How to Capture Mic and Desktop Audio as a Single Mic Input

Most communication and streaming apps accept only one microphone input. To send your voice and game or desktop audio together, you need a virtual audio device. It acts as the connection between your audio sources and the app. This guide walks through three reliable methods to build that routing chain on Windows and Mac, from installation through final configuration.

Why Apps Can’t Use Both Sources at Once and What This Workaround Does

Applications like Discord  and OBS ask you to select a single input device when they open an audio stream. That device sends its audio to the app, and nothing else comes through. There is no native option to select a physical microphone and desktop audio simultaneously from one input field.

A virtual audio device solves this problem. It creates a software-based microphone that appears alongside your real audio devices. Behind the scenes, routing software feeds multiple audio streams into this virtual device and merges them into a single channel. The target app sees one clean input without knowing it contains two separate sources.

The rest of this article covers three methods to build that chain. Method 1 uses VoiceMeeter, the most widely used free option for Windows. Method 2 uses the virtual audio output built into OBS, which works on both Windows and Mac. Method 3 covers two Mac-native paths using BlackHole or Loopback.

What You’ll Need Before You Start

• A working microphone connected to your computer (USB, 3.5mm, or wireless). A compact wireless mic like the Hollyland LARK M2 (9g, 40-hour battery, built for streamers and content creators) works as a clean upstream source in this kind of virtual routing setup.

• The target app where the combined input will appear (Discord, OBS, or a browser-based tool)

• The appropriate routing software for your platform (covered in each method below)

• Windows 10/11 or macOS 10.14 or later

Method 1: VoiceMeeter (Windows, Free, Recommended)

VoiceMeeter is a virtual audio mixer developed by VB-Audio. It installs a virtual audio device that applications can use as a microphone input, and it lets you feed multiple sources into that device from its own mixer interface. This is the recommended path for most Windows users.

Step 1: Download and Install VoiceMeeter

Go to vb-audio.com and download VoiceMeeter. VB-Audio offers three versions:

• VoiceMeeter — basic version, two hardware inputs, suitable for simple setups

• VoiceMeeter Banana — three hardware inputs and two virtual inputs; best for this use case

• VoiceMeeter Potato — five hardware inputs, intended for professional or more complex routing

Download VoiceMeeter Banana, run the installer, and restart your computer when prompted. The restart is required for the virtual audio devices to register with Windows.

Step 2: Set Your Microphone as Hardware Input 1

1. Open VoiceMeeter Banana.

2. In the Hardware Input 1 section (Stereo Input section - top left), click the device name label.

3. Select your physical microphone from the dropdown. USB microphones appear by name; a 3.5mm mic connected through a sound card will appear as the relevant input on that device.

4. Confirm the input level meter responds when you speak.

Step 3: Route Desktop Audio to VoiceMeeter Input

This step sends your system’s playback audio into VoiceMeeter alongside your mic.

1. Right-click the speaker icon in the Windows taskbar and open Sound Settings (or navigate to Settings > System > Sound).

2. Under Output, change the default playback device to VoiceMeeter Input.

3. System audio, game audio, and application sounds will now route through VoiceMeeter rather than directly to your speakers.

Note: Your regular speakers or headphones will appear to stop working at this point. To keep hearing audio yourself, open VoiceMeeter and set Hardware Output A1 to your actual speakers or headphones.

Step 4: Set VoiceMeeter Virtual Output as Your App’s Microphone

1. Open your target app (Discord, Zoom, etc.).

2. Navigate to its audio or microphone settings.

3. Change the input device to VoiceMeeter Output (it may appear as “VoiceMeeter VAIO Output” depending on the app).

4. Speak and play some desktop audio. Both signals should register in the app’s input level meter.

The virtual output now carries your microphone and desktop audio together as a single stream.

Method 2: OBS Studio + Virtual Audio Cable (Windows and macOS)

OBS Studio cannot create a virtual microphone by itself. Instead, it sends mixed audio to a virtual audio driver like VB-CABLE or BlackHole. Other apps then recognize that virtual device as a normal microphone. This lets your voice and desktop audio play through one microphone input together.

1. Install VB-CABLE (Windows) or BlackHole (macOS) before opening OBS.

2. Open OBS and verify Mic/Aux and Desktop Audio are detected.

Configure missing devices through Settings > Audio if necessary.

3. Open Settings > Audio and locate the Monitoring Device option.

4. Select VB-CABLE Input or your installed virtual audio device.

5. Click Apply, then OK to save the monitoring configuration.

6. Open Advanced Audio Properties from the Audio Mixer gear menu.

7. Set microphone Audio Monitoring to Monitor and Output.

8. Set desktop audio Audio Monitoring to Monitor and Output.

9. Open Discord, Zoom, Teams, or your preferred recording application.

10. Select the virtual audio device as the application's microphone input.

11. Test both the microphone and the desktop audio before starting your session.

12. Adjust OBS mixer levels if one source sounds noticeably louder.

13. Keep OBS running while using the combined virtual microphone output.

Method 3: Mac Solutions using BlackHole and Loopback

VoiceMeeter is Windows-only. Mac users have two reliable alternatives: BlackHole (free, requires a few manual steps) and Loopback by Rogue Amoeba (paid, significantly simpler).

