Running VLC on Mac OS X through an external audio interface
So I was having some trouble running VLC on Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard and getting audio to run through an external interface (in my case, a Lexicon U42s). Apparently it’s not an isolated case, but since development for OS X has been stalled and nothing new has been coming out lately I figured I should find a way to make things work instead of running a 1/8″ stereo to dual 1/4″ mono inputs taking up space on my interface.
This should come in handy for those that run all their audio through an external AI. This also has the advantage of allowing you to use the built-in volume controls on your keyboard so people that want software control over output level will find this useful as well. Here’s how:
1) Download and install Soundflower. It’s a fantastic system extension that lets you route audio anywhere on your computer. Also useful for recording stuff off MySpace/Spotify. Not that I use it for that, of course—I use it to make my Lexicon AI work with Skype so I can run four channels with VSTs and AUs through Logic.
2) Set your Mac’s native audio output to use Soundflower (option-click the speaker icon in your menubar to get this menu):
3) Run Sunflowerbed and set the 2-channel monitoring output to whatever your AI is—in my case, the U42s. Leave the 16-channel alone unless you know what you’re doing:
4) Make sure your 2-channel routing is set to left and right on 1 and 2 (this shouldn’t matter because it’s for monitoring your hardware input, but just in case):
5) Play your videos through VLC and enjoy.
Side note: Mplayer OS X Extended works fine with external audio interfaces if you want to skip all the hassle, but VLC has a lot of functionality that Mplayer OS X doesn’t have.
