work well, and SSH backups run while you’re logged in to your Mac.
Can I back up my session folders and sample library drive?
Yes. Make a job for your projects folder, and another for the whole sample drive if you like. Unchanged files are shared between versions, so a large sample library takes its full space once and later versions only add what changed.
Does a whole-Mac backup include my audio plug-ins?
Yes. The Everything on this Mac job includes the system-wide Library folder, where audio plug-ins, application support, fonts and shared licences live, along with Applications and every home folder. Caches and render files, such as Adobe media caches and Final Cut Pro render files, are skipped.
Can I open my backups without Studio Backup?
Yes. A drive backup is a Latest folder with the current copy of your files and a Versions folder of dated folders, and you can drag files out of any of them in Finder. SSH backups are the same folders on the other machine.
Why does Finder say my backup is bigger than my drive?
Unchanged files are hard-linked between versions, and Finder counts them again for every version. There is only one copy of each on the drive, and More › Space Used… shows the real figure.
Can I use an exFAT drive for Studio Backup?
Yes, as a plain mirror with no version history and without Mac details such as creation dates and Finder tags. For full history use an APFS or Mac OS Extended (HFS+) drive, and copy anything you need off the exFAT drive before reformatting it.
Audio Converter
A Mac app that converts batches of audio files and folders between WAV, AIFF, FLAC, Apple Lossless, AAC, MP3, Opus and Ogg Vorbis, with SoX VHQ resampling, TPDF or noise-shaped dither, loudness readings and an A/B compare.
Eight output formats
WAV, AIFF, FLAC, Apple Lossless, AAC, MP3, Opus and Ogg Vorbis, with VBR or CBR on the lossy ones. Reads anything macOS can decode, including WAV, AIFF, CAF, MP3, M4A and FLAC.
Whole folders at once
Folders are scanned all the way down and converted in parallel. Save next to the originals or into one folder, keeping the subfolder structure. Your originals stay unchanged.
Resampling and dither
SoX VHQ resampling to any rate from 22.05 to 192 kHz, and TPDF or noise-shaped dither when going down to 16 or 24-bit.
Five presets
CD 16/44.1, Streaming AAC, MP3 320, FLAC Archive and Opus Voice fill in the settings in one click, and you can change anything after.
Can I try it first?
Yes. Every copy runs as a full 7-day trial with every feature working.
Are tags and artwork copied?
Only the audio is converted. Tags and artwork stay with the originals, so re-tag the new files in your music app if you need them.
Can it read Ogg Vorbis or Opus files?
It writes both formats, but macOS can’t decode them, so they can’t be used as inputs.
Does it run on Intel Macs?
Yes. Audio Converter runs on Apple silicon and Intel Macs with macOS 14 or later.
How do I batch convert WAV to MP3 on a Mac?
Drop the WAV files or their folder onto Audio Converter, click the MP3 320 preset (or choose MP3 with your own VBR or CBR setting) and press Convert to MP3. The files are converted in parallel and the MP3s are saved next to the originals or into a folder you choose.
Can I convert FLAC to Apple Lossless (ALAC) on a Mac?
Yes. Choose Apple Lossless at 16 or 24-bit and you get .m4a files that play natively on Apple devices. Only the audio is converted, so add tags and artwork in your music app afterwards.
How do I turn a 24-bit, 48 kHz mix into a 16-bit, 44.1 kHz WAV for CD?
Use the CD 16/44.1 preset. It writes a 16-bit, 44.1 kHz stereo WAV, resampled with the SoX VHQ converter and dithered with TPDF, and you can switch to noise-shaped dither if you prefer.
Can it normalise audio to a LUFS target?
No. It normalises to a peak level, with a target between −12 and 0 dB. The compare view measures each source file’s integrated LUFS, loudness range and true peak, so you can check loudness before you convert.
Can I convert audio to Opus on a Mac?
Yes. Audio Converter writes .opus files with VBR quality (roughly 32 to 256 kbps) or a fixed bitrate from 96 to 320 kbps, always at 48 kHz. The Opus Voice preset is a quick starting point for speech.
How does Audio Converter compare to XLD?
