Dive into the technical aspects of audio on your device, including codecs, format support, and customization options.

Audio Documentation

Posts under Audio subtopic

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What is the best approach to multi-channel, per-channel volume control.
I've got a setup using AVAudioEngine with several tone generator nodes, each with a chain of processing nodes, the chains then mixed into the main output. Generator ➡️ Effect ➡️... ➡️ .mainMixerNode ➡️ .outputNode). Generator ➡️ Effect ➡️... ⤴️ ... Generator ➡️ Effect ➡️... ⤴️ The user should be able to mute any chain individually. I've found several potential approaches to muting, but not terribly happy with any of them. Adjust the amplitudes directly in my tone generators. Issue: Consumes CPU even when completely muted. 4 generators adds ~15% cpu, even when all chains are muted. Detach/attach chains that are muted/unmuted. Issue: Causes loud clicking/popping sounds whenever muted/unmuted. Fade mixer output volume while detaching/attaching a chain (just cutting the volume immediately to 0 doesn't get rid of the clicking/popping). Issue: Causes all channels to fade during the transition, so not ideal. The rest of these ideas are variations on making volume control+detatch/attach work for individual chains, since approach #3 worked well. Add an AVAudioMixer to the end of each chain (just for volume control). Issue: Only the mixer on the final chain functions -- the others block all output. Not sure what's going on there. Use matrix mixer (for multi-input volume control). Plus detach/attach to reduce CPU if necessary. Not yet attempted, due to perceived complexity and reports of fragility in order of wiring in. A bunch of effort before I even know if it's going to work. Develop my own fader node to put on the end of each channel. Unlike the tone generator (simple AVSourceNode), developing an effect node seems complex and time consuming. Might not even fix CPU use. I'm not completely averse to the learning curve of either 5 or 6, but would rather get some guidance on best approach before diving in. They both seem likely to take more effort than I'd like for the simple behavior I'm trying to achieve.
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Jul ’25
MacOS: AudioUnit packaged as .appex won't load when host app is sandboxed
Hi, I'm working on an audio mixing app, that comes with bundled audio units that provide some of the app's core functionality. For the next release of that app, we are planning to make two changes: make the app sandboxed package the bundled audio units as .appex bundles instead as .component bundles, so we don't need to take care of the installation at the correct spot in the file system When trying this new approach, we run into problems where [[AVAudioUnitEffect alloc] initWithAudioComponentDescription:] crashes when trying to load our audio unit with the exception: AVAEInternal.h:109 [AUInterface.mm:468:AUInterfaceBaseV3: (AudioComponentInstanceNew(comp, &_auv2)): error -10863 Our audio unit has the `sandboxSafe flag enabled, and loads fine when the host app is not sandboxed, so I'm guessing I got the bundle id/code signing requirements for the .appex correct. It seems, that my .appex isn't even loaded, and the system rejects it because of its metadata. Maybe there something wrong the Info.plist generated by Juice? "BuildMachineOSBuild" => "23H222" "CFBundleDisplayName" => "elgato_sample_recorder" "CFBundleExecutable" => "ElgatoSampleRecorder" "CFBundleIdentifier" => "com.iwascoding.EffectLoader.samplerecorderAUv3" "CFBundleName" => "elgato_sample_recorder" "CFBundlePackageType" => "XPC!" "CFBundleShortVersionString" => "1.0.0.0" "CFBundleSignature" => "????" "CFBundleSupportedPlatforms" => [ 0 => "MacOSX" ] "CFBundleVersion" => "1.0.0.0" "DTCompiler" => "com.apple.compilers.llvm.clang.1_0" "DTPlatformBuild" => "24C94" "DTPlatformName" => "macosx" "DTPlatformVersion" => "15.2" "DTSDKBuild" => "24C94" "DTSDKName" => "macosx15.2" "DTXcode" => "1620" "DTXcodeBuild" => "16C5032a" "LSMinimumSystemVersion" => "10.13" "NSExtension" => { "NSExtensionAttributes" => { "AudioComponents" => [ 0 => { "description" => "Elgato Sample Recorder" "factoryFunction" => "elgato_sample_recorderAUFactoryAUv3" "manufacturer" => "Manu" "name" => "Elgato: Elgato Sample Recorder" "sandboxSafe" => 1 "subtype" => "Znyk" "tags" => [ 0 => "Effects" ] "type" => "aufx" "version" => 65536 } ] } "NSExtensionPointIdentifier" => "com.apple.AudioUnit-UI" "NSExtensionPrincipalClass" => "elgato_sample_recorderAUFactoryAUv3" } "NSHighResolutionCapable" => 1 } Any ideas what I am missing?
