Guide

A BlackHole alternative for sampling on a Mac

BlackHole is a great free tool. If all you want is a sample in your DAW, there's a shorter way.

Updated September 2026 · Prices in USD at the time of writing

BlackHole is a virtual audio cable: it adds an audio device your apps can send sound into and record from. It's free, it's reliable, and it handles up to 64 channels. It replaced Soundflower, which Rogue Amoeba stopped maintaining back in 2015.

But a cable needs plumbing. To sample with it, you set up a Multi-Output Device so you can still hear, change your Mac's sound output, pick BlackHole as your DAW's input, record in your session, and switch everything back afterwards.

The same job, both ways

When BlackHole is still the better tool

• You want to process a source live through plugins while it plays.
• You're routing audio between apps for streaming, calls or multichannel work.
• You don't want to spend anything.

Many producers keep both: BlackHole for routing, KIBA for grabbing sounds.

How KIBA does it without a driver

KIBA uses the audio capture Apple builds into macOS (ScreenCaptureKit), the same system that lets apps record your screen. That's why macOS asks for the Screen & System Audio Recording permission the first time. KIBA only records sound, and it never changes your sound settings.

1. Click the ring in your menu bar. KIBA starts recording everything your Mac plays, and a timer appears next to the icon. (Or press ⌥⌘R from anywhere.)
2. Click again to stop. The trimmer drops down with silence already cut, the peak set to −0.3 dB, and the tempo and key detected.
3. Drag the edges, then drag the waveform into your DAW or the Finder. The file is a 48 kHz, 24‑bit WAV named like Music_140bpm_Fmin_260925-141203.wav.