Chorus doesn't ship a Stream Deck plugin, and it doesn't need one. It exposes a small chorus:// URL scheme built for exactly this, and Stream Deck's own built-in action for opening a URL can call it directly. Set the URL on a button once, and pressing it switches a group, an output, or a single app's routing without opening Chorus at all.
A Stream Deck is a small keypad of programmable buttons, each one showing an icon and triggering an action when pressed. Streamers and podcasters use them for scene switches, mic mute, and soundboard clips because their hands are already full running everything else. Audio device switching fits the same case: if you are mid-recording or mid-stream, reaching for a menu bar icon and clicking through a list is exactly the kind of pause a dedicated button is meant to remove.
Why a physical button beats a menu click here
Most of the time, switching outputs on a Mac is a menu bar click and a second click to pick a device. That is fine at a desk. It is worse when your hands are on a mixer, a controller, or a mouse mid-scene, and worse again when switching wrong means dead air. A Stream Deck button sits in the same row as your other stream controls, so moving your audio setup takes the same motion as muting your mic or changing scenes, rather than a detour through a different part of the screen.
It also removes a step Chorus's own keyboard shortcuts still have: a shortcut needs a keyboard with focus, and during a stream your keyboard is often not the thing in front of you. A labelled button on a separate device doesn't have that problem, and because the button carries its own icon and text, you don't need to remember which key combination does what once you have more than two or three setups worth switching between.
What a Stream Deck button can actually trigger
Chorus's URL scheme is the same mechanism it offers Raycast and the Shortcuts app, and a Stream Deck button uses it the same way. Each button opens one link, and Chorus handles that link directly instead of a browser opening it. What a single button can do:
- Switch to a saved group, such as a streaming setup that sends everything to your headphones and monitor speakers at once.
- Switch to a single device, jumping straight to one output or input by name.
- Route one app to a different output, sending an alert app or a game to its own device without touching anything else.
- Change or nudge the volume of whatever group is currently active.
- Mute the active group, or apply a saved configuration you built earlier in Chorus.
Each of these is its own link, so a Stream Deck folder of six buttons can cover six different setups: one per scene, one per guest arrangement, whatever the show actually needs. A single button can also chain more than one link through Stream Deck's own multi-action feature, so pressing "Start Recording" could both route your mic to your monitoring headphones and mute your alert sounds in one press, rather than needing a separate button for each.
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Download for MacSetting up a button in Stream Deck
- Build the group, device, or app routing you want inside Chorus first, and confirm it works from the menu bar.
- In the Stream Deck app, drag its built-in action for opening a URL onto a button.
- Set the URL to the
chorus://link for that setup, for examplechorus://activate?group=Streamingfor a saved group, orchorus://single?device=Headphonesfor one device. - Give the button a name and icon that match what it actually does, so it reads at a glance mid-show.
- Press it once to confirm Chorus switches, then repeat for any other setups worth their own button.
Nothing here is Stream Deck specific once the link exists. The same
chorus:// address works from any tool that can open a URL, which is why one
link doubles as your Stream Deck button and, if you also use it, a Raycast command or a
Shortcuts action. Our guide to
keyboard shortcuts for switching audio
devices covers binding the same setups to a real key on the keyboard itself, for the
moments a Stream Deck isn't in front of you.
Where this fits a streaming or podcasting setup
A Stream Deck button is the trigger. What it switches to is still the setup you built for the actual show. If you're routing your monitoring mix and alert sounds to separate devices, our guide to audio routing for Mac streamers covers building that setup in the first place. If you're recording a podcast and want a single press to swap between a desk mic and a different input for a remote guest, see our podcast recording audio setup guide. Either way, the button is just the fast path to a setup you've already got right.
For the full detail on the hardware itself, see Elgato's own Stream Deck product page.
Frequently asked questions
Does Chorus have a Stream Deck plugin?
No. Chorus doesn't ship an Elgato plugin. It exposes a chorus:// URL scheme built for automation tools, and Stream Deck's own action for opening a URL can call it directly, so a button works without any extra software to install.
How do I set up a Stream Deck button to switch Chorus outputs?
Add Stream Deck's built-in action for opening a URL, and set the URL to something like chorus://activate?group=Streaming or chorus://single?device=Headphones. Pressing the button opens that link, which Chorus's URL scheme handles directly instead of launching a browser.
What can a Stream Deck button actually control in Chorus?
Anything Chorus's URL scheme covers: switching to a saved group or a single device, changing the volume of the active group, muting it, routing one app to a different output, or applying a saved configuration. A button can trigger any one of these on its own.
Why use a physical button instead of Chorus's own keyboard shortcuts?
Mostly because your hands are already busy elsewhere. During a stream or a recording, a Stream Deck button sits alongside your scene switches and mic mute, so changing your audio setup doesn't mean reaching for the keyboard or breaking focus on whatever else you're running.
Can I trigger the same shortcuts from Raycast or the Shortcuts app instead?
Yes. The same chorus:// links work from Raycast, the Shortcuts app, or Alfred exactly as they do from a Stream Deck button, so you can wire up whichever tool you already use rather than adding a new one just for audio.
