SoundDial vs Background Music

SoundDial vs Background Music at a glance

	SoundDial	Background Music
Price model	€14.99 one-time purchase, no subscription, no in-app purchases	Free, open source (GPLv2 or later); no price listed
Where you get it	Mac App Store	GitHub (.pkg) or Homebrew
Try before buying	no free trial; refunds go through Apple	Free download
macOS	macOS 14.2 or later	macOS 10.13 or later
How it installs	Mac App Store app, sandboxed; does not install a virtual audio driver	.pkg installer; adds a virtual audio device and restarts the system audio process; needs microphone access
Release status	SoundDial 2.0	Version 0.5.0 (10 June 2026); README says "still in alpha"
Per-app volume	0% to 200%, soft limiter above 100%	Yes; can boost above the maximum; range not stated; README notes clipping above 50%
Per-app mute	Yes, plus Control-Option-M to mute all apps	Yes (since 0.5.0)
Equalizer	Per app: 10 bands, 11 presets, plus left/right balance	Not stated
Output device per app	Yes (Play Through)	Not stated; only stereo output devices are supported
Lowering other apps	On calls: automatic, on by default, 5% to 80%	Not stated; auto-pause stops a listed music player instead
Profiles	Saved mixes (volume, mute, EQ, balance; not the output device)	Not stated
Recording	No	Records system audio through QuickTime
Checked on	SoundDial 2.0	Project pages, 12 November 2026 (version 0.5.0)

Why SoundDial is the better pick

• More controls per app. Beyond volume and mute, each app gets a 10-band equalizer, left/right balance and its own output device. The equalizer has 11 presets and each band moves up to 12 dB either way; balance runs from -100 to 100. Background Music's pages state volume and mute.
• Calls are handled for you. When Zoom, Teams, FaceTime or Discord uses the microphone, other playing apps drop to 30% of their level by default and return afterwards. You can set that level anywhere from 5% to 80%. See lower music during calls.
• No virtual audio device. SoundDial does not install a virtual audio driver. Its guided setup has 6 pages, asks for one macOS audio permission and tests that it works. See setup and permissions.
• A Mac App Store release. SoundDial is bought, installed and updated through the Mac App Store: €14.99 one-time purchase, no subscription, no in-app purchases. It is version 2.0, and existing 1.x buyers got it as a free update. Background Music's README calls itself alpha software.
• Settings are remembered. SoundDial restores each app's volume, mute, EQ and output device the next time the app opens, and saves whole mixes as profiles with a choice of 10 icons.

When Background Music fits better

• You want it free and open source. Background Music is GPLv2 or later; SoundDial is a paid app.
• Your Mac is older than macOS 14.2. Background Music lists macOS 10.13 and later.
• You want your music player paused automatically. Its auto-pause pauses a supported player when a second source plays, and resumes it afterwards. SoundDial lowers other apps; it does not pause them.
• You want to record system audio. Its README describes recording through QuickTime with Background Music as the input. SoundDial does not record.

Is Background Music free?

Yes. The README states the licence, GPLv2 or later, and lists no price. You download a .pkg from GitHub or install it with Homebrew.

Does Background Music install an audio driver?

Yes. The installer adds a virtual audio device and a helper, restarts the system audio process (coreaudiod), and Background Music becomes your output device. It asks for microphone access because it takes system audio from its virtual input. The README says it does not actually listen to your microphone. SoundDial does not install a virtual audio driver.

Which macOS does each need?

SoundDial: macOS 14.2 or later. Background Music: macOS 10.13 or later, per its README.

What SoundDial adds on paper

Background Music's pages list per-app volume and mute, auto-pause and recording. SoundDial's own facts add four things per app, each from the app itself:

• Equalizer. 10 bands (31 Hz to 16 kHz), 11 presets such as Bass Boost, Vocal and Late Night, and a switch that turns it on or off per app. SoundDial has no system-wide EQ.
• Output device. Row menu, Play Through: send one app to any output device while others stay on another. Several apps can use different devices at once.
• Call lowering. On by default, 30% unless you change it. It reacts when a call app or a listed browser reports microphone use. SoundDial does not read or record microphone audio.
• Profiles. "Save current mix as a profile" stores volume, mute, EQ and balance for each app. It does not store the output device.

Background Music not working on your Mac?

If Background Music does not work for you, start with what the project's own pages say. They are the README and release notes on GitHub, checked on 2026-11-12.

• Version. The latest release is 0.5.0, published 10 June 2026. The README states that Background Music "is still in alpha".
• macOS. The README says it requires macOS 10.13 or later. It does not list newer macOS versions separately.
• Installation. The install script restarts the system audio process (coreaudiod). The README says no restart of the Mac is required.
• Permission. The README says to allow microphone access on first run, because the app gets system audio from its virtual input device. It adds that the app does not actually listen to your microphone.
• Known issues the README lists. Setting an app's volume above 50% can cause clipping. Only stereo (2-channel) output devices are supported. It also lists a Chrome issue, and silence if headphones are plugged in while the app is not running.

Fixes for those issues are in the project's README and issue tracker, not on this page. This page does not claim to know why it fails on your Mac.

If you would rather not depend on an alpha release, SoundDial needs macOS 14.2 or later and one macOS audio permission. Its popover shows "Finish setup to control app volumes" or "Audio access isn't working" with a "Fix It" button, which opens the guided setup. SoundDial is stereo only too, and it controls apps, not individual browser tabs.

Background Music review: what its pages state

• Maker. The Background Music contributors; the project owner on GitHub is Kyle Neideck.
• Licence. GPLv2 or later, open source.
• Version and date. 0.5.0, 10 June 2026.
• Features it lists. A volume slider per app (it can boost quiet apps above their maximum), a per-app mute button since 0.5.0, auto-pause for music players, and system audio recording through QuickTime.
• Not stated. Price, any equalizer, an output device per app, profiles, shortcuts and UI languages.

What SoundDial does not do

• It does not record audio and does not read microphone audio.
• It does not pause music players; it lowers other apps instead, and only during calls.
• Its equalizer is per app, not system-wide, and the app is stereo only (no surround).
• It controls apps, not single browser tabs.
• Profiles do not save the output device.
• It is not free or open source. It is a paid Mac App Store app.

Can I use both?

Not at the same time on the same apps. Both adjust per-app audio, so two mixers can fight over the same sound. Use one at a time.

How do I switch from Background Music to SoundDial?

1. Note the app volumes you use in Background Music.
2. Quit Background Music and set your Mac's output back to your speakers or headphones. Uninstall steps are in the project README.
3. Get SoundDial from the Mac App Store and follow its guided setup.
4. Click SoundDial in the menu bar and set each app's volume, EQ and output.
5. Choose "Save current mix as a profile" to keep that setup for one click later.

Who should pick which

• If you want per-app volume with EQ and an output per app, take SoundDial.
• If you want other apps lowered automatically during calls, take SoundDial.
• If you want an app that installs without a virtual audio device, take SoundDial.
• If you want a per-app mixer bought once on the Mac App Store, take SoundDial.
• If you need free, open-source software or macOS older than 14.2, take Background Music.

How we compared

SoundDial's column comes from the app itself (see SoundDial facts). Background Music's column comes only from the project's own README and release notes on GitHub, checked on 2026-11-12. "Not stated" means those pages do not say. Background Music was not run for this page; its features are as the project describes them. Every comparison is on Compare.