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September 2025 • 5 min read

Routing Web Audio to Your DAW with BlackHole

How to capture browser audio and route it directly into Ableton Live, Logic Pro, or any DAW for recording and processing.

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The Problem

You've built a browser-based synthesizer or audio tool. It sounds great. Now you want to record it into your DAW, layer it with other tracks, or run it through your favorite plugins. But how do you get audio from Chrome into Ableton?

The answer is virtual audio routing—creating a software "cable" that connects your browser's audio output to your DAW's audio input.

BlackHole: The Free Solution

BlackHole is a free, open-source virtual audio driver for macOS. It creates virtual audio devices that pass audio between applications with zero latency.

brew install blackhole-2ch

Or download from existential.audio/blackhole

BlackHole comes in 2-channel and 16-channel versions. For most use cases, 2-channel is sufficient.

Setup: macOS

Step 1: Create a Multi-Output Device

Open Audio MIDI Setup (search in Spotlight). Click the + button and select "Create Multi-Output Device".

Check both your speakers/headphones AND BlackHole 2ch. This lets you hear the audio while also routing it to your DAW.

Step 2: Set System Output

Go to System Preferences → Sound → Output, and select your new Multi-Output Device. Now all system audio (including browser audio) routes through BlackHole.

Step 3: Configure Your DAW

In Ableton Live (or any DAW):

  • • Go to Preferences → Audio
  • • Set Audio Input Device to "BlackHole 2ch"
  • • Create an Audio track
  • • Set input to "Ext. In" (channels 1/2)
  • • Arm the track for recording

Windows Alternative

On Windows, use VB-Cable or VoiceMeeter. The concept is identical—create a virtual audio device, route browser audio to it, and set your DAW to receive from it.

Pro Tips

Match Your Sample Rates

Ensure your browser, BlackHole, and DAW are all running at the same sample rate (usually 44.1kHz or 48kHz). Mismatched rates cause pitch shifting and artifacts.

BPM Sync

My ACID synth uses a look-ahead scheduler for sample-accurate timing. Set both your web app and DAW to the same BPM, and they'll stay perfectly in sync.

Built-in Export

My ACID synth also has built-in recording and MIDI export—no routing required. But BlackHole is great for live jamming and real-time processing through DAW effects.

Use Cases

  • Recording: Capture your web synth output as audio in your DAW
  • Processing: Run browser audio through DAW plugins (reverb, compression, etc.)
  • Live Performance: Use web apps as instruments alongside your DAW
  • Sampling: Capture sounds from any web source for your productions

Try It Yourself

Route my ACID synth into your DAW and jam along with your own tracks. The sample-accurate timing means it stays perfectly in sync.

Open ACID Synth →
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