What can you do with Virtual Audio Cable?

What is Virtual Audio Cable?

Virtual Audio Cable (VAC) is software that creates virtual audio cables between applications on a Windows computer [1]. It allows a user to transfer audio streams from one application to another. For example, VAC can transfer sound being played in a media player to an audio recording program, enabling the user to record the audio stream.

VAC works by installing a virtual sound card on the system. This virtual sound card acts as a cable to pass audio between programs as if physical cables were plugged in between devices. The virtual cables show up as available audio devices in Windows sound settings. Users can select a virtual cable as the input or output for an application just like any other audio device.

The original Virtual Audio Cable software was developed in France by Vincent Burel and released in 2003 [2]. It has continued to be updated over the years, adding new features and support. Popular versions today include VB-Audio Virtual Cable and the open source VAC alternative Loopback.

Key Features

Some of the key features of Virtual Audio Cable include:

Route audio between applications – Virtual Audio Cable allows you to route audio between different applications on your computer. For example, you can take audio output from one program and send it as input to another program. This enables advanced audio routing workflows.

Create virtual devices – The software installs virtual audio devices on your system that you can use just like physical devices. This allows you to connect audio streams between programs without any special hardware.

Mix multiple sources – You can combine multiple audio sources together by routing them all into a single virtual cable. This makes it easy to merge audio from various programs into one combined audio stream.

According to the Virtual Audio Cable documentation, the software supports up to 256 virtual cable devices on Windows systems [1]. It is compatible with almost any fixed point PCM audio format and sample rate between 1000 Hz and 192000 Hz [1].

Use Cases

There are several popular use cases for Virtual Audio Cable:

Streaming Audio

Virtual Audio Cable allows you to route audio between applications for streaming. You can take the output from an audio player or DAW and stream it to a platform like Twitch or Discord by setting Virtual Audio Cable as the input device. This keeps the stream audio separate from your microphone or system audio.

Recording Audio

With Virtual Audio Cable, you can record audio from applications that don’t allow recording themselves. For example, you can route game audio or audio from media players to your DAW by setting Virtual Audio Cable as the output device from the application, and then capturing that audio in your DAW.

Audio Effects

You can apply VST effects in your DAW to audio routed through Virtual Audio Cable. This allows you to add effects like reverb or compression to game audio, streaming audio, or other external sources.

Audio Mixing

Virtual Audio Cable enables flexible audio mixing between applications. You can mix multiple software sources by routing them all to your DAW or mixing program using Virtual Audio Cable. This is useful for audio production, podcasting, and live streaming.

Benefits

Virtual Audio Cable provides a number of benefits that enhance audio workflows. One of the key benefits is flexible audio routing. As stated on https://www.compsmag.com/alternative/software/virtual-audio-cable/, Virtual Audio Cable allows you to “send audio from one application to another application in realtime.” This makes it easy to route audio between different apps and devices without complex hardware setups.

Another major benefit is that Virtual Audio Cable can save time and money compared to purchasing additional hardware. As the Compsmag article explains, Virtual Audio Cable eliminates the need for “extra physical audio cables and adapters” by providing a virtual routing solution. This streamlines workflows and provides cost savings.

Overall, Virtual Audio Cable enhances audio workflows by enabling flexible routing between apps and devices. It also saves time and money by reducing the need for extra specialized hardware purchases.

Limitations

While Virtual Audio Cable (VAC) is a powerful tool, it does come with some limitations that users should be aware of:

VAC can introduce latency into audio signals as it routes them between applications. The amount of latency depends on buffer size settings and system capabilities. For real-time monitoring, latency needs to be minimized which requires optimization. Too much latency makes monitoring unworkable.

The setup process for VAC can also be complex, especially for beginners. Routing audio properly between applications involves adjustments in their settings. This requires some technical knowledge and can take time to configure correctly.

In general, VAC requires more technical expertise than some alternative virtual audio routing tools. Users should have a willingness to read documentation, tweak settings, and problem-solve issues. VAC gives advanced control, but that also means a steeper learning curve.

With the proper technical background and understanding of these limitations, VAC can be configured for low-latency performance. But users should be prepared for a more hands-on experience compared to simpler audio routers.

Popular Software Choices

Some of the most popular and widely used virtual audio cable software options include:

VB-Audio Voicemeeter (https://www.vb-audio.com/Voicemeeter/) – An advanced virtual mixer with audio routing capabilities. Voicemeeter allows you to manage multiple audio inputs and outputs between different audio devices and applications. The free version, Voicemeeter Banana, provides two virtual audio devices and many professional features.