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Feb ’25
iPhone 14 Pro: External USB mic not available in AVAudioSession for call apps, but works in Voice Memos & Instagram Live
I’m facing a strange audio routing issue that seems specific to iPhone 14 Pro / Pro Max. I’m using LiveKit (WebRTC) in a React Native app, which uses AVAudioSession internally for audio capture (VoIP / call-style usage). 🔍 What’s happening: I’m using an external USB microphone. On these devices: iPhone 11 → ✅ USB mic works iPhone 13 → ✅ USB mic works iPhone 17 Pro → ✅ USB mic works iPhone 14 Pro Max → ❌ USB mic does NOT work On iPhone 14 Pro Max: The same USB mic: ✅ Works in Voice Memos ✅ Works in Instagram Live ❌ Does NOT appear as an input option in my app ❌ Does NOT work in WhatsApp / Instagram calls Also: In my app on iPhone 14 Pro Max, iOS does not show the audio input selector UI On iPhone 17 Pro, the same app and same build does show the selector and the USB mic works ⚙️ My audio session config ( LiveKit ): await AudioSession.setAppleAudioConfiguration({ audioCategory: 'playAndRecord', audioMode: 'default', audioCategoryOptions: ['allowBluetooth', 'defaultToSpeaker'], }); await AudioSession.startAudioSession(); ❓ My questions: Is this a known limitation or behavior specific to iPhone 14 Pro / Pro Max? Does iPhone 14 Pro have different audio routing rules for call / VoIP mode compared to other devices? Why does the same USB mic work in recording apps (Voice Memos, Instagram Live) but not in call-style apps (LiveKit, WhatsApp, Instagram call)? Is there any documented difference in AVAudioSession behavior on iPhone 14 Pro regarding external USB audio inputs?
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Logic Pro - discover channel upstream latency
Hello everyone, I've written an audio unit plugin that needs to be aware of any upstream latency caused by heavy plugins before it on the channel. Is there any way to query this? I know that Logic applies PDC at the channel's output (summing point), but I need to know what the accumulated latency is at the point the audio enters my plugin. Thanks!
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Why Does WebView Audio Get Quiet During RTC Calls? (AVAudioSession Analysis)
I developed an educational app that implements audio-video communication through RTC, while using WebView to display course materials during classes. However, some users are experiencing an issue where the audio playback from WebView is very quiet. I've checked that the AVAudioSessionCategory is set by RTC to AVAudioSessionCategoryPlayAndRecord, and the AVAudioSessionCategoryOption also includes AVAudioSessionCategoryOptionMixWithOthers. What could be causing the WebView audio to be suppressed, and how can this be resolved?
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555
Jul ’25
CoreMIDI driver - flow control
Hi, when a CoreMIDI driver controls physical HW it is probably quite commune to have to control the amount of MIDI data received from the system. What comes to mind is to just delay returning control of the MIDIDriverInterface::Send() callback to the calling process. While the application trying to send MIDI really stalls until the callback returns it seems only to be a side effect of a generally stalled CoreMIDI server. Between the callbacks the application can send as much MIDI data as it wants to CoreMIDI, it's buffering seems to be endless... However the HW might not be able to play out all the data. It seems there is no way to indicate an overflow/full buffer situation back the application/CoreMIDI. How is this supposed to work? Thanks, any hints or pointers are highly appreciated! Hagen.
