How to Disable Audio Ducking on Mac, or Control It

You join a Zoom call. Your music drops to almost nothing. You didn't touch any volume control; something did it for you. This is audio ducking: the automatic lowering of background audio when a call or another important audio source is active.

Some people like it. Others don't, especially when the ducking is too aggressive (music drops to zero instead of a comfortable background level) or when it's triggered unexpectedly.

Here's how to stop unwanted ducking on Mac, and how to set the levels yourself instead.

Where audio ducking comes from on Mac

If your music gets quieter during calls, one of these is usually the cause:

1. Zoom's audio processing

Zoom has its own audio processing. Open Zoom > Settings > Audio and look for options that adjust volume automatically. Also try lowering noise suppression.

2. Bluetooth headset mode

When an app starts using the microphone of your Bluetooth headphones, many headphones switch to a headset mode that sounds quieter and lower in quality. This isn't really ducking, but it feels the same. Using a separate microphone avoids it.

3. A third-party app doing it

Some audio utilities pause or lower other audio when something else plays. Check the audio utility apps you have installed. SoundDial is one of them: its auto-ducking is on by default and lowers other apps while a call app uses the microphone (see below for how to change or turn it off).

4. Communication apps adjusting audio

Discord, Teams and other communication apps have their own audio processing. Check each app's audio settings for "automatically adjust" options and turn them off.

How to stop unwanted ducking

1. Check Zoom, Teams and Discord audio settings: turn off automatic volume adjustment
2. Use a separate mic for calls: avoids the Bluetooth headset switch
3. Check audio utilities: quit any app that might be intercepting audio and test again
4. Check macOS Accessibility: System Settings > Accessibility > Audio, for anything unexpected

Set the levels yourself

The idea behind ducking is sound: background audio lower during calls, so you hear the other person clearly. The problem is losing control over how much.

With SoundDial you decide how much. Its auto-ducking is on by default: while a call app such as Zoom, Teams, FaceTime, Discord or Slack uses the microphone, it lowers other apps to 30% of their level and restores them when the call ends. In Settings > Auto-Duck you can set how far they drop (10% to 80%) or turn it off. There is no per-app exception: it applies to every app that isn't a call app.

With auto-ducking off, you set each app's level yourself from the menu bar. Before a call, drag your music player down to a comfortable background level and leave the call app at full volume. Need the call louder? Boost the call app above 100% (up to 200%) without raising the music. After the call, drag the music back up.

SoundDial is a €14.99 one-time purchase on the Mac App Store and needs macOS 14.2 or later. More on how it works: per-app volume control on Mac and SoundDial, a volume mixer for Mac.