MorendoShould you install Wave Link 3 on your Mac?
Yes, if you stream with a real mic chain and want separate mixes for OBS: Wave Link 3 is free, even without Elgato hardware, and scales up to five mixes with Audio Units. The cost shows up elsewhere: an audio driver, a system extension, a window you must keep open. For plain per-app volume, Morendo or FineTune do the job without installing anything.
What Wave Link 3 brings
Wave Link 3.0 has been free since March 2026, and Elgato says so plainly: no Elgato hardware, no microphone, no interface, no Stream Deck, is required to use it. It needs macOS 15.0 or later, 8GB of RAM, 16 recommended, on Intel or Apple Silicon, with an M1 suggested.
Its core is App Volume Control: audio sources are grouped into channels, each with its own level, and you can build up to five independent mixes, each with its own routing and effects. Audio Unit effects apply with no per-input limit. Stream Deck controls volume, mute, effects and mix switching, and Siri or Apple's Shortcuts can do the same. The interface, done in Liquid Glass, is polished.
What it costs
Free does not mean nothing to install. Wave Link sets up an audio driver, the Wave Link Audio Driver, needed for its virtual channels to show up in other apps, and on Apple Silicon, a system extension to approve in System Settings. Both ask for your admin password.
Once installed, the Wave Link window has to stay open for routing to keep working. A user who tested it with a non-Elgato interface reports CPU usage that started near 30%, settling around 10% after updates, a few crashes and bugs along the way, and a microphone that shows up twice in the settings. There is no manual control over the audio buffer or the sample rate, which can matter for demanding streaming setups.
Who it is right for
For a streamer with a real mic chain, several inputs, Audio Unit effects and a need for separate mixes feeding OBS and their own headphones, Wave Link 3 does what nothing else in this guide does for free. Stream Deck and Shortcuts support are a genuine plus live.
The light alternative
If the need is simpler, tidy and stable per-app volume, no mic, no mix for OBS, Wave Link is overkill.
Morendo, which we make, sorts apps into buses, with no driver, no extension, no window to keep open, and no admin password. It does not handle the microphone, has no virtual device, and does not build mixes for OBS: that is not its territory. What it does do, buses you set once with an equalizer and keyboard shortcuts, costs 19 € once.
FineTune goes even simpler and stays free: one slider per app, no buses, no mixes, but nothing to install either.
| Wave Link 3 | Morendo | FineTune | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | 19 € once | Free, open source |
| No driver | No, driver and extension | Yes | Yes |
| Admin password | Yes | Never | Never |
| Window must stay open | Yes | No | No |
| Channels or buses | 5 mixes | Named, persistent buses | No |
| Audio Units | Yes, no limit | No | No |
| Microphone | Full chain | Not handled | Not handled |
| Mix for OBS | Yes, up to 5 | No | No |
| Stream Deck, Siri, Shortcuts | Yes | No | No |
Checked on September 10, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us, we fix it.
Frequently asked questions
Does Wave Link 3 work without Elgato hardware?
Yes. Elgato states it plainly: no microphone, interface or Stream Deck from the brand is required to use Wave Link 3. All it needs is macOS 15.0 or later, with 8GB of RAM, 16 recommended.
Why does Wave Link ask for an admin password?
Because it installs an audio driver, the Wave Link Audio Driver, needed for its virtual channels to appear in other apps, and, on Apple Silicon, a system extension. Both install with administrator rights, like any audio driver on a Mac.
Can you set the audio buffer or sample rate in Wave Link?
No, that manual control does not exist in Wave Link 3, based on user reports. For latency-sensitive streaming, that is worth knowing before you build your whole mic chain around it.
Can Morendo replace Wave Link for a streamer?
Only if the need is limited to app volume, game, music, chat, with no microphone and no separate mix for OBS. Morendo does not handle the microphone, has no virtual device, and does not build mixes for streaming software. For a real mic chain with several mixes, Wave Link remains the tool, free despite its driver.
Download Morendo, 14-day trial See the comparison
Related guides: Background Music alternative for Mac · SoundSource alternative for Mac · SteelSeries Sonar for Mac