A virtual audio cable is software that creates a fake audio device on your computer, allowing you to route sound from one application to another. Instead of audio going to your speakers, you send it to a virtual cable — and then another application (like OBS or Discord) picks it up from the other end of that cable.
Streamers use virtual audio cables to control exactly what audio goes where. The most common use case: playing music through your headphones while keeping it off your stream (to avoid DMCA strikes), or routing Discord audio into OBS separately so you can control its volume independently from game audio.
Do You Still Need a Virtual Audio Cable?
Before setting up a virtual cable, check if your streaming software already handles what you need:
- OBS Studio on Windows 10/11 has a built-in Application Audio Capture source. This captures audio from a specific application (e.g., just your game, or just Discord) without any virtual cables. Add it as a source in OBS: Sources → + → Application Audio Capture → select the app. This works for most standalone desktop applications.
- Limitation: Application Audio Capture can't capture audio from a single browser tab — it captures the entire browser. It also can't exclude a specific app (e.g., "capture everything except Spotify"). For those use cases, you still need a virtual cable.
You still need a virtual audio cable if you want to:
- Route specific audio to Discord (e.g., share game audio with friends in a call)
- Listen to copyrighted music privately while streaming DMCA-safe audio to viewers
- Mix multiple audio sources into a single input for any application
- Have full mixing control with per-source volume, EQ, and effects
- Use macOS (which doesn't have OBS Application Audio Capture)
Best Virtual Audio Cable Software
| Software | Price | Platform | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| VB-Cable | Free (donationware) | Windows | Simple audio routing — one virtual cable |
| VoiceMeeter Banana | Free (donationware) | Windows | Full audio mixing with multiple inputs/outputs |
| VoiceMeeter Potato | ~$20 (donationware w/ activation) | Windows | Advanced mixing with EQ, compressor, effects |
| BlackHole | Free (open source) | macOS | Simple virtual cable for Mac (Apple Silicon compatible) |
| Loopback | $99 (one-time) | macOS | Visual audio routing with drag-and-drop interface |
VB-Cable (Windows) — Simplest Option
VB-Cable installs a single virtual audio cable on your system — one virtual input and one virtual output. Any audio you send to "CABLE Input" appears at "CABLE Output," which another application can pick up. It's free (donationware), takes seconds to install, and works with any Windows application.
Limitation: VB-Cable gives you one cable. If you need to route multiple independent audio streams (e.g., game audio on one cable, Discord on another), you either need additional virtual cables (VB-Cable A+B, sold separately for a small donation) or use VoiceMeeter instead.
VoiceMeeter Banana (Windows) — Best for Streamers
VoiceMeeter Banana is a virtual audio mixer from the same developer as VB-Cable. It provides a full mixing console with multiple hardware and virtual inputs/outputs, letting you control where every audio source goes. It comes with 2 virtual cables built-in.
Why Banana over Standard VoiceMeeter: The standard version only has 1 virtual input/output. Banana has 2 virtual I/Os plus 3 hardware I/Os, which is the minimum most streamers need (one for game audio, one for voice chat/music). It also includes an 8-channel recorder.
VoiceMeeter Potato is the most advanced version with 3 virtual I/Os, 5 hardware I/Os, built-in EQ, compressor, reverb, delay, and a voice modeler. It's donationware with an activation code (~$5-50, $20 recommended). Only necessary if you need per-channel EQ/compression or more than 2 virtual cables.
All VoiceMeeter versions are free to download and use. After 30 days, a donation reminder appears but the software continues to function.
BlackHole (macOS) — Best Free Mac Option
BlackHole is the modern replacement for Soundflower (which is abandoned and doesn't support Apple Silicon). It's a free, open-source virtual audio driver for macOS that creates a virtual audio device with zero additional latency. It supports macOS 10.10+ including all Apple Silicon Macs (M1, M2, M3, M4).
Setup note: BlackHole has no GUI. You configure it through macOS's built-in Audio MIDI Setup utility (Applications → Utilities → Audio MIDI Setup). Create a Multi-Output Device that includes both BlackHole and your headphones to hear audio while routing it.
Available in 2-channel and 16-channel versions. The 2-channel version is sufficient for most streaming setups. Install via GitHub or Homebrew (brew install blackhole-2ch).
Loopback (macOS) — Best Paid Mac Option
Loopback by Rogue Amoeba costs $99 (one-time purchase) and provides a visual drag-and-drop interface for routing audio between macOS applications. It's significantly easier to set up than BlackHole — you create virtual devices by dragging application sources and connecting them with virtual wires. No Audio MIDI Setup configuration required.
Loopback is the best option if you find BlackHole's command-line setup and Audio MIDI Setup configuration too technical, or if you need complex multi-source routing regularly. A free trial is available with full functionality.
