Cannot use Apple AirPod Pros as audio output

[ClendeningSound]

I read about this issue over on a Dorico post. Short of it is:

Airpods are not only headphones but also a microphone and so there are two identically named devices. No matter which of the two you choose, always the first one gets picked, which is the microphone. Hack-around mentioned in post, maybe not supported yet in M1. You can read more about it here:

Mac no sound after changing audio output

I have had some problems after changing to Apple Airpods, where output will stop. Write mode would play each note and it would play on my internal MacBook speakers. Once I connected my Airpods, nothing would come out. I checked Sys. Prefs>Sound, Dorico’s audio prefs, Play>Apply default playback template, mixer, loading sounds again etc. The main problem is, disconnecting the Airpods to use the internal speakers (or plugged in headphones) would no longer work either. Wonderfully I can copy all…

Also, I have the same problem on a MacBook Pro 2021 with Nuendo (used for Atmos work). Which is not a big deal, I wanted to use the AirPods as a quick check, now I just export a mixdown and open it in the actual devices (AppleTV, Macbook, Quicktime player, etc).