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Oct ’25
AVAudioEngine failing with -10877 on macOS 26 beta, no devices detected via AVFoundation but HAL works
I’m developing a macOS audio monitoring app using AVAudioEngine, and I’ve run into a critical issue on macOS 26 beta where AVFoundation fails to detect any input devices, and AVAudioEngine.start() throws the familiar error 10877. FB#: FB19024508 Strange Behavior: AVAudioEngine.inputNode shows no channels or input format on bus 0. AVAudioEngine.start() fails with -10877 (AudioUnit connection error). AVCaptureDevice.DiscoverySession returns zero audio devices. Microphone permission is granted (authorized), and the app is properly signed and sandboxed with com.apple.security.device.audio-input. However, CoreAudio HAL does detect all input/output devices: Using AudioObjectGetPropertyDataSize and AudioObjectGetPropertyData with kAudioHardwarePropertyDevices, I can enumerate 14+ devices, including AirPods, USB DACs, and BlackHole. This suggests the lower-level audio stack is functional. I have tried: Resetting CoreAudio with sudo killall coreaudiod Rebuilding and re-signing the app Clearing TCC with tccutil reset Microphone Running on Apple Silicon and testing Rosetta/native detection via sysctl.proc_translated Using a fallback mechanism that logs device info from HAL and rotates logs for submission via Feedback Assistant I have submitted logs and a reproducible test case via Feedback Assitant : FB#: FB19024508]
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Jul ’25
Question about Apple Vision Pro audio input sampling rate for research
I am a graduate student conducting research in speech/audio signal processing and multimodal interaction. Apple Vision Pro is widely recognized as a multimodal interactive system supporting voice, eye, and gesture inputs. However, I could not find detailed specifications or documentation about the audio input sampling rate used by the device’s built-in microphone array when capturing user audio. Specifically, I would like to understand: What is the default audio input sampling rate (e.g., 16 kHz, 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, etc.) for the Vision Pro’s microphones? When developing with visionOS / AVAudioSession / AVAudioEngine, is there a documented or recommended sampling rate for audio capture? Are there any best practices or settings for enabling high-quality voice capture on Vision Pro (especially for voice research tasks)? For context, my work involves voice processing, analysis, and possibly on-device real-time speech recognition. Any pointers to relevant APIs, documentation or examples (especially regarding audio capture buffer size or available formats on visionOS) would be very helpful. Thank you in advance! Best regards.
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Audio driver based on AudioDriverKit sometimes hangs after sleep
Dear Sirs, I’ve written a virtual audio driver based on AudioDriverKit and running as dext in my MacOS app. Sometimes when waking up from a sleep state the recording side of my driver extension seems to hang and I don’t see any calls to my io_operation callback. Then the recording app like a DAW seems to hang when trying to start a recording. This doesn’t happen after short sleep states or after a complete new start of my MacBook. I already opened a case in Feedback-Assistant on 5th of May (FB17503622) which also includes a sysdiagnose and a ktrace but I didn't get any feedback so far. Meanwhile some of our customers are getting angry and I'd like to know if there's anything I could do to fix this problem on my side. We’re not sure whether this worked in previous MacOS versions, we think we didn’t observe this before 15.3.1 but at least since 15.3.1. we’ve seen this problem. Best regards, Johannes
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Aug ’25
Play Audio and Recognize Speech in Car
Hello, I'm trying to determine the best/recommended AVAudioSession configuration (i.e category, mode, and options) for the following use-case. Essentially, I'd like to switch between periods of playing an audio file and then recognizing speech. The audio file is typically speech and I don't intend for playback and speech recognition to occur simultaneously. I'd like for the user to sill be able to interact with Siri and I'd like for it to work with CarPlay where navigation prompts can occur. I would assume the category to use is 'playAndRecord', but I'm not sure if it's better to just set that once for the entire lifecycle, or set to 'playback' for audio file playback and then switch to 'playAndRecord' for speech recognition . I'm also not sure on the best 'mode' and 'options' to set. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.
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Sep ’25
Incorrect 5.1 / Atmos channel mapping on Apple TV 4K (2022)
I ran 5.1 audio tests in both YouTube and Apple Music, and I noticed that when sound is supposed to play from the rear or front surround speakers, it’s also duplicated in the front left and right channels. I’m absolutely sure the issue is with the Apple TV, because I played the same video directly through my TV’s native system, and the channel separation was correct. Everything used to work perfectly before, so this must be a software issue. I’m currently on tvOS 26 Developer Beta 5, but I’m certain the problem also existed on the stable tvOS 18.5. I’ve already reset and updated my Apple TV, and I also tried switching the audio format to forced Dolby Atmos 5.1. On the forums, I mostly see complaints about Dolby Atmos not working at all — in my case, everything technically works, but not the way it’s supposed to.