XLD is a free Mac app that rips CDs with AccurateRip, splits files with cue sheets, copies tags and artwork, and decodes lossless formats such as Monkey’s Audio and WavPack. Audio Converter reads what macOS can decode, converts audio only, and is built around batch delivery: SoX resampling, dither, per-file settings and an A/B compare with loudness readings. XLD suits ripping and music libraries; Audio Converter suits turning mixes and sessions into delivery formats.
Is Audio Converter an alternative to dBpoweramp or fre:ac?
For converting files you already have, yes. dBpoweramp (paid, with a Mac version) and fre:ac (free and open source) also rip CDs and edit tags, which Audio Converter doesn’t do. Audio Converter focuses on batch conversion with SoX VHQ resampling, TPDF or noise-shaped dither and an A/B compare of each result.
Can’t I just convert songs in Apple Music?
Apple Music can make a copy of a song in the format chosen in its Import Settings, and adds the copy to your library. Audio Converter works on files and folders anywhere on your Mac, writes FLAC, Opus and Ogg Vorbis as well, and lets you set the sample rate, bit depth and dither.
Web Image Converter
A Mac app that converts batches of images to lossy or lossless WebP, resizing to a maximum size and sharpening as it goes, with a split-slider compare that shows how much smaller each file is.
Most formats in, WebP out
JPEG, PNG, HEIC/HEIF, TIFF, GIF, BMP and WebP in. Transparent PNGs stay transparent, and sideways photos are turned the right way up.
Lossy or lossless
Quality from 1 to 100 (80 by default) or lossless for screenshots and logos, using Google’s WebP encoder at its highest compression effort.
Resize on the way
Set a longest edge, a maximum width and a maximum height in any combination. Proportions are kept, and images are only ever made smaller.
Sharpen after resizing
Light, Medium or Strong sharpening brings back crispness, applied only to images that were made smaller.
Can I try it first?
Yes. Every copy runs as a full 7-day trial with every feature working.
Is location data removed?
Yes. Camera details, GPS location, XMP and colour profiles are always removed, and colours are converted to sRGB for browsers.
Do animated GIFs stay animated?
Only the first frame is converted, as a still image.
Does it run on Intel Macs?
Yes. Web Image Converter runs on Apple silicon and Intel Macs with macOS 14 or later.
How do I batch convert JPG and PNG images to WebP on a Mac?
Drop the images or their folders onto Web Image Converter, click the Web Standard preset and press Convert to WebP. Each thumbnail then shows how much smaller it came out, and the summary shows the total saved.
What WebP quality should I use for a website?
The default of 80 suits most photos, and 75 to 85 is a good range. Use Lossless for screenshots, logos and flat colour, and check the result in the compare view before converting.
Can I resize images for my website at the same time?
Yes. Set a longest edge, a maximum width, a maximum height or any combination. Proportions are kept, images are only ever made smaller, and anything that was shrunk is sharpened to your chosen level.
Can I convert iPhone HEIC photos to WebP?
Yes. HEIC and HEIF photos convert like any other image. Sideways photos are turned the right way up, colour is converted to sRGB, and GPS location and camera details are removed.
Can it convert to AVIF?
No. Web Image Converter makes WebP files only. WebP is supported by every current major browser, including Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Edge.
Is there a batch alternative to Squoosh for Mac?
Squoosh is Google Chrome Labs’ free, open-source web app: it compresses one image at a time in your browser, without uploading it, and offers several formats including WebP and AVIF. Web Image Converter is a Mac app that converts whole folders to WebP in one go, with resizing and sharpening, and uses the same kind of split-slider compare.
How does it compare to ImageOptim?
ImageOptim is a free, open-source Mac app that shrinks JPEG, PNG, GIF and SVG files while keeping their format, and removes metadata. Web Image Converter changes the format to WebP and can resize as it goes. ImageOptim suits optimising files in place; Web Image Converter suits switching a site’s images to WebP.
How does it compare to XnConvert?
XnConvert is a batch image converter, free for private and educational use, with more than 80 operations and many output formats, WebP and AVIF among them. Web Image Converter does one job, making web-ready WebP files, with presets, size limits, sharpening and a before-and-after compare.
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