Product Reviews

With the release of the Pro version of its premier Mac OS X audio capture utility, Rogue Amoeba has taken the original Audio Hijack software and dramatically extended its capabilities. Audio Hijack was already a must-have audio application, but this improved Pro version is simply unmissable.

The interface now sports a cleaner, more professional appearance, with the main Target window alongside optional Presets and Plug-ins windows. Clicking the arrow on the Target button produces a list of the most recently used applications. Simply select your chosen application and it's ready to have its audio captured. Being able to select the application but delay the actual hijack is a nice touch, as the basic Audio Hijack automatically starts the target application. To start working in Audio Hijack Pro, just hit the Hijack button.

Audio Hijack Pro allows you to create complex presets which automatically recall every setting, which really speeds up regular use. With a little endeavour, you can easily create the perfect DVD playback setup, Internet recording setup, iTunes listening experience, game-playing environment and so on. Selecting a preset launches the target application with all your required settings configured: effects loaded, timer set, and so on.

Another major improvement is that you can now hijack applications that are already running. Previously, you had to launch Audio Hijack first, then the target application. This was frustrating if you came across an audio stream you wanted to capture as you'd have to quit the application, open Audio Hijack, target the application and then we hit return to nab the audio in question. Such messing about is consigned to history in Pro.

This flexibility definitely improves the overall experience: being able to tweak the audio of an MP3 in iTunes while it's playing is very cool, and you can even experiment with effects on the fly. You can also now switch the hijack to a different

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application - click Release and Pro's hold is relinquished. Even better, the original application doesn't quit, so you can carry on using it.

If you want to record the hijacked audio, Audio Hijack Pro offers further refinements. Recording will only start when you select Start Recording and the new Pause and Mute buttons enabling users to cut out bits they don't need.

The Recording section details file type, bit rate, stereo or mono file and the destination of the recorded file. Recordings can be saved as AIFF or MP3 files and as a 15-minute AIFF recording can be over 120Mb in size, MP3 support is a boon.

Improved effects

Whether recording audio sources or simply enhancing them, the improved Digital Signal Processing (DSP) section is another excellent development. Housed in a 3 x 10 grid format, offering 30 different slots for VST or AudioUnit effects, the number of effects you can use is limited only by your Mac's processor (although why you'd ever need more than 30 is beyond us).

Rogue Amoeba includes 14 of its own 4FX effects, with the Double Gain plug-in worth a particular mention, as it pushes the volume of the hijacked application above the output of all others. Greenoak's VST Excitifier also merits attention, as it adds some top-end sparkle to dull-sounding sources.

Any other VST plug-ins you have installed on your system will also be available. Third-party effects take on a generic appearance when placed in the grid, but all editing is done in a separate window using the effect's original interface. You can use any combination of effect types (VST, AU, 4FX) and it only takes a few to markedly improve low-quality audio streams or the output of your Mac's internal speakers.

It's not all plain sailing, though. We experienced occasions when the hijacked application wouldn't produce any sound, but quitting both programs and starting again solved this. Also, some timers may behave erratically if your machine enters deep sleep and, due to a Cocoa/Carbon conflict, DSP editing windows can't be closed with the command-w shortcut. Rogue Amoeba is aware of these minor flaws and the electronic documentation covers most troubleshooting eventualities. Audio Hijack Pro (like Audio Hijack) is also OS X-only and doesn't work with any Classic applications, although this is hardly a criticism.

Audio Hijack Pro retains everything that was great about Audio Hijack and propels the concept forward. Audio Hijack Pro can improve the audio element of any application on your Mac.