Make your Mac much louder
Quick Mac Tip, 15 January 2012
Trying to watch a video or listen to iTunes and finding you can’t hear well enough, even with the volume turned all the way up? I often have that problem. One way to solve it is with a wonderful piece of software called Audio Hijack Pro (US$32). I use this trick all the time.
Quick Start
- Use Audio Hijack Pro.
- Add the app you wish to hear better as a Source.
- Add a Double Gain effect for that Source.
- Hijack.
Add a source for Audio Hijack Pro
After installing Audio Hijack Pro — it has a free trial you can experiment with — open it up. A window appears.
The Audio Hijack pro window. I have already added sources.
From the Session menu choose New. A new item appears in the left hand column labelled <Select a Source>.
In the area on the right hand side of the window select the app whose sound you want to amplify, for example, Quicktime Player, or Safari.
I chose Safari as my Source application.
Add a Gain Effect
Click on the Effects tab on the right-hand side of the window. The window changes to show boxes where you can add effects.
Click on one of the boxes and a menu appears.
Choose 4FX Effect so a submenu appears and select Double Gain from the submenu. An image of knobs like those on an amplifier appears.
A Double Gain effect in Audio Hijack Pro.
Turn up the Gain
Now comes the hard part as it’s actually tricky to turn the knobs. I find I have to move my mouse in the opposite direction…
Turn the knobs clockwise to increase the gain.
Hijack your audio
Now start up the Source application you chose previously, Safari for example, and get ready to play your movie, podcast or whatever.
Switch back to Audio Hijack Pro. Make sure the same Source is selected in the left-hand column, then press the Hijack button at top left of the Audio Hijack Pro window.
Start playing your movie.
Now I can actually hear the TV show.
Adjust your Mac’s volume using the usual keyboard Volume buttons until you have it at the right level.
Enjoy. And let us know in the Comments how this Tip helped you.
If you found this Tip useful you definitely need my ebooks Sizzling Safari Tips for Mac Users & 22 Tempting Timesavers for Mac Users. And remember to subscribe for regular Tips.
Boom, http://www.globaldelight.com/boom/ provides that functionality in a much more user friendly manner.
Thanks for pointing that out Michael.
Thanks a lot. I was wondering if my computer’s speakers needed repair, or if the new iTunes version was responsible for the low sound volume.
Following your tip, it worked very well. Even the knobs…!
Great tip!
The trick with the volume adjustment is that the mouse moves are up and down rather than in a circle. Move the mouse up to increase volume and down to decrease it. Bad ergonomics (mouseergomics?) but simple once the trick is revealed.
I also love all the other audio controls in Hijack Pro! That alone is a good tip.
Best,
Rob
Rob, thank you!
I think you’re right that it’s a user interface problem. In the real world I would rotate a knob, so I expect to use a rotating movement with the mouse.
A slider on the other hand would work just as well, and I’d then expect to simply move the mouse straight up or down.
So many times I’ve used this and not twigged to the simple up or down movement. I usually end up doing a sort of diagonal slide.
Hi Miraz – we meet recently … Do I need to buy/down load where audio hijack pro? Look forward to hearing from you. Regards, Colleen
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