OBS Virtual Camera Audio: How to Route Audio to Zoom, Discord, and More

Many creators rely on OBS Virtual Camera because it is very helpful. The problem is that apps like Zoom, Discord, and Microsoft Teams receive the video feed but not the sound. If your meeting participants can see your OBS scene but can’t hear you, you’re not missing a simple toggle. You’re dealing with a fundamental design constraint, and fixing it requires a separate audio routing step. This guide walks you through exactly how to do it.

Why OBS Virtual Camera Doesn’t Include Audio?

OBS Virtual Camera works by creating a virtual video device that other applications can recognize the same way they recognize a webcam. When Zoom or Discord asks your operating system for a camera feed, OBS intercepts that request and delivers your scene output. But this virtual camera device only speaks the language of video. It has no audio channel because the camera and audio drivers are entirely separate systems at the OS level.

Audio in Windows and macOS travels through its own pipeline of input and output devices. Applications choose a microphone independently from the camera they select. This means even if OBS is producing both video and audio, there is no built-in mechanism for the Virtual Camera to carry audio along with it. You have to create a separate virtual audio device and tell both OBS and your target app to use it.

Key Distinction: OBS Virtual Camera = video output only. To pass audio, you need a virtual audio cable that acts as a virtual microphone that your apps can select.

What You Need Before You Start

• OBS Studio (latest stable version installed and running)

• VB-Cable on Windows: Free donationware from VB-Audio (vb-audio.com)

• BlackHole on macOS: Free and open-source from Existential Audio

• Admin rights on your computer to install the audio driver

• The target app (Zoom, Discord, or Teams) closed during initial setup, so device changes apply correctly

Route OBS Audio Using VB-Cable (Windows Recommended Method)

This is the most reliable method for Windows users and works with every major conferencing app.

1. Download and install VB-Cable. Go to vb-audio.com, download VBCABLE_Driver_Pack, extract the zip, right-click VBCABLE_Setup_x64.exe, and select “Run as administrator.” Restart your computer after installation.

2. Open OBS and go to Audio Settings. Navigate to File > Settings > Audio. Under the Advanced > Monitoring Device dropdown, select CABLE Input (VB-Audio Virtual Cable). Click Apply.

3. Set Audio Monitoring for each source. In the OBS Audio Mixer at the bottom of the main window, click the three vertical dots button next to each audio source you want to route (your microphone, desktop audio, etc.). Select Advanced Audio Properties. In the Audio Monitoring column for each source, change the setting from Monitor Off to Monitor and Output.

4. Select CABLE Output in your target app. Open Zoom, Discord, or Teams and navigate to their audio settings. Set the microphone input to CABLE Output (VB-Audio Virtual Cable). The app will now receive your OBS audio as if it were a microphone. See the platform-specific steps in H2 5 below.

5. Check Windows Sound Settings if the device doesn’t appear. Open Settings > System > Sound. Confirm that CABLE Input and CABLE Output both appear in your device list. If they don’t, reinstall VB-Cable and restart.

Audio Monitoring Setting in OBS: The Step Most People Miss

After installing VB-Cable and setting the monitoring device, most users still get silence in their app. The reason is almost always this step: the Audio Monitoring setting for individual sources defaults to Monitor Off, which means OBS processes the audio internally but sends nothing to the monitoring device.

There are three options in OBS Audio Monitoring:

• Monitor Off: Audio plays inside OBS only. Nothing is sent to VB-Cable.

• Monitor Only (mute output): Audio is sent to VB-Cable but is not included in your stream or recording.

• Monitor and Output: Audio is sent to VB-Cable and included in your stream or recording. This is the option you want.

Route OBS Audio on macOS (Using BlackHole)

The logic is identical to VB-Cable, but the tools are different.

1. Download and install BlackHole. Visit the Existential Audio GitHub page or existential.audio and follow the installer instructions for your macOS version. No restart is required, but you may need to approve the system extension in Security and Privacy settings.

2. Create a Multi-Output Device in Audio MIDI Setup. Open Audio MIDI Setup (find it via Spotlight). Click the + button at the bottom left and choose Create Multi-Output Device. Check both your regular output (speakers or headphones) and BlackHole 2ch. This lets you monitor audio through your speakers while also routing it through BlackHole.

