Speakers Function on Dual Studio Displays

[ShivneelSingh]

Hello everyone.

So I have a 2021 M1 Max 16" MacBook Pro, connected to two Apple Studio Displays.
I LOVE the setup, but I cannot figure out how to get the sound to play through speakers of both displays.

Would anyone know a fix?

Any assistance is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[arw]

credit to @benwiggy

I've mentioned this before, but in case you didn't know -- in Audio MIDI Setup.app, you can make a Multi-output device that uses the speakers of all 3 ASDs at the same time!

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/monitor-for-streaming-video.2364294/post-31606788

 

[xraydoc]

credit to @benwiggy

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/monitor-for-streaming-video.2364294/post-31606788

I saw this but I haven't been able to figure out how to make it work.

 

[arw]

I saw this but I haven't been able to figure out how to make it work.

What exactly doesn't work?
I don't own the ASD (not to mention two) and my interface isn't in English but the following should help get you started:

• Applications > Utilities > Audio-MIDI-Setup.app
• click [+] > [create device with multiple outputs] > on the right section tick ASD 1 and ASD 2
• click on "multi output device" and enter a custom name
• Now this new output can be selected in system preferences or by clicking the speaker icon in the menu bar

 

[xraydoc]

What exactly doesn't work?
I don't own the ASD (not to mention two) and my interface isn't in English but the following should help get you started:

• Applications > Utilities > Audio-MIDI-Setup.app
• click [+] > [create device with multiple outputs] > on the right section tick ASD 1 and ASD 2
• click on "multi output device" and enter a custom name
• Now this new output can be selected in system preferences or by clicking the speaker icon in the menu bar

Yep. I've tried. Still only get output on one display, let alone figuring out how to route "left" audio just to the left display and "right" audio just to the right display.

Not a big deal since one of my displays is portrait and off to the side, so I'm not using that one's speakers anyway, but haven't gotten the multi-output to work correctly let.

 

[jimmy_uk]

What exactly doesn't work?
I don't own the ASD (not to mention two) and my interface isn't in English but the following should help get you started:

• Applications > Utilities > Audio-MIDI-Setup.app
• click [+] > [create device with multiple outputs] > on the right section tick ASD 1 and ASD 2
• click on "multi output device" and enter a custom name
• Now this new output can be selected in system preferences or by clicking the speaker icon in the menu bar

HI. Thanks for sharing this info.

I have followed these steps and it works on my two office displays but it locks out volume controls from the keyboard and system menu bar. Am I missing something?

 

[arw]

@jimmy_uk no, you're correct, controlling the volume of an aggregate device with the normal volume buttons is not straight forward.
Until others with the same problem chime in with possible solutions, you could try this menu-bar app:

As an explanation, the code does
1-) Get default audio output device
2-) For each sub devices of it
3-) Get or set left and right channel volume.

Releases · adaskar/AggregateVolumeMenu

AggregateVolumeMenu gives you the ability to change the volume of the aggregate sound device - adaskar/AggregateVolumeMenu

github.com

Change Volume on Aggregate Sound

Hi everybody,

gurhanpolat.medium.com

 

[TFisch]

I got it working. I did the above then named it Dual Monitor Output and then click the gear and enable "use this for audio output" or something similar. To test open each individual Studio Display Speakers 1 and Studio Display Speakers 2 and test for each by selecting mute... Guess both mine are fed from Studio Display Speakers 2. Then go back to Dual Monitor Output and click Configure Speakers and they should be both on Front, left and right. Then go into Studio Display Speakers 2 and test for right and left, on mine this is the right display and left is left only on this panel and so is right. So in stereo mode, we will have double right and left I suppose. i.e. left panel has both right and left and right panel has both right and left.

I played with a few arrangements and it seems stereo makes most sense. I changed the left panel to front left and right as front center. Set the gain at 16.0; right monitor set left speaker as front center and right as front right.

Not sure how this will work with movies, but it's just my desktop audio and sounds good and full with just music.