How to Play Music Through Your Mic

Have you ever wondered how YouTubers and gamers speak and play music through their mics simultaneously? You probably think you need to purchase expensive software to make that happen. However, this isn’t necessarily true.

In this article, we’ll teach you how to play music through your mic on various platforms. In addition, we’ll offer recommendations on the best programs to use.

How to Play Music Through Your Mic on a Windows PC

Playing music through your mic on a Windows PC is simple and can be achieved by using software available on the internet. We’ll take a look at one of the most popular programs: VoiceMeeter. In addition to that, you’ll also need to install a soundboard on your computer.

VoiceMeeter is a virtual audio mixer that combines various audio sources and sends them to different outputs. It allows you to connect various devices and applications to customize your inputs and outputs. You can select it as the main audio device for your system. The program is free, but if you’re using it for professional purposes, you should pay for your license.

A soundboard is a program in which you can load your audio files.

In this method, signals from the soundboard and the microphone are transferred to the VoiceMeeter as input. VoiceMeeter processes the signals and plays them as outputs. Here’s how to set it up.

1. Download and install VoiceMeeter and a soundboard. We recommend using EXP Soundboard.
   
2. Open the sound settings on your Windows 10 and enable VoiceMeeter input and output in the “Recording” tab. If you can’t see it, right-click and tick “Show Disabled Devices.”
   
3. In the same tab, right-click on “VoiceMeeter Output” and tap “Set as Default Device.”
   
4. Open the EXP Soundboard.
   
5. Choose “VoiceMeeter Input” as the first output.
   
6. Go back to the VoiceMeeter and choose your microphone as the first hardware input.
   
7. Under “A1 Hardware Out” on the right side, select your speakers. By selecting this, you’ll be able to hear the sound that goes into the mic.
   
8. Open the Start menu, start typing “Voice recorder,” and open it. This app allows you to check if you’ve set everything right.
   
9. Tap the microphone icon to start recording and play any sound file on the soundboard. If it doesn’t work, go back to the sound settings and ensure “VoiceMeeter Output” is selected as the “Default Device” and the “Default Communication Device.”
   

How to Play Music Through Your Mic on a Mac

If you want to play music through your mic on a Mac device, you can use QuickTime, Apple’s multimedia framework. Here’s how to do it:

1. Find QuickTime in your Applications folder and open it.
2. Tap “File.”
3. Tap “New Audio Recording.”
4. Tap the triangle at the top-right corner.
5. Choose the built-in input and the preferred volume.
6. Play the music.

How to Play Music Through Your Mic on Discord

If you’re often using Discord, you’ll be happy to know you can play music through your mic and share it with your friends and fellow gamers.

1. Install any soundboard app.
   
2. Connect your mic to the app and set it as default.
3. Open the Control Panel and go to sound settings.
   
4. Under the “Recordings” tab, enable “Stereo Mix.”
   
5. Open the Discord app and tap the gear icon to access settings.
   
6. Tap “Voice & Video.”
   
7. Under “Input Device,” choose “Stereo mix.”
   
8. Under “Input Mode,” ensure the checkmark is next to “Voice Activity.”
   
9. Switch the toggle button next to “Automatically determine input sensitivity.”
   
10. Play the music through your mic.

How to Play Music Through Your Mic in Game on an Xbox

If you’re often playing games on your Xbox and you want to share music or sound effects with your party, you can do it by following the steps below:

1. Open the Control Panel and go to sound settings.
2. Under the “Recordings” tab, enable “Stereo Mix.”
3. Open the Xbox app, tap your profile picture, and then tap “Settings.”
4. Tap “Volume & audio output.”
5. Ensure the right output is selected.
6. Play your music.

In addition, if you want background music, Xbox allows you to download music apps such as Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, etc. Simply download the apps through your console and play the music through your headset.

However, if you’re streaming your game, Xbox will prevent you from playing music.

How to Play Music Through Your Mic in Game on a PS4

Similar to Xbox, PS4 allows you to use music apps such as Spotify to enjoy background music while you’re playing. You can share your music through your mic by configuring the Xbox settings:

1. Open the settings on your Xbox.
2. Tap “Sharing and Broadcasts.”
3. Tap “Audio Sharing Settings.”
4. Ensure all three options have a checkmark next to them.

