How to Configure Mac Audio Devices for Logic Pro X Using Audio MIDI Setup

The essential answer

Audio MIDI Setup is the macOS utility for defining how your Mac sees and combines audio devices. Logic Pro X then selects those devices from its own audio preferences. The condition that matters most is whether you need one device or multiple devices at once: a simple microphone or interface only needs to be visible and selected, while an aggregate or multi-output setup must first be created and enabled in Audio MIDI Setup before Logic can use it.

Open Audio MIDI Setup

Use the Audio Devices window, not the MIDI Studio window, for microphone, interface, speaker and input/output configuration.

• Open Finder and choose Go, then Utilities.
• Open Audio MIDI Setup.
• If the Audio Devices window is not visible, open the Window menu and choose Show Audio Devices.

A completion check: you should see one row for each connected audio device. A connected USB microphone, interface or webcam microphone should appear even if no device-specific driver is installed yet, because macOS can expose class-compliant audio devices.

Choose an input and output device for immediate use

If Logic Pro X only needs one microphone or one output device, you can normally select it directly inside Logic and skip creating a custom aggregate. Audio MIDI Setup is still useful for confirming whether macOS detects the hardware.

In Logic Pro X, open Logic Pro, then Settings or Preferences, then Audio. Choose the detected device from the Input Device and Output Device menus. Apply the change and close the window.

The observable check is that the device name appears in each menu without an error warning, and the track's input or output meter responds when you speak into the microphone or play audio.

Create an aggregate device for multiple inputs or outputs

An aggregate device combines two or more audio devices into one logical device that Logic Pro X can select as a single input or output. Use this when one interface alone does not provide enough channels for your session.

• In the Audio Devices window, click the plus button at the bottom left.
• Choose Create Aggregate Device.
• Select the new aggregate device in the sidebar.
• In the right-hand pane, enable the checkbox for each physical device you want to include.
• Drag the devices into the order you want for channel numbering.

The completion check is that all intended devices show as used inside the aggregate and the aggregate appears in Logic Pro X as one selectable input or output device.

Set the sample rate and clock where needed

Mismatched sample rates can prevent a device from working as expected, but the documented behavior is that many devices accept macOS requests directly. If a device offers a Format menu in Audio MIDI Setup, select the sample rate that matches your Logic project.

For an aggregate, keep the drift-correction setting in mind when combining devices that do not share a hardware clock. This is a configuration consideration rather than a feature available on every device.

Select the configured device in Logic Pro X

After making changes in Audio MIDI Setup, return to Logic Pro X audio preferences and choose the newly configured device or aggregate. If Logic already had the device selected, reselect it if the change is not reflected immediately.

• Open Logic Pro X audio preferences.
• Choose the physical device or aggregate from Input Device and Output Device.
• Apply the change.
• Create or select a track and set its input to the desired physical input channel.

The reliable completion indicator is an active input signal: the track meter moves when the intended microphone or instrument receives sound. This verifies device detection, Logic Pro selection and active input routing together.

Distinguish video capture from microphone capture

A webcam can expose a camera video device and a separate microphone audio device. Selecting a webcam in Logic Pro X as an input device does not use its video signal; Logic Pro X is an audio and MIDI application and does not capture the video stream through Audio MIDI Setup. Only the webcam's audio input, when present and supported by macOS, can be selected as an audio input.