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Switch outputs

Press ⌘P (Switch Monitor Profile) and pick a profile. The device and level meter change at once. In Settings → Audio → Monitor you can also hover a row and click Activate.

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Set up a profile

Open Settings → Audio → Monitor and click the info button (ⓘ) on a profile row. Pick the device and output channels, then set the gains. The same fields sit in the Monitor section at the bottom of the Master track’s Inspector.

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Add a correction plugin

Click Add Plugin… in the profile detail sheet or the Master track’s Monitor section. Press ⇧⌘P (Open Monitor Plugin) to open its window.

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Use two outputs of one interface

Create two profiles bound to the same interface, for example Studio Monitors on 1-2 and Headphones on 3-4, with different Output Channels on each.

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Good to know

  • A profile is everything that defines a monitoring setup. The output device and stereo channel pair, the input and output gain (before and after the plugin), and one optional AU plugin on the listen bus, such as room correction, headphone calibration or a reference meter.
  • A switch swaps all of it, click-free. Gridshift mutes the listen bus, loads the plugin, applies the device and channel pair, rebuilds the chain and ramps the gain back up. Switching between channel pairs does not interrupt playback.
  • A monitor profile never reaches a bounce. Exported audio is not colored by the correction plugin, and the profile does not travel with the project file.
  • The hardware output volume is not part of a profile. It is system-wide and stays with macOS; Device Volume is only a live window on it.
  • Profile order decides. When Gridshift picks a profile for a device by itself, at launch or when an interface is plugged back in, it takes the topmost one bound to that device and ignores output channels. Drag the one you want as default to the top.
  • The plugin loads before the device changes, so it comes up on the device it is meant for.
  • System Default follows macOS. It is created on first run and switches whenever you change the output in macOS Sound Settings.
  • The Master Inspector’s Monitor section edits in place: it is always expanded and has no separate dialog.
  • A profile whose device is unplugged cannot be activated. Its row is grayed out and inert in the Command Palette, its Activate button is disabled, and the Inspector dropdown marks it “(not connected)”, so audio never lands on the system default with the wrong device’s gain.
  • Reorder profiles by dragging them in settings, or with Move Up / Move Down.
  • The plugin keeps its settings: its state is saved into the profile when you switch profiles, close its window or quit. It stays loaded when you switch projects or undo an edit.
  • Profiles sync via iCloud. Each is a .gsmonitor file in iCloud Drive → Gridshift → MonitorProfiles, so your setups appear on every Mac signed in to the same Apple Account.
Last modified on October 22, 2026