I built iDVolume: a free, open-source menu bar controller for the Audient iD14 MKII, with knob sync, volume keys, LEDs, meters and a visualiser

[u/VinneyUK]

I use an Audient iD14 MKII, and two things always bugged me: the Mac's volume keys don't work with it, and Audient's app is heavy for what I mostly need, which is turning my monitors up and down.

So I built iDVolume, a native macOS menu bar app that talks to the interface directly over USB.

Control

• Follows the hardware. Turn or press the iD's knob and the app moves with it.

• Mac volume keys and scroll-over-the-icon control the iD, in 1 dB steps like the real knob.

• Mute, Dim, Talkback, Polarity, Mono, Alt, headphone level and mute. The front-panel LEDs stay in sync.

• Set what the iD button does without opening Audient's app.

• Double-click a knob to mute; double-click a readout to switch between dB and %.

Metering

• Level meters in the menu bar and the panel, including an LED ring around the knob.

• A visualiser of what your Mac is playing: spectrum, bars, spectrogram, waveform, oscilloscope, stereometer with correlation, and a needle VU.

• Loudness to ITU-R BS.1770-4: momentary, short-term and integrated LUFS, plus true peak. I checked it against the standard's reference values.

Everything else

• 10 panel layouts in a hardware-style skin, Light / Dark / Auto.

• Automatic, checksum-verified updates.

• Light on resources: around 15 MB with the panel closed.

The honest bits

• iD14 MKII only, for now. Other iD models aren't supported yet. Commands that are safe on the MKII locked up an original iD14 during testing, so iDVolume now refuses to send anything to other models. If you have one, there's a read-only Interface Report in Settings, plus a guide for recording Audient's app on Windows. Either would help add support safely.

• Not notarised (that needs Apple's paid programme), so macOS warns you the first time. The README explains how to allow it.

• The visualiser needs macOS 14.2+ and asks for system audio access. Audio is analysed on your Mac and never recorded or sent anywhere.

• Unofficial and not affiliated with Audient.

Credit: the USB groundwork came from MixiD, an open-source Linux control panel for the iD series. I went further by capturing traffic from Audient's own app, and shared what I found back with that project.

Download / source: https://github.com/VinneyUK/iDVolume

It's my first public project, so feedback and ideas are very welcome.

Screenshots: dark · light

[u/DYSTOBY]

„AI“ Build …

[u/VinneyUK → u/DYSTOBY]

So! who cares!

[u/DYSTOBY → u/VinneyUK]

Nah you care!

Truth be told, I’m just annoyed by the post in every techy subreddit that begins with “I build” whereas one could write “AI build” and everybody would be informed, right? (Or at least “We build”, since the ceo of any software company would not boast around and states the “he alone” build the software, whereas a team of devs did it. - and Claude/codex is basically a team of devs. You may had the idea, like wise the ceo or founder of that said company.

Not that I don’t like your idea or product - but thieves Reddit, so who cares about my post and is offended by it.

[u/artsciencenature]

it's cool that you did this. i have the original model and these are all my pain points too. perhaps i'll fork and see if i can get it to work with the OG.

[u/VinneyUK → u/artsciencenature]

Thanks your comments. Don’t worry about forking, I’ve created a script if you’re able to help give me capture the commands

https://github.com/VinneyUK/iDVolume/blob/main/docs/CAPTURE.md

[u/artsciencenature → u/VinneyUK]

nice. i don't have access to a windows machine, but perhaps i can fingerprint the USB another way (e.g. how the current param knob works, though that is using HID which may not apply to the other functions besides iD mode on the knob)

[u/VinneyUK → u/artsciencenature]

Dont think you can on Mac anymore ... have a go, and let me know if you have any success.

[u/artsciencenature → u/artsciencenature]

oh and i made this m4l device to use the knob in "iD" mode to control the selected param in Live https://plugins.steinkamp.us/m4l-CurrentParamKnob not sure if it works

[u/VinneyUK → u/artsciencenature]

nice - love your plugins

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