01
Play music to podcast guests
Put your mic and your intro music in one input, then pick Patch Mix in Discord or Zoom. Guests hear the show as it plays, never their own voices echoed back.
Virtual mic and audio router for Mac
Play any app into your call.
Pick what your call should hear. Patch sets up the rest.
On your phone? Email yourself the link
macOS 26+ · Apple silicon
Always inWhat should your call hear?
YouShure MV7
MusicPlaying
A videoChrome, QuickTime
Another appAnything that plays
Patch MixGood−14 dBLive
Goes toYour call
Hears you + MusicYour call hearsNothing to set up
Set up in three steps.
Then say hello, press play, and Patch tells you it heard both.
- 1
Pick what your call hears
Music, Spotify, a YouTube video, a podcast, a game or any other app. Your voice is always in.
- 2
Say yes to your Mac
Patch needs a few things from macOS. Each one asks once.
- Add Patch MixAdded
- Let Patch hear your microphoneAllowed
- Let Patch hear MusicAllowed
- 3
One click in Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Webex, Slack or Discord
Choose Patch Mix as your microphone. Patch ticks it off itself.
In PatchYouLive, but nothing is listeningNeeds youNo app has Patch Mix open. Choose it as the microphone in your call app.Your call appListeningMic set to Patch MixTap a step to see it again.
Patch Mix shows up wherever you can pick a microphone.
Guided setup is built in for Zoom, Meet, Discord and OBS. Everything else works the same way: choose Patch Mix as the mic. To send just one browser tab, add Patch for Chrome.
- ZoomGuided setup
- Google MeetGuided setup, in Chrome
- Microsoft TeamsPick Patch Mix as the mic
- WebexPick Patch Mix as the mic
- Slack huddlesPick Patch Mix as the mic
- DiscordGuided setup
- OBS StudioGuided setup
- Any appwith a microphone menu
Great uses for Patch
Any mix of sources, into any call. Six setups people reach for, each saved once as a scene.
UP TO 4 APPS + YOUR MICANY APP WITH A MIC MENU
Patch MixOne virtual microphone
−60−24−12−60 dB
MicrophoneYour voice
MusicApp
Google ChromeAll tabs, or just one
Your appThe one you’re demoing
A gameApp
Pass-ThruApps with an output menu
ZoomClasses and workshops
Google MeetProduct demos
DiscordPodcast guests
OBS StudioStreams and recordings
HeadphonesOnly you hear this
UP TO 4 APPS + YOUR MIC
- Microphone
- Music
- Google Chrome
- Your app
- A game
- Pass-Thru
Patch MixOne virtual microphone
- Zoom
- Google Meet
- Discord
- OBS Studio
- Headphones
02
Show clips in a class
Play a video from one Chrome tab into a workshop on Zoom, Teams or Webex, with Patch for Chrome and no screen share. Rehearse the level in your headphones before the call hears it.
03
Demo an app with its sound
Let people hear the product, not just see it: alerts, playback, voice features. Your narration and the app arrive as one clean input.
04
Stream with one clean input
Give OBS a single source with your voice and your game or browser at the levels you set, with a limiter keeping peaks in check.
05
Bring in any app with Pass-Thru
Apps that let you choose a speaker, like a DAW or a soundboard, can play into Patch Pass-Thru and on into your call.
06
Cue tracks in private
Turn Send off and Hear on, and a source plays only in your headphones. Line up the next track while the call hears just you.
Want the whole desk?
Open the full patch any time. Four apps at once, a level for each, choose what the call hears and what only you hear, and keep setups for next time.
- 1
Add your sources
Your microphone, up to four apps and Patch Pass-Thru. Each gets its own level and meter.
Thursday WorkshopAdd sourceSourcesMixGoes toApps using Patch MixMicrophoneSignalApp audioSignalApp audioSignalPass-throughSignalPatch MixGood−14 dBLive 12:04Master0.0dBTurn the ring to set the levelZoomListeningMic set to Patch MixYou hear onExternal HeadphonesHearing 2 sourcesYour call’s voices play wherever Zoom sends them. - 2
Choose who hears what
Drag a cable from a source to Patch Mix to put it in the call. Tap its headphones button to hear it yourself. Use either, both or neither.
Patch MixLiveHeadphones buttonYou hear itCable into Patch MixThe call hears itApp audioSignal
Everything Patch does
Try all of it free →Mic
Chrome
Music
Pass-Thru
Master
Mix
You decide what the call hears.
Mic plus four apps
One microphone and up to four apps, each captured on its own.
Send and Hear, per source
Put a source in the call, in your headphones, or both.
Levels and meters
−60 to +6 dB per source, a master fader and stereo meters.
Preview before going live
Hear the whole mix while the call hears silence.
Scenes
One setup per kind of call. Switch mid-call and shared sources keep playing.
Menu-bar control
Mute, switch scenes or stop with the window closed.
−1 dBFS CEILINGLimiter working
Protect
Guard rails for live calls.
−1 dBFS limiter
A fixed ceiling on the way out, with a light that shows when it’s working.
No echo for guests
The call app’s own sound is kept out of the mix.
Never swaps your mic
If your mic drops, the call hears a pause, not your laptop mic.
Headphones out, sound stops
Local listening pauses, so a clip never blasts from your speakers.
Updates wait
An update never installs in the middle of a session.
