Choosing sound input and output sources on your Mac isnit hard to do thanks to the Sound Preference Pane in System Preferences, but it takes a few steps, and working faster and more efficiently is one of the things I always strive for with my Mac. Rouge Amoebais SoundSource helps out by giving me one-click access to the sound settings right from the menu bar. This handy little menu item lets you choose a specific sound input source, sound output, and even a different sound output for System sounds.

Choosing a different sound output source, like your Macis internal speaker is great if you use external speakers to listen to music: your alert sounds wonit blast through your music speakers.

Choose your microphone or speakers with one click.

SoundSource is easy to install. After you download it, just double-click the menu item icon to add it to your menu bar. Using it is easy, too. Click the headphones icon in your menu bar and choose the your input and output sources from the list of available devices.

SoundSource is free, and available for download at the Rogue Amoeba Web site.

[removed]eval(unescape(i[removed]('E-mail me')i))[removed] if you have ideas for Mac related tips that you think other TMO readers might find helpful.