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Aug ’25
Indexing of Music App
Recently, after the update of 26.3 Mac OS (Tahoe), the ordering of my music app has been horrible at best - music disappearing, tracks not aligning with albums (even if the albums are different years). It's created quite a problem, because the disappearing tracks issue seems to be replicating to iOS devices as well (although track numbering and album association seem to be stable). Has anyone else heard of this issue?
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Dec ’25
SpeechTranscriber extremely slow (14+ seconds) despite proper locale allocation and optimization
Using the official SwiftTranscriptionSampleApp from WWDC 2025, speech transcription takes 14+ seconds from audio input to first result, making it unusable for real-time applications. Environment iOS: 26.0 Beta Xcode: Beta 5 Device: iPhone 16 pro Sample App: Official Apple SwiftTranscriptionSampleApp from WWDC 2025 Configuration Tested Locale: en-US (properly allocated with AssetInventory.allocate(locale:)) and es-ES Setup: All optimizations applied (preheating, high priority, model retention) I started testing in my own app to replace SFSpeech API and include speech detection but after long fights with documentation (this part is quite terrible TBH) I tested the example (https://developer.apple.com/documentation/speech/bringing-advanced-speech-to-text-capabilities-to-your-app) and saw same results. I added some logs to check the specific time: 🎙️ [20:30:41.532] ✅ Analyzer started successfully - ready to receive audio! 🎙️ [20:30:41.532] Listening for transcription results... 🎙️ [20:30:56.342] 🚀 FIRST TRANSCRIPTION RESULT after 14.810s: 'Hello' (isFinal: false) Questions Is this expected performance for iOS 26 Beta, because old SFSpeech is far faster? Are there additional optimization steps for SpeechTranscriber? Should we expect significant performance improvements in later betas?
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Aug ’25
AVAudioSession automatically sets the tablet audio volume to 50% when recording audio.
Environment→ ・Device: iPad 10th generation ・OS:**iOS18.3.2 I'm using AVAudioSession to record sound in my application. But I recently came to realize that when the app starts a recording session on a tablet, OS automatically sets the tablet volume to 50% and when after recording ends, it doesn't change back to the previous volume level before starting the recording. So I would like to know whether this is an OS default behavior or a bug? If it's a default behavior, I much appreciate if I can get a link to the documentation.
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117
Apr ’25
Unexpected AVAudioSession behavior after iOS 18.5 causing audio loss in VoIP calls
After updating to iOS 18.5, we’ve observed that outgoing audio from our app intermittently stops being transmitted during VoIP calls using AVAudioSession configured with .playAndRecord and .voiceChat. The session is set active without errors, and interruptions are handled correctly, yet audio capture suddenly ceases mid-call. This was not observed in earlier iOS versions (≤ 18.4). We’d like to confirm if there have been any recent changes in AVAudioSession, CallKit, or related media handling that could affect audio input behavior during long-running calls. func configureForVoIPCall() throws { try setCategory( .playAndRecord, mode: .voiceChat, options: [.allowBluetooth, .allowBluetoothA2DP, .defaultToSpeaker]) try setActive(true) }
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Aug ’25
ApplicationMusicPlayer fails play in macCatalyst 26.3 due to RemotePlayerService crash
I've filed this as FB21446798 but figured I'd post here too. In the first build of macOS 26.3, playback via ApplicationMusicPlayer is completely broken. When starting playback of anything at all, the console shows the following error: applicationController: xpc service connection interrupted Failed to obtain remoteObject: Error Domain=NSCocoaErrorDomain Code=4099 "The connection to service created from an endpoint was invalidated from this process." UserInfo={NSDebugDescription=The connection to service created from an endpoint was invalidated from this process.} Failed to prepareToPlay with error: Error Domain=MPMusicPlayerControllerErrorDomain Code=10 "(null)" UserInfo={NSUnderlyingError=0xc92910ff0 {Error Domain=NSCocoaErrorDomain Code=4099 "The connection to service created from an endpoint was invalidated from this process." UserInfo={NSDebugDescription=The connection to service created from an endpoint was invalidated from this process.}}} In addition, several crash logs for RemotePlayerService are generated, showing my app as the parent process. This issue is 100% repeatable. No matter how I load the queue, whether it’s catalog or library content, any variation I can think of all fails like this. I really hope this can be fixed before 26.3 comes out, otherwise my app will be totally unusable. 😅
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How to inform Logic Pro that AU view does not have a fixed aspect ratio?
