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Mac Audio Optimization Guide

These settings make your Mac more reliable for recording and mixing. Use them as a starting point if you run into:

  • Pops, clicks, stutters, or dropouts while playing or recording
  • Distortion or bit-crushed sound in playback or recorded files
  • Excess latency
  • Your interface disconnecting, or Apogee Control losing connection

None of these steps are required to use your Apogee interface, but each has solved problems for Apogee users in the past.

Sleep mode

If your Mac is used for recording, mixing, or any work where downtime isn't an option, we recommend turning off automatic sleep and shutting down your Mac when you're finished instead of putting it to sleep.

Sleep pauses running software instead of closing it. When the Mac wakes, it continues where it left off rather than starting fresh. If your interface's connection changes while the Mac is asleep, the software may not recover.

Using sleep without following the steps below can cause loss of audio, loss of connection to Apogee Control, or the need to restart your Mac.

Turn off automatic sleep

  • MacBook: System Settings > Battery > Options, then turn on "Prevent automatic sleeping on power adapter when the display is off."
  • Desktop Macs (iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, Mac Pro): System Settings > Energy, then turn on "Prevent automatic sleeping when the display is off."

Your display can still turn off on its own schedule. Only the computer itself needs to stay awake. Setting names may vary slightly between macOS versions.

Laptop users: closing a MacBook's lid puts it to sleep regardless of these settings, unless it's connected to power and an external display. If you close the lid, follow the steps in the next section.

If you must use sleep

Follow these steps in this exact order every time:

  1. Save your work, then quit your DAW and Apogee Control.
  2. Unplug your interface's USB or Thunderbolt cable from the Mac.
  3. Put the Mac to sleep.
  4. When you're ready to work, wake the Mac and wait until you're at the desktop.
  5. Plug your interface back in, then open Apogee Control and your DAW.

Never plug in, unplug, or power your interface on or off while the Mac is asleep.

Turn off Low Power Mode

Low Power Mode saves energy by limiting your Mac's performance, which can cause dropouts in larger sessions.

  • MacBook: System Settings > Battery > Low Power Mode, then set it to Never.
  • Desktop Macs: System Settings > Energy, then turn Low Power Mode off (not available on every model).

Keep alerts and notifications out of your session

System alerts and notification sounds can play through your studio monitors and interrupt playback.

  1. Go to System Settings > Sound, and set Play sound effects through to your Mac's built-in speakers instead of your Apogee interface.
  2. Turn on Do Not Disturb (Control Center > Focus) while you record, or create a dedicated Focus for studio sessions under System Settings > Focus.
  3. To silence individual apps permanently, go to System Settings > Notifications, select the app, and turn off Play sound for notification.

Check for virtual audio devices and routing apps

Apps that add virtual audio devices or process all of your Mac's audio, such as BlackHole, Loopback, Ginger Audio Sphere and Sonarworks SoundID Reference, install software that runs inside macOS's audio system. Even when you aren't using them, they can cause no sound from your interface, sample rate mismatches, crackles, extra latency, or devices disappearing.

  1. Go to System Settings > Sound and make sure your Apogee interface is selected under Output and Input. Check your DAW's audio settings too.
  2. Open Audio MIDI Setup (Applications > Utilities). Look for virtual devices, aggregate devices, or multi-output devices you don't need, and confirm your Apogee interface is set to the sample rate you expect.
  3. To test whether one of these apps is the cause, quit it (or turn off its system-wide mode) and restart your Mac. If the problem goes away, use the developer's uninstaller to remove it, or keep it and only enable it when you need it.

Review login items and background apps

Apps that launch at login or run in the background (cloud sync, launchers, updaters) use CPU and network while you work.

  1. Go to System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions (called Login Items in some macOS versions).
  2. Under Open at Login, remove apps you don't need running all the time.
  3. Under Allow in the Background, turn off items you don't need.

Keep all Apogee items turned on. Apogee Control relies on a background helper to connect to your interface. If you're unsure about an item, take a screenshot of the list first so you can restore it later.

Control when macOS updates

Choose when updates install so they never start in the middle of a session or break compatibility with your audio software.

  1. Go to System Settings > General > Software Update, and click the (i) next to Automatic Updates.
  2. Turn off Install macOS updates and Install application updates from the App Store.
  3. Leave Install Security Responses and system files on. These are small background security updates that keep your Mac protected.

Before any major macOS upgrade, check that your Apogee products and your DAW support the new version. Audio companies need time to test each new macOS release. See our Compatibility page before upgrading, and install updates when you're not in the middle of a project.

Choose your best port and cable

  • Connect your interface directly to your Mac, not through a hub, dock, or adapter, whenever possible.
  • Use the cable that came with your interface, or a known-good replacement. For Thunderbolt interfaces, use a certified Thunderbolt cable.
  • If you have problems, try each port on your Mac. Some ports share internal connections with other devices.

To see how your interface is connected, hold the Option key, click the Apple menu, and choose System Information. Then select USB or Thunderbolt/USB4 in the sidebar.

While you're recording

  • Quit apps you aren't using, especially browsers, video calls, and streaming apps.
  • Pause cloud syncing (iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive) and backups during sessions. For Time Machine, go to System Settings > General > Time Machine > Options and set backups to Manually if you'd rather run them after you work.
  • Keep plenty of free space on your startup disk. A nearly full disk can slow down your whole system.
  • For large sessions, recording to a fast external SSD keeps your startup disk free.

Restart after making changes

After changing these settings, restart your Mac so everything starts fresh.