Capturing your microphone is different from capturing the other participant in a meeting. macOS treats audio devices, application permissions, and output routing as separate parts of the path.
Virtual audio software can help route meeting output to a transcription input, but installation alone does not prove the path works. A real test should verify every boundary without changing application code prematurely.
The verification chain
Work from the operating system toward the application.
- Confirm the virtual device appears in Audio MIDI Setup.
- Create the intended speakers-plus-virtual-device Multi-Output Device when required.
- Select the correct macOS or meeting-app output.
- Confirm the virtual device shows live level or receives signal.
- Refresh or restart Lyrebird after device changes.
- Select the intended input in Lyrebird.
- Run a mock call and verify the other participant reaches the transcript.
Permissions are separate
Microphone and Screen Recording permissions can apply to a specific application identity. Rebuilding or changing a bundle may require a fresh permission grant. Restart the relevant application after changing permissions.
Test applications independently
A working path in one meeting application does not prove another uses the same output route. Verify Zoom, Teams, or another supported application separately during the controlled beta.
Protect the fallback
Manual prompt entry remains useful when audio setup fails. A beta should surface the problem clearly rather than silently producing no answer.