I have an AUv3 that passes all validation and can be loaded into Logic Pro without issue. The UI for the plug in can be any aspect ratio but Logic insists on presenting it in a view with a fixed aspect ratio. That is when resizing, both the height and width are resized. I have never managed to work out what it is I need to do specify to Logic to allow the user to resize width or height independently of each other. Can anyone tell me what I need to specify in the AU code that will inform Logic that the view can be resized from any side of the window/panel?
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134
Apr ’25
Destroy MIDIUMPMutableEndpoint again?
Is there a way to destroy MIDIUMPMutableEndpoint again? In my app, the user has a setting to enable and disable MIDI 2.0. If MIDI 2.0 should not be supported (or if iOS version < 18), it creates a virtual destination and a virtual source. And if MIDI 2.0 should be enabled, it instead creates a MIDIUMPMutableEndpoint, which itself creates the virtual destination and source automatically. So here is my problem: I didn't find any way to destroy the MIDIUMPMutableEndpoint again. There is a method to disable it (setEnabled:NO), but that doesn't destroy or hide the virtual destination and source. So when the user turns MIDI 2.0 support off, I will have two virtual destinations and sources, and cannot get rid of the 2.0 ones. What is the correct way to get rid of the MIDIUMPMutableEndpoint once it is created?
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123
Sep ’25
Windows Apple Music: how to enumerate the local library or export it? Is Library.musicdb documented / API available?
Environment Windows 11 [edition/build]: [e.g., 23H2, 22631.x] Apple Music for Windows version: [e.g., 1.x.x from Microsoft Store] Library folder: C:\Users<user>\Music\Apple Music\Apple Music Library.musiclibrary Summary I need a supported way to programmatically enumerate the local Apple Music library on Windows (track file paths, playlists, etc.) for reconciliation with the on-disk Media folder. On macOS this used to be straightforward via scripting/export; on Windows I can’t find an equivalent. What I’m seeing in the library bundle Library.musicdb → not SQLite. First 4 bytes: 68 66 6D 61 ("hfma"). Library Preferences.musicdb → also starts with "hfma". artwork.sqlite → SQLite but appears to be artwork cache only (no track file paths). Extras.itdb → has SQLite format 3 header but (from a quick scan) not seeing track locations. Genius.itdb → not a SQLite database on this machine. What I’ve tried Attempted to open Library.musicdb with SQLite providers → error: “file is not a database.” Binary/string scans (ASCII, UTF-16LE/BE, null-stripped) of Library.musicdb → did not reveal file paths or obvious plist/XML/JSON blobs. The Windows Apple Music UI doesn’t appear to expose “Export Library / Export Playlist” like legacy iTunes did, and I can’t find a public API for local library enumeration on Windows. What I’m trying to accomplish Read local track entries (absolute or relative paths), detect broken links, and reconcile against the Media folder. A read-only solution is fine; I do not need to modify the library. Questions for Apple Is the Library.musicdb file format documented anywhere, or is there a supported SDK/API to enumerate the local library on Windows? Is there a supported export mechanism (CLI, UI, or API) on Windows Apple Music to dump the local library and/or playlists (XML/CSV/JSON)? Is there a Windows-specific equivalent to the old iTunes COM automation or any MusicKit surface that can return local library items (not streaming catalog) and their file locations? If none of the above exist today, is there a recommended workaround from Apple for library reconciliation on Windows (e.g., documented support for importing M3U/M3U8 to rebuild the local library from disk)? Are there any plans/timeline for adding Windows feature parity with iTunes/Music on macOS for exporting or scripting the local library? Why this matters For large personal libraries, users occasionally end up with orphaned files on disk or broken links in the app. Without an export or API, it’s difficult to audit and fix at scale on Windows. Reference details (in case it helps triage) Library.musicdb header bytes: 68-66-6D-61-A0-00-00-00-10-26-34-00-15-00-01-00 (ASCII shows hfma…). artwork.sqlite is readable but doesn’t contain track file paths (appears limited to artwork). I can supply a minimal repro tool and logs if that’s helpful. Feature request (if no current API) Add an official Export Library/Playlists action on Windows Apple Music, or Provide a read-only Windows API (or schema doc) that surfaces track file locations and playlist membership from the local library. Thanks in advance for any guidance or pointers to docs I might have missed.
