Background noise
Fans, traffic, rain and the TV are filtered out before your voice reaches the call, so your questions come through clearly the first time.
Pabulong
Pabulong, a free noise cancelling mic for your Mac
Choose Pabulong Mic on your intake calls and client meetings, and the person on the other end hears your voice without the noise in your room.
Version 0.1.3, 8.4 MB. Needs a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 14 or later. No account needed.
A Windows version is coming soon.
What it fixes on your calls
Echo from your speakers
If you take calls on laptop speakers, the other person’s voice can go back into your microphone, and they hear themselves a second later. Pabulong removes that echo, so a US client or attorney hears only you.
Voices near you
When family members are talking in the same room, Pabulong turns their voices down. You choose how much with three levels: Light, Balanced and Strong.
Recording, if you turn it on
Pabulong can save a call as an audio file on your Mac. Recording is off until you switch it on, and the app reminds you to get consent from everyone on the call. Recording laws differ in the Philippines and between US states, and following them is your responsibility. Check your firm’s rules before you record a client call.
Works in the apps you already use
Pabulong Mic appears in your Mac’s list of microphones. Pick it in the audio settings of Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams or any other app that lets you choose a microphone. Leave your speaker setting as it is. The person you are calling does not need to install anything.
Your audio stays on your Mac
Pabulong does all of its work on your computer. It goes online only to check for updates, when you ask it to or once a day if you turn that on. Your voice, the sound from your speakers and any recordings stay on your Mac. Calls with a law firm’s clients often include accident and medical details, so it helps to know the audio is not sent anywhere. Pabulong asks to hear your speakers only to remove echo.
Installing it
- Open the .pkg file you downloaded. Pabulong is not signed with a paid Apple certificate yet, so macOS blocks it the first time. Go to System Settings, then Privacy & Security, and click Open Anyway. You only do this once.
- Follow the installer and enter your Mac’s password when asked. This adds the Pabulong Mic driver, and your sound stops for a moment while it loads.
- Open Pabulong from Applications. Allow microphone access and allow it to hear your speakers.
- In your call app’s audio settings, choose Pabulong Mic as your microphone.
The steps to uninstall are in the full install guide on VA Starter Hub. By downloading Pabulong you agree to its Terms of Use and Privacy Notice.
Check that your download is the real one
If the SHA-256 checksum of your file matches the one below, it is exactly what we published. Run shasum -a 256 ~/Downloads/Pabulong-0.1.3-arm64.pkg in Terminal.
afe7317b45294034b0ccdcb91a36dc338632c0a68e4f0c38bdff539263e1238d Pabulong-0.1.3-arm64.pkgUninstalling
Open Terminal, run this command and enter your Mac’s password:
sudo /Applications/Pabulong.app/Contents/Resources/uninstall.shYour settings and recordings stay on your Mac. To delete them too, add --delete-data to the end of the command.
Questions
Does it work with Zoom, Google Meet, Teams and RingCentral?
Yes, as long as the app runs on your Mac and lets you choose a microphone. Select Pabulong Mic in its audio settings. Calls on a desk phone or your mobile phone do not go through your Mac, so Pabulong cannot help with those.
Is it free? Is there a subscription or an account?
Pabulong is free. There is no subscription and no account.
Is there a Windows version? Does it work on Intel Macs?
A Windows version is coming soon. On Mac, Pabulong needs Apple silicon, so it does not run on Intel Macs. To check your Mac, open the Apple menu and choose About This Mac.
Do I still need headphones?
Pabulong removes the echo of the other person coming out of your speakers, so you can take a call without headphones and the other side will not hear themselves. A headset still keeps the caller’s voice private from people in your room. If your firm or client asks you to use one, keep using it.
Does Pabulong upload or record my calls?
It never uploads anything. Your microphone audio, speaker audio and recordings stay on your Mac. It records only if you turn recording on, and it is off by default. The only thing it does online is check for updates, when you ask it to or once a day if you turn that on.
How do I know I have the real Pabulong?
Download it only from this page, VA Starter Hub or the Pabulong page on GitHub. It is free, so anyone asking you to pay for it did not get it from us. You can also compare the checksum below with your file.
Open source, made by Next Matter Pro
Pabulong is open source and released under the MIT license, so anyone can read its code at github.com/maespela/pabulong. Found a bug or have an idea? Post it on GitHub Issues.
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