YOUR MACCaptions, never savedLICENCEUPDATES
Private
Nothing recorded or uploaded.
No account
Buy, activate and go. No sign-up, no password.
No analytics, no telemetry
Patch doesn’t track how you use it.
Captions on device
Live captions of what the call hears, made on your Mac and never saved.
Online twice, on purpose
Only to activate your licence and to check for updates.
Clean uninstall
Settings → Uninstall removes the app, its audio component and Patch Mix.
What is a virtual microphone on a Mac?
A virtual microphone is an input device made in software. Zoom, Google Meet, Discord, OBS and any other app that lets you pick a microphone list it next to your real one, and you choose it the same way. Whatever it carries is what the app hears.
Patch is a Mac app that creates a virtual microphone called Patch Mix. It carries your voice plus the apps you add, or one browser tab, each at its own level, so the call hears your music, clip or demo with you. BlackHole and Loopback are used the same way; here’s how the three compare.
| Patch | BlackHole | Loopback | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mixes your mic with apps | Yes, with a level for each and a limiter | Not on its own: an Aggregate Device puts them side by side as separate channels | Yes, any apps and devices, with a level for each |
| Set-up | Guided for Zoom, Meet, Discord and OBS | Audio MIDI Setup, plus a mixer app for levels | Its own window: you wire sources to outputs |
| One browser tab | Yes, with Patch for Chrome, in Chrome, Edge or Arc | Your whole Mac’s sound, or one app’s | Whole apps and devices |
| Cost | $39 once, free trial | Free, open source | $99, free trial |
BlackHole and Loopback details are from each maker’s own site, checked in September 2026.
Loopback alternatives, compared →Guides
Step by step, for each call app, and how Patch compares with the other Mac audio routers.
- Play music through your micMusic, a clip or a game into Zoom, Discord, Meet or OBS, with your voice.
- Share tab audio in any callOne Chrome, Edge or Arc tab into Zoom, Teams or Meet, no screen share.
- Share audio on ZoomShare Sound, Computer Audio, or audio in your mic, and the setting that keeps music.
- Share audio on Google MeetTab audio, system audio, the “share a tab instead” message, and no presenting.
- Loopback alternativesLoopback, BlackHole, VB-Cable, Soundflower and Patch compared.
- All guidesEvery Patch guide, by call app
Questions
Do I need to be technical?
No. Patch asks what your call should hear, then walks you through the two things your Mac needs: adding Patch Mix and letting Patch hear your microphone and your app.
Which apps can I send audio into?
Any Mac app that lets you choose a microphone, such as Microsoft Teams, Webex or Slack. Patch includes guided setup for Zoom, Google Meet in Chrome, Discord and OBS.
How do I play music through my mic?
Add Music, Spotify or your browser as a source, turn on Send, and choose Patch Mix as the microphone in your call app. The call hears your voice and the music together, at the levels you set. Step-by-step guide
Can I send just one browser tab?
Yes. Add Patch for Chrome, open the tab, click Patch in the toolbar and click Send this tab. Choose Patch Mix as your microphone and click Go live in Patch. Your call hears that tab mixed with your voice, and nothing else from your browser. It works in Chrome, Edge and Arc. How to send one tab
Do I have to share my screen to play a tab’s sound?
No. Patch for Chrome sends the tab’s sound into Patch Mix, the microphone your call app listens to, so the call hears it with your voice and you don’t present anything.
Which browsers does Patch for Chrome work in?
Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Arc on a Mac. It doesn’t work in Safari or Firefox; there, add the browser to Patch as an app source instead, which sends all its tabs.
What happens when trial time runs out?
The call stays up. After 20 minutes of a session, what the call hears drops out for one second every 20 seconds until you stop. What you hear yourself is untouched, and the next session starts clean.
Can I get a refund?
Yes. Email support@tonal.fm within 30 days of buying and we refund you in full. The refund ends the licence, so Patch goes back to the trial after its next licence check.
Does Patch record or upload audio?
No. Nothing is recorded and your audio never leaves your Mac. Captions are optional, made on device and never saved.
Will installing it interrupt a call?
Installing the audio component pauses your Mac’s sound for about a second. Do it between calls.
How do I remove it?
Settings → Uninstall removes the app, its audio component and the Patch Mix device.
Do I need BlackHole or Soundflower?
No. Patch installs its own audio component, which adds two devices: Patch Mix, the virtual microphone your call app listens to, and Patch Pass-Thru, a virtual speaker for apps that let you choose an output. BlackHole alternatives
How is Patch different from Loopback or BlackHole?
BlackHole is a free virtual audio driver with no mixer, so combining it with your mic means building devices in Audio MIDI Setup. Loopback is a bigger, more flexible router for any routing job. Patch does one job: your mic and up to four apps, mixed and limited into one virtual mic, with guided setup for Zoom, Meet, Discord and OBS. Compare Mac audio routers
Get Patch
$39 once, for up to three of your Macs. No subscription, no account, no expiry, and a full refund within 30 days.
How the trial works
Every session is full quality for 20 minutes, then what the call hears drops out for one second every 20 seconds until you stop. It never cuts a call.
Requirements
A Mac with Apple silicon, running macOS 26 or later. Installing takes a minute and pauses your Mac’s sound for about a second.
Version 1.8.0
Updates arrive inside the app with their release notes, and never install in the middle of a call.