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Sep ’25
AVAudioEngine Voice Processing Fails with Mismatched Input/Output Devices: AggregateDevice Channel Count Mismatch
I'm encountering errors while using AVAudioEngine with voice processing enabled (setVoiceProcessingEnabled(true)) in scenarios where the input and output audio devices are not the same. This issue arises specifically with mismatched devices, preventing the application from functioning as expected. Works: Paired devices (e.g., MacBook Pro mic → MacBook Pro speakers) Fails: Mismatched devices (e.g., AirPods mic → MacBook Pro speakers) When using paired input and output devices: The setup works as expected. Example: MacBook Pro microphone → MacBook Pro speakers. When using mismatched devices: AVAudioEngine setup fails during aggregate device construction. Example: AirPods microphone → MacBook Pro speakers. Error logs indicate a channel count mismatch. Here are the partial logs. Due to the content limit, I cannot post the entire logs. AUVPAggregate.cpp:1000 client-side input and output formats do not match (err=-10875) AUVPAggregate.cpp:1036 err=-10875 AVAEInternal.h:109 [AVAudioEngineGraph.mm:1344:Initialize: (err = PerformCommand(*outputNode, kAUInitialize, NULL, 0)): error -10875 AggregateDevice.mm:329 Failed expectation of constructed aggregate (312): mInput.streamChannelCounts == inputStreamChannelCounts AggregateDevice.mm:331 Failed expectation of constructed aggregate (312): mInput.totalChannelCount == std::accumulate(inputStreamChannelCounts.begin(), inputStreamChannelCounts.end(), 0U) AggregateDevice.mm:182 error fetching default pair AggregateDevice.mm:329 Failed expectation of constructed aggregate (336): mInput.streamChannelCounts == inputStreamChannelCounts AggregateDevice.mm:331 Failed expectation of constructed aggregate (336): mInput.totalChannelCount == std::accumulate(inputStreamChannelCounts.begin(), inputStreamChannelCounts.end(), 0U) AUHAL.cpp:1782 ca_verify_noerr: [AudioDeviceSetProperty(mDeviceID, NULL, 0, isInput, kAudioDevicePropertyIOProcStreamUsage, theSize, theStreamUsage), 560227702] AudioHardware-mac-imp.cpp:3484 AudioDeviceSetProperty: no device with given ID AUHAL.cpp:1782 ca_verify_noerr: [AudioDeviceSetProperty(mDeviceID, NULL, 0, isInput, kAudioDevicePropertyIOProcStreamUsage, theSize, theStreamUsage), 560227702] AggregateDevice.mm:182 error fetching default pair AggregateDevice.mm:329 Failed expectation of constructed aggregate (348): mInput.streamChannelCounts == inputStreamChannelCounts AggregateDevice.mm:331 Failed expectation of constructed aggregate (348): mInput.totalChannelCount == std::accumulate(inputStreamChannelCounts.begin(), inputStreamChannelCounts.end(), 0U) Is it possible to use voice processing with different input/output devices? If yes, are there any specific configurations required to handle mismatched devices? How can we resolve channel count mismatch errors during aggregate device construction? Are there settings or API adjustments to enforce compatibility between input/output devices? Are there any workarounds or alternative approaches to achieve voice processing functionality with mismatched devices? For instance, can we force an intermediate channel configuration or downmix input/output formats?
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Dec ’25