Download Splitwave
Splitwave is a desktop application that turns audio routing into a visual graph. You place source nodes for microphones, system sound, single applications, and audio files, connect them through effect nodes, and finish at outputs such as speakers, recording files, or virtual devices. The pipeline runs continuously and can be edited while sound is playing. Virtual audio cables created on macOS and Linux, or VB-Cable on Windows, let other programs treat the processed signal as a real microphone or line input. Noise suppression, equalization, compression, reverb, delay, saturation, and limiting are included as built-in nodes, and third-party CLAP, VST3, and AU plugins can be inserted anywhere in the chain. Recording to WAV, FLAC, AIFF, MP3, Opus, or AAC works alongside live monitoring.
Splitwave runs on macOS 13 and newer for both Apple Silicon and Intel, on x86_64 Linux with PipeWire, and on 64-bit Windows 10 and 11. The macOS installation uses a userspace audio driver and requires administrator approval only when virtual devices change. Permissions follow the sources in use: microphone access for capture, screen recording for system or per-application audio on macOS, and disk access for recording destinations. Sample rate differences between devices are handled automatically, including the 48 kHz internal rate of the DeepFilterNet noise suppression model. Named pipelines store complete graphs, and effect nodes keep separate named presets that can be reused across different setups.
Splitwave is free and open source under the MIT license, with source code available on GitHub. All processing happens locally, with no account, no analytics, and no cloud rendering; audio leaves the machine only when a WebRTC or UDP node is added and pointed at a peer. The application checks GitHub for new releases, which is its only routine outbound request. On macOS and Linux it creates unlimited named virtual audio devices of its own, while on Windows it works together with VB-Cable or a similar virtual audio cable rather than replacing it. The project covers the same ground as BlackHole, Loopback, VB-Cable, and VoiceMeeter while adding a full node graph and plugin hosting across all three platforms.
Use Cases for Splitwave
| Canvas graph replaces fixed mixer strip architecture | Live rewiring of nodes during continuous audio execution |
| Captures any OS-exposed input device as source node | Routes microphone signal through arbitrary effect combinations |
| Loopback capture of entire system playback stream | ScreenCaptureKit on macOS, native loopback on Windows Linux |
| Isolates single application audio as separate source | Independent per-program processing chains within one graph |
| Reads disk audio files into the processing graph | Feeds prerecorded material through live effect chains |
| Software sound cards exposed to other applications | Userspace driver creates unlimited named virtual devices |
| Equalizer, compressor, gate, limiter, reverb, delay, saturator nodes | Built-in presets stored per effect node with protected defaults |
| DeepFilterNet model removes background noise from signal | Internal 48 kHz operation with automatic resampling around model |
| Hosts CLAP, AU, and VST3 plugins as graph nodes | Plugin parameters exposed and automatable directly on node |
| Writes incoming signal to disk during live playback | WAV, FLAC, AIFF, Opus, MP3, AAC encoding options |
| WebRTC and UDP sender nodes for network transmission | Explicit destination configuration required for any outbound audio |
| Automatic resampling between devices of differing rates | Transparent rate conversion inside graph and around effects |
| Named pipelines store complete graph topology and settings | Effect-level presets reusable across separate pipeline configurations |
| Runs on macOS Apple Silicon and Intel, Linux, Windows | Userspace audio driver avoids kernel extension requirements |
| Requests only permissions tied to actively used sources | Unused capture sources never trigger permission prompts |
| Entire processing pipeline executes on local machine | No accounts, analytics, or cloud rendering involved |
| Routes one application's output into another program | Virtual device bridges capture chain to receiving software |
| Virtual output selectable as DAW input device | Graph functions as effects insert for full mix |
| Full node graph across all three desktop platforms | MIT-licensed alternative to basic virtual cable utilities |