How to Set Up VB-Cable (Windows)
- Download VB-Cable from the official site
- Extract the downloaded archive
- Right-click VBCABLE_Setup_x64.exe and select Run as Administrator
- Click Install Driver and reboot your PC when prompted
- After rebooting, open Windows Settings → System → Sound — you should see "CABLE Input" and "CABLE Output" listed as audio devices
VB-Cable is now installed. The next step is routing audio through it in your applications.
Route audio to VB-Cable
To send a specific application's audio through the virtual cable:
- Open Windows Settings → System → Sound → Volume Mixer
- Find the application you want to route (e.g., Spotify, a browser, Discord)
- Change its output device from your speakers/headphones to "CABLE Input (VB-Audio Virtual Cable)"
That application's audio now goes to the virtual cable instead of your speakers. To pick it up in another application, set that application's input device to "CABLE Output (VB-Audio Virtual Cable)".
Important: If you route audio to VB-Cable, you won't hear it through your speakers/headphones anymore (it's going to the virtual cable instead). To hear it too, you need VoiceMeeter or you can use the "Listen to this device" trick: open Sound Settings → right-click CABLE Output → Properties → Listen tab → check "Listen to this device" → select your headphones.
VB-Cable with OBS Studio
The most common streaming setup: capture specific audio in OBS through a virtual cable.
- Route the desired application's audio to CABLE Input (using the Volume Mixer method above)
- In OBS, go to Settings → Audio
- Set one of the Desktop Audio devices (Desktop Audio 2, for example) to "CABLE Output (VB-Audio Virtual Cable)"
- Click Apply
OBS will now capture that application's audio as a separate source. You can adjust its volume independently in OBS's Audio Mixer.
Alternatively, add an Audio Output Capture source directly in your scene: Sources → + → Audio Output Capture → select CABLE Output. This gives you per-scene control over which virtual cable audio is active.
VB-Cable with Discord
To share your game audio or music with friends in a Discord call:
- Route the audio source you want to share to CABLE Input (via Volume Mixer)
- In Discord, go to User Settings → Voice & Video
- Set Input Device to "CABLE Output (VB-Audio Virtual Cable)"
Discord will now transmit whatever audio is coming through the virtual cable to your call. Your microphone audio will be replaced by the routed audio — to include both your microphone and the routed audio, you'll need VoiceMeeter to mix them together into a single output.
Combining your microphone + routed audio for Discord
If you want Discord to hear both your voice and shared audio:
- Open Windows Sound Settings → Recording tab
- Double-click your microphone → Listen tab → check "Listen to this device" → set playback to "CABLE Input"
- Route your other audio source (game, music) to CABLE Input as well
- In Discord, set input to CABLE Output
Both your mic and the routed audio are now mixed into CABLE Input and sent to Discord via CABLE Output. For more control (individual volume per source), use VoiceMeeter Banana instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a virtual audio cable used for?
A virtual audio cable routes audio between applications on your computer. The most common streaming use cases: sending only specific audio to OBS (e.g., game audio without Discord), sharing audio in Discord calls, separating music from your stream to avoid DMCA issues, and creating isolated audio channels for recording/streaming with independent volume control.
Is VB-Cable free?
Yes. VB-Cable is donationware — free to download and use with no time limit or feature restrictions. The developer accepts optional donations. Additional virtual cables (VB-Cable A+B, C+D) are available for a small donation if you need more than one virtual cable pair.
What's the difference between VB-Cable and VoiceMeeter?
VB-Cable is a simple virtual cable — one input, one output, no mixing interface. VoiceMeeter is a full audio mixer with a graphical console, multiple inputs/outputs, volume controls, and audio processing. VoiceMeeter Banana includes 2 virtual cables built-in. If you just need to route one audio source to one destination, VB-Cable is enough. If you need to mix multiple sources or control volumes, use VoiceMeeter.
What's the best virtual audio cable for macOS?
BlackHole is the best free option — it's open source, supports Apple Silicon, and has zero additional latency. Loopback ($99) is the best paid option with a visual drag-and-drop routing interface. Do not use Soundflower — it's abandoned, doesn't support Apple Silicon Macs, and is unreliable on modern macOS versions.
Do I need a virtual audio cable for OBS?
Not always. OBS on Windows 10/11 has a built-in Application Audio Capture source that captures audio from individual applications without virtual cables. This works for most use cases (capturing game audio, Discord, a media player). You only need a virtual cable if you want to route audio to other applications (like Discord), exclude specific apps from capture, or mix multiple sources into one channel.
How do I set up a virtual audio cable?
On Windows: Download and install VB-Cable (run the installer as Administrator, reboot). Route your desired application's audio to "CABLE Input" via Windows Volume Mixer. Then select "CABLE Output" as the input device in the application that needs to receive that audio (OBS, Discord, etc.). On macOS: Install BlackHole and configure routing through Audio MIDI Setup.
