How to set up VB-Cable for voice changing
What is a Virtual Audio Cable?
A virtual audio cable is a software driver that creates a fake audio device on your computer. It acts as a pipe between two applications — one app sends audio into the virtual cable, and another app reads from it as if it were a real microphone.
Voice changers need this because they sit between your real microphone and the app you want to use (Discord, OBS, Zoom, game chat). Your voice goes: Physical Mic → Voice Changer → Virtual Cable → App. Without the virtual cable, there is no way for the voice changer to send its processed audio to other applications.
On Windows, the standard solution is VB-Cable by VB-Audio. On macOS, the equivalent is BlackHole. Both are free. This guide covers both platforms.
Windows: Installing VB-Cable
Step 1: Download VB-Cable from vb-audio.com/Cable. Click the orange "Download" button for the Windows version. The download is a small ZIP file.
Step 2: Extract the ZIP file to a folder on your desktop. Right-click "VBCABLE_Setup_x64.exe" and select "Run as administrator." This is important — the installer needs admin privileges to register the virtual audio driver.
Step 3: Click "Install Driver" and accept any Windows security prompts. The installation takes a few seconds. You may see a prompt asking you to trust the VB-Audio driver — click "Install" to proceed.
Step 4: Restart your computer. The virtual cable device will not appear until after a reboot. This is the most common "it is not working" mistake — people skip the restart.
After restarting, you will see "CABLE Input" as a new playback device and "CABLE Output" as a new recording device in your Windows Sound Settings. These are your virtual cable endpoints.
macOS: Installing BlackHole
Step 1: Download BlackHole from existential.audio/blackhole. Choose BlackHole 2ch (2-channel) for voice applications — you do not need the 16ch version.
Step 2: Run the .pkg installer and follow the prompts. macOS may ask you to allow the installer in System Settings > Privacy & Security.
Step 3: After installation, BlackHole 2ch appears as both an input and output device in System Settings > Sound. No restart is required on macOS.
Important: If BlackHole does not appear after installation, open Audio MIDI Setup (search for it in Spotlight), click the "+" button in the bottom left, and select "Create Multi-Output Device." Add both your speakers/headphones and BlackHole 2ch. This ensures you can hear your own audio while routing it through BlackHole.
Configuring Your Voice Changer
Once the virtual cable is installed, configure your voice changer to use it. In Echo Live: open Settings, set your Input Device to your physical microphone, and set your Output Device to "CABLE Input" (Windows) or "BlackHole 2ch" (macOS). Your voice now flows through the voice changer and out the virtual cable.
In other voice changers (w-okada, Vonovox), the concept is identical — set the output to the virtual cable. The input of the virtual cable becomes the "microphone" that other apps will use.
Setting Up Discord
Open Discord > Settings > Voice & Video. Under Input Device, select "CABLE Output" (Windows) or "BlackHole 2ch" (macOS). This tells Discord to listen to the virtual cable — which is receiving the processed audio from your voice changer.
Important: Make sure "Input Device" is set to the virtual cable, NOT your physical microphone. If you select your physical mic, Discord will hear your unprocessed voice instead of the voice-changed version.
Disable "Automatically determine input sensitivity" and set the slider manually. Virtual audio cables output at a consistent volume, so the automatic detection can sometimes cut off quiet converted speech.
Setting Up OBS Studio
In OBS, go to Settings > Audio. Under "Mic/Auxiliary Audio," select "CABLE Output" (Windows) or "BlackHole 2ch" (macOS). Alternatively, add a new Audio Input Capture source in your scene and select the virtual cable there for more granular control.
If you want to capture both your voice-changed audio AND your desktop audio, make sure your Desktop Audio is set to your normal speakers/headphones — not the virtual cable.
Setting Up Game Chat (Valorant, Fortnite, CS2)
Most games use the Windows Default Recording Device for voice chat. Go to Windows Settings > Sound > Input and set "CABLE Output" as the default recording device. This routes your voice changer output to all games automatically.
Some games (like Valorant and CS2) let you choose the input device in their audio settings. If available, select "CABLE Output" directly in the game settings instead of changing the Windows default.
On macOS, games that support input device selection will show "BlackHole 2ch" as an option. For games that only use the system default, set BlackHole as the default input in System Settings > Sound > Input.
Troubleshooting
No sound / "CABLE Input" not showing: You probably skipped the restart after installing VB-Cable. Restart your computer.
Echo or feedback loop: Your voice changer output is routed back into its own input. Make sure the voice changer input is your physical microphone, NOT the virtual cable.
Other people hear silence: The app (Discord, OBS) is set to your physical mic instead of the virtual cable. Double-check the input device setting.
Audio is choppy or stuttering: Check that your voice changer is not overloading the CPU/GPU. Also verify that VB-Cable is set to the same sample rate as your voice changer (usually 44100 Hz or 48000 Hz). You can check this in Windows Sound Settings > CABLE Input > Properties > Advanced.
Very quiet output: Some virtual cables have a lower default volume. In Windows, go to Sound Settings > CABLE Input > Properties > Levels and set the volume to 100%.
macOS: BlackHole volume too low: Create a Multi-Output Device in Audio MIDI Setup that includes both BlackHole and your headphones. Set the Multi-Output Device as your system output. This lets you monitor the audio at full volume while routing it through BlackHole.