BlackHole (Free): Aggregate Device via Audio MIDI Setup

BlackHole is an open-source audio driver that installs a virtual audio device on macOS. Combined with the built-in Audio MIDI Setup utility, it creates both a capture device (mic plus desktop audio) and a playback device so you continue hearing audio yourself.

1. Download and install BlackHole 2ch from Existential Audio (existential.audio). Restart your Mac after installation.

2. Open Audio MIDI Setup (Applications > Utilities).

3. Click the + button at the bottom left and choose Create Multi-Output Device. Add your regular speakers or headphones and BlackHole 2ch. This becomes your playback device so audio still reaches your ears.

4. Click + again and choose Create Aggregate Device. Add your physical microphone and BlackHole 2ch to this device.

5. Open System Settings > Sound (or System Preferences > Sound on older macOS). Set Output to the Multi-Output Device you created.

6. In your target app, set the microphone input to the Aggregate Device.

7. Test your microphone and desktop audio before joining a call or recording.

Note: This configuration may not work identically in every macOS application. Some apps do not automatically combine the microphone and BlackHole channels from an Aggregate Device and may require additional routing software, such as a DAW or a dedicated audio routing application, to create a single mixed microphone input.

Loopback by Rogue Amoeba (Paid, Simpler)

Loopback ($99) provides a drag-and-drop interface that creates the same virtual routing without any manual Aggregate Device configuration. You add your microphone and any application audio sources as inputs, assign them to a named virtual output device, and select that device as your microphone in the target app. For users who find the Audio MIDI Setup process confusing or time-consuming, Loopback reduces the entire setup to a few minutes.

Selecting the Virtual Mic in Your App: Final Step for All Methods

No matter which setup you choose, the final step stays the same. Open the app you want to use and select the virtual audio device as the microphone. This is the step users most commonly skip, leaving the routing chain built but inactive.

• Discord: Go to Settings > Voice & Video > Input Device. Choose the virtual audio device created during your setup, such as VoiceMeeter Output, BlackHole, Loopback, or an Aggregate Device if you are using one.

• Zoom: Settings > Audio > Microphone — select the virtual device from the dropdown

• OBS (as a destination): Settings > Audio > Mic/Auxiliary Audio Device — select the virtual device

• Browser-based tools (Google Meet, Teams web, etc.): Click the microphone or settings icon within the app; the virtual device should appear in the browser’s or app’s device list

• Other apps: Look for an audio input, microphone, or capture device setting — the virtual device appears in any application that reads standard system audio devices

Once selected, speak and play audio simultaneously. The app’s input meter should respond to both sources. If only one source registers, revisit the routing step for your chosen method.

Echo, Feedback, and Common Setup Mistakes to Avoid

• Do not set the virtual device as both your input and your output. If the same virtual device handles playback and capture simultaneously, audio loops back into itself and creates feedback or echo.

• Mute desktop audio monitoring if the remote party hears the same sound twice. This occurs when audio plays through your speakers, your microphone picks it up, and the digitally routed signal also carries it.

• Check Windows exclusive mode. If VoiceMeeter cannot access your microphone, open Sound Settings > Recording > your device > Properties > Advanced and uncheck “Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device.”

• Restart after driver installation. Both VoiceMeeter and BlackHole require a system restart to register their virtual devices; skipping this step is one of the most common reasons the device does not appear in the app dropdowns.

• Set VoiceMeeter to run on startup. If VoiceMeeter is closed, its virtual devices become unavailable to all apps until it is reopened.

FAQs

Can I capture mic and desktop audio as a mic on Windows 10 or 11 without any software?

Stereo Mix, available on some Windows sound cards, captures desktop audio but cannot blend a live microphone signal into that stream. For true mixing of mic and system audio into a single virtual input, third-party software like VoiceMeeter is required. There is no fully capable native Windows solution for this specific task.

Will people on Discord or Zoom actually hear my desktop audio?

No. Zoom and Discord already let you share desktop audio during screen sharing. In Zoom, turn on Share Sound before sharing your screen. In Discord, stream an app and enable the Share Audio option. A virtual microphone (like VoiceMeeter) is only needed if you want your microphone and computer audio to travel through the same input all the time. When you set it up that way, every sound passing through the virtual device gets sent. If you want to keep system sounds private, remove desktop audio from the routing or mute that channel before the call.

Is VoiceMeeter really free?

VoiceMeeter is donationware. It is fully functional at no cost, with no feature restrictions or expiration date. The developer asks for a donation if you find the software useful, but it works completely without payment. All three versions, including Banana and Potato, operate under this same model.

Does this setup add latency to my microphone?

Virtual routing introduces a small amount of latency, typically under 30ms at standard buffer settings. For streaming, video calls, and most content recording, this is imperceptible. For live musical performance or near-zero-latency monitoring, ASIO drivers or a dedicated audio interface may be a better fit than software-only routing.

Does this work with USB microphones?

Yes. USB microphones are recognized as standard audio input devices on both Windows and Mac and are configured in VoiceMeeter, OBS, or Audio MIDI Setup exactly like any other microphone. No additional configuration is required specifically because the microphone connects via USB rather than XLR or 3.5mm.

Conclusion

VoiceMeeter Banana is a good free choice for Windows if you want to combine your microphone and desktop audio. Mac users can pick BlackHole for a free setup or Loopback if they prefer a paid option with a simpler setup. The best choice depends on your operating system, how comfortable you are with the setup, and what you want your audio routing to do.