UR44 Microphone Works in DAW/Zoom but Not in Web Browsers (macOS)

Steinberg Hardware UR Series
1

Hi,

I’m experiencing an issue where my Røde microphone connected to a Steinberg UR44 works perfectly in Logic Pro and Zoom, but fails to work in any web browser (Firefox, Chrome, Brave, Safari) on macOS.

Current Setup:

  • Røde mic → Steinberg UR44 → macOS (directly connected via USB)

  • Driver version: 3.1.7 (latest)

  • Firmware: 2.11 (note: there’s a 2.12 update available, but unclear if related to this issue)

  • dspMixFX working normally

What Works:

  • Recording in Logic Pro

  • Zoom audio test (echoes microphone input correctly)

  • Speaker output through UR44

What Doesn’t Work:

  • Any browser microphone test (e.g., onlinemictest.com)

  • Browsers show permission dialog with correct input device (UR44)

  • Permission is granted, but tests still fail

Troubleshooting Attempted:

  • Verified macOS Privacy Settings (microphone permissions enabled for browsers)

  • Reset browser permissions and re-granted access

  • Reset system microphone permissions via sudo tccutil reset Microphone

  • Tested in private/incognito windows

  • Reinstalled Steinberg USB driver

  • Checked Audio MIDI Setup (UR44 appears correctly with Steinberg branding)

Since the interface works fine with professional audio software but fails with all browsers, I suspect this might be a driver issue.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

Model Name: Mac Studio
Model Identifier: Mac13,1
Model Number: Z14J0004YY/A
Chip: Apple M1 Max
Total Number of Cores: 10 (8 performance and 2 efficiency)
Memory: 32 GB
System Firmware Version: 11881.140.96
OS Loader Version: 11881.140.96

2

I encountered a nearly identical issue with my Røde mic when using a Steinberg UR44 on macOS. Like you, Logic Pro and Zoom detected the mic perfectly. However, every browser refused to pick up audio despite showing the UR44 as the input device. After a lot of trial and error, I found the culprit was the outdated UR44 firmware/driver combo.

Updating to firmware 2.12 and reinstalling the Yamaha Steinberg USB driver resolved the issue with browser detection instantly. I believe that browsers rely on macOS’s Core Audio framework differently from pro apps. Hence, outdated firmware creates a mismatch. I recommend updating the firmware, reinstalling the drivers, and rechecking the browser permissions.

3

It turned out that I had to check the LOOPBACK checkbox on the UR44 Settings.
Quite a simple thing, but I spent a lot of time on it. I’m adding this note so that users and Steinberg support will know what to suggest if someone else experiences the same thing.