AudioRepeat (https://audiorepeat.com/) – A lightweight virtual audio streaming tool. It’s easy to setup and provides low latency streaming between applications. The free version has all the core features but limits to one virtual cable.

JACK Audio (https://jackaudio.org/) – An open source virtual audio routing toolkit for Linux, macOS and Windows. It connects physical and virtual audio devices together in a flexible manner. JACK provides both audio and MIDI functionality.

Pricing

There are many free and paid options for virtual audio cable software at different price points:

Popular free options include:
– VB-Audio Voicemeeter (https://vb-audio.com/Voicemeeter/)
– vb-audio Virtual Audio Cable (https://vb-audio.com/Cable/)

Paid options range from around $25 to over $100. Some examples include:
– Audio Repeater by Rogue Amoeba ($29) (https://rogueamoeba.com/audiohijack/repeater/)
– Loopbe1 Virtual MIDI Driver by Nerds.de ($59) (https://www.nerds.de/en/loopbe1.html)

– VAC by Eugene Muzychenko ($99+) (https://vac.muzychenko.net/en/)

The paid options generally offer more robust features, lower latency, and better audio quality compared to the free versions. However, the free options like Voicemeeter and VB-Audio Virtual Cable provide surprisingly full-featured capabilities for no cost, making them popular choices.

System Requirements

Virtual Audio Cable can be installed on Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. On Windows, it requires Windows 7 or later. On Mac, it requires macOS 10.13 or later. On Linux, it requires a modern distribution like Ubuntu 18.04 or later.

The hardware requirements are relatively modest. At minimum, Virtual Audio Cable needs a 1 GHz CPU and 1GB of RAM. For best performance, a multi-core CPU and 4GB of RAM is recommended.

Virtual Audio Cable installs kernel drivers to enable audio routing between applications. On Windows, it uses WDM drivers. On Mac, it uses CoreAudio drivers. On Linux, it uses ALSA drivers. The drivers allow Virtual Audio Cable to hook into the audio subsystem and create virtual devices.

Specific driver requirements:
– Windows: WDM driver model supported
– Mac: CoreAudio driver framework
– Linux: ALSA driver framework

So in summary, Virtual Audio Cable can run on most modern Windows, Mac, and Linux machines. It requires audio drivers to enable virtual routing.

Source: https://www.thumbsat.com/pics/classroom/ThumbNet_Setup_Procedure_1.4.pdf

Setup and Configuration

Setting up Virtual Audio Cable is straightforward, but does require a few steps to get audio routing correctly between applications.

To get started, download the free or paid version of Virtual Audio Cable from the developer’s website. The installer will guide you through the installation process. Be sure to close any audio-related apps before installing.

Once installed, Virtual Audio Cable will create new audio input and output devices on your system. To route audio between apps:

1. Open the app you want to capture audio from and set its output device to one of the Virtual Audio Cable outputs, for example “Cable 1”.
2. Open the app you want to send that audio to, like a streaming app, and set its input device to the matching cable, “Cable 1”.

Now audio from the first app will be digitally transferred to the second app via the virtual cable. You can repeat this process to chain multiple apps together.

If you run into issues with no audio coming through, check that your apps and system audio settings are correctly configured. Some troubleshooting tips:

• Confirm the app output is routed to the correct virtual cable output.
• Make sure system volume for that virtual cable is turned up.
• Try restarting apps and your computer if connections get stuck.
• Check for driver or software updates if problems persist.

With some trial and error, you’ll get the hang of routing audio through virtual cables. It opens up many possibilities for new audio workflows on your computer.

Alternatives

There are several alternatives to virtual audio cables that serve similar functions:

Physical audio interfaces: Hardware audio interfaces like Focusrite Scarlett or Behringer audio mixers provide physical inputs and outputs that can route audio between applications. These avoid routing audio digitally, allowing analog signal paths. However, physical interfaces can be more expensive and less flexible than virtual options.

DAW routing: Digital audio workstation (DAW) software like Reaper allows flexible internal audio routing between tracks and effects. This allows routing audio internally within a DAW. However, routing between external applications requires digital virtual routing.

Audio Hijack (Mac): Tools like Audio Hijack for Mac enable audio routing between applications and devices. This works similarly to virtual audio cables but has additional recording and effects capabilities. However, it is limited to Mac OS only.

While virtual audio cables are popular for their flexibility, physical hardware, DAWs, and OS-specific tools provide alternative options in some use cases.