Most people who search for this want to split game audio and Discord audio into two separate tracks inside OBS, so they can mix or mute each one after the fact. That is virtual audio routing: sending one app's sound into another app as an input. Chorus does not do this. Chorus sends an app's sound to a physical output device, like your speakers or a specific pair of headphones, not into another piece of software.
That is worth saying plainly before anything else, because the two jobs sound similar and get mixed up constantly. This guide covers what "audio routing into OBS" actually means, why Chorus is not built for it, and the narrower thing Chorus genuinely does help with if you stream from a Mac: managing your own listening setup, separately from what gets captured.
What "audio routing into OBS" actually means
To get one app's sound onto its own track inside OBS, you need either OBS's built-in per-app capture or a virtual audio driver. Recent OBS versions on macOS Sonoma and later include an Application Audio Capture source that can pull a single app's sound directly. Older setups, or anyone who wants finer control over how several apps land on separate mixer channels, use a virtual driver such as BlackHole or Loopback instead: the app outputs to a virtual device that only exists in software, and OBS captures from that virtual device as if it were a microphone.
Either way, this is a many-in job: several apps' audio, gathered and handed to another piece of software as an input. It has nothing to do with a physical speaker, and nothing to do with the output side of your Mac at all.
Why Chorus doesn't cover this
Chorus's Per-App Audio feature works in the opposite direction. You pick an app, you pick a real output device, macOS's own audio grouping sends that app's sound there. It does not create a virtual device another app can capture from, and it has no concept of handing audio to OBS or any other piece of software. That is a different job, built on a different part of macOS, and Chorus was not built to do it.
If splitting app audio into OBS tracks is what you actually need, a virtual driver is the right tool. Our Loopback alternatives comparison covers BlackHole and the other options built for exactly this, including what each one costs and where they differ.
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Download for MacWhere Chorus does help around a streaming setup
The genuine fit is narrower than "OBS audio routing", but it is real: managing your own monitoring while you stream, separately from whatever OBS is capturing. A common version of this is hearing your own mix, game and Discord, on headphones, while your speakers or a stream deck's alert sounds stay on a different device entirely, so nothing you hear yourself bleeds into what viewers hear or startles you mid-stream. That is ordinary per-app output routing to a physical device, which is exactly what Chorus does, it just is not the same job as building OBS tracks.
A concrete example: you are running OBS, Discord and a browser tab that plays alert sounds. You want Discord and your game on your monitoring headphones, and you want the alert sounds on a small desk speaker instead, so they do not compete with what you are actually listening to. Set that up once in Chorus and each app keeps going to its own device, no virtual driver involved, because none of this needs to leave your Mac's own outputs.
Setting it up
- Open Chorus and go to Per-App Audio.
- Find the app you want on its own device, for example Discord, or add it if it is not listed yet.
- Assign it to the output you want, such as your monitoring headphones.
- Repeat for any other app you want split off, such as an alert-sound source, and point it at a different device.
- Everything else keeps using your Mac's normal default output, untouched.
None of this talks to OBS, and it is not meant to. It is solving the "what do I personally hear, and where" half of a streaming setup, while a virtual driver solves the "what does OBS capture as separate tracks" half. Most Mac streaming setups end up needing both, from two different tools.
For the technical detail on how the driver works, see BlackHole's own GitHub repository.
Frequently asked questions
Can Chorus split app audio into separate OBS tracks?
No. That needs a virtual audio driver such as BlackHole or Loopback, which creates a virtual device apps can output to and OBS can capture as an input. Chorus routes app audio to physical output devices, not into other apps, so it cannot stand in for that step. See our Loopback alternatives comparison for tools built for that job.
What's the difference between virtual audio routing and what Chorus does?
Virtual routing sends one app's audio into another app as an input, which is how OBS captures separate tracks. Chorus sends an app's audio to a physical output device like speakers or headphones. They solve different problems using different macOS mechanisms.
Can Chorus help with a Mac streaming setup at all?
Yes, for managing your own listening setup while you stream: routing Discord or your game audio to your monitoring headphones while alert sounds or music stay on a separate speaker, for example. That is per-app output routing, which is what Chorus is built for.
Does OBS have a built-in way to capture one app's audio on a Mac?
Recent OBS versions include an Application Audio Capture source on macOS Sonoma and later, which can pull one app's sound directly without a virtual driver. For more apps or more control over separate tracks, most people still add BlackHole or Loopback.
Do I need Chorus and a virtual audio driver together?
Possibly. They cover different jobs and do not conflict: a virtual driver like BlackHole handles getting app audio into OBS as separate tracks, and Chorus handles routing other apps, like your monitoring or alerts, to their own physical output devices. Many streaming setups end up using both.