3. Set the OBS Monitoring Device to BlackHole. In OBS, go to Settings > Audio and set the Monitoring Device to BlackHole 2ch.

4. Set Audio Monitoring to Monitor and Output for each source in the OBS Audio Mixer, exactly as described in the section above.

5. Select BlackHole as the microphone in your target app (Zoom, Discord, or Teams).

Configure Your App to Receive OBS Audio

Once VB-Cable (or BlackHole) is routing audio out of OBS, each app needs to be told to use that virtual device as its microphone input.

Zoom

1. Open Zoom and go to Settings (gear icon in the top-right corner).

2. Click Audio in the left sidebar.

3. Under Microphone, open the dropdown and select CABLE Output (VB-Audio Virtual Cable). On macOS, select BlackHole 2ch.

Discord

1. Open Discord and click the gear icon next to your username (User Settings).

2. Go to Voice & Video in the left sidebar.

3. Under Input Device, select CABLE Output (VB-Audio Virtual Cable) or BlackHole 2ch on macOS.

Microsoft Teams

1. Click your profile picture in the top-right, then select Settings.

2. Click Devices in the left panel.

3. Under Microphone, select CABLE Output (VB-Audio Virtual Cable) or BlackHole 2ch on macOS.

Troubleshooting OBS Virtual Camera Audio Issues

If you followed the steps above and the audio still isn’t working, use this table to identify and fix the most common problems.

Getting Cleaner Audio Into OBS Before Routing It

Once the audio routing is set up correctly, the connection problem is gone. After that, the sound quality depends on how good your original audio is. If your microphone captures room noise, HVAC hum, or keyboard clicks, all of that gets routed straight through to your Zoom call or Discord server.

This is where starting with a clean signal matters. The Hollyland LARK MAX 2 wireless microphone system is worth considering if you’re regularly routing audio through OBS for professional or broadcast use. Its onboard AI Noise Cancellation filters ambient noise at the hardware level before the signal ever reaches OBS, and its 32-bit Float recording ensures the captured audio is broadcast-grade and less likely to clip or distort. A cleaner input signal means the routing setup you just built delivers noticeably better results on the receiving end. You can also monitor your audio in real-time through the OWS earphones.

FAQs

Does OBS Virtual Camera include audio by default?

No. OBS Virtual Camera outputs video only. Audio must be routed separately using a virtual audio cable like VB-Cable on Windows or BlackHole on macOS. Once you install the virtual audio device and configure OBS’s monitoring settings, apps like Zoom and Discord can select it as a microphone input.

Is VB-Cable safe and free to use?

Yes. VB-Cable is developed by VB-Audio Software and operates under a donationware model, meaning it is free to use. It is widely trusted across the streaming and broadcasting community and has been available for many years. A voluntary donation supports continued development.

Can I use Voicemeeter instead of VB-Cable?

Yes. Voicemeeter, also by VB-Audio, is a more advanced virtual audio mixer that can combine multiple audio sources before routing them. It is a good choice if you need to blend a microphone, desktop audio, and music into a single output. For basic OBS audio routing, a plain VB-Cable is simpler and sufficient.

Does this method work for OBS on Mac?

Yes. The configuration logic inside OBS is identical on macOS. The only difference is using BlackHole instead of VB-Cable as the virtual audio device. You also need to create a Multi-Output Device in macOS Audio MIDI Setup to monitor audio through your speakers while routing it.

Why does my voice echo back to me after setup?

This happens when VB-Cable Input is set as your system’s default playback device. Windows routes audio out through whatever device is set as default, including back to you. Open Windows Sound Settings, go to Playback, and set your speakers or headphones as the default device instead of CABLE Input.

Conclusion

OBS Virtual Camera only passes your video feed to other apps. To send audio too, install a virtual audio cable like VB-Cable on Windows or BlackHole on macOS. Next, choose the correct monitoring device in OBS and select that virtual microphone inside your meeting or chat app. Many people miss one important setting. Change Audio Monitoring to "Monitor and Output" in the OBS Audio Mixer, and the rest of the setup becomes much easier.