It’s important to note you won’t be able to play music on a PS4 if you’re streaming your game.

How to Play Music Through Your Mic on VRChat

There are several ways to play music through your mic in VRChat. The easiest way is to install a program that will make this possible. We recommend using VoiceMeeter.

1. Download and install the program by visiting this webpage.
2. Open Control Panel and go to the sound settings.
3. Ensure your microphone is set as default.
4. Under the “Recording” tab, select “Cable Output” and open its properties.
5. Mark the box next to “Listen to this device.”
6. Add an extension called AudioPick to play music into your mic.
7. Open VRChat and ensure “Cable Output” is selected in your mic settings.

How to Play Music Through Your Mic on GMod

If you want to play music through your mic in Garry’s Mod (GMod), you’ll need to install two programs: Foobar and Virtual Audio Cable. The latter one isn’t free, but it’s the most recommended program of the sort. If you don’t want to purchase it, free alternatives can be found online.

Foobar is an audio player available for Mac, Windows, and Android. It has gained popularity due to its innovative design, ease of use, and variety of features. It supports a range of audio formats and offers numerous options for converting, resampling, and organizing files.

Virtual Audio Cable is a program that enables you to transfer an audio stream from one app to another. By using a virtual audio cable, the program transfers the input from one application and sends it to another app as an output. Since it’s a digital transfer, the sound doesn’t lose quality. This program isn’t free, and you’ll have to purchase a license if you want to use it. Fortunately, it’s a one-time purchase. Here’s how to install it.

1. Download both programs.
2. Open Virtual Audio Cable.
3. Under “Driver Parameters,” select “2.” In the same folder, find “Audio Repeater” and open it three times.
4. Open Foobar, tap “File,” and then tap “Preferences.”
5. Tap “Output” and ensure “Line 1” is selected under “Device.” Tap “Apply” and close the window.
6. Go back to the three “Audio Repeater” windows. In the first window, select “Line 1” under “Wave in” and “Line 2” under “Wave out.”
7. In the second window, select “Microphone” under “Wave in” and “Line 2” under “Wave out.”
8. In the third window, select “Line 2” under “Wave in” and “Loudspeakers” or “Headphones” under “Wave out.” Tap “Start.”
9. Go to the sound settings in Control Panel. Under the “Recordings” tab, select “Line 2” as the default device.
10. In the game, type “+voicerecord” in the developer console. You can now play your music.

How to Play Music Through Your Mic in Rust

If you enjoy playing Rust and want to add music to it, you’ll need to install three components: Virtual Audio Cable, VoiceMeeter, and a soundboard. We recommend using EXP Soundboard.

As previously mentioned, Virtual Audio Cable is a type of software that transfers the inputs from one application and converts it to output for another application. Although it isn’t free, it’s one of the most popular programs of this type. Since it requires a one-time payment, you won’t have to worry about wasting your money if you’re not using it frequently.

Rust is available on Steam, an online gaming platform. We’ll show you how to play music through your mic by downloading the aforementioned programs and adjusting the Steam settings:

Here are the steps:

1. Download and install VoiceMeeter and EXP Soundboard.
2. Go to the Control Panel and open the sound settings. Ensure VoiceMeeter and EXP Soundboard are enabled.
3. Set “VoiceMeeter Output” as your default device.
4. Open EXP Soundboard. Select “VoiceMeeter Input” as the first output.
5. Open VoiceMeeter. Under the first hardware input, choose your microphone.
6. Under “A1 Hardware Out,” select your speakers.
7. Open Steam and ensure “VoiceMeeter Output” is selected in input preferences.
8. Start Rust.

M(us)ic Is Always a Good Option

Learning how to play music through your mic allows you to enjoy your favorite tunes while playing games or talking to your friends. In most cases, you’ll need to install additional programs that enable you to set everything up in a few clicks. Some of these programs are free, some are not. While we recommend using the most popular ones, you can always try alternatives.

Have you ever played music through your mic? What software did you use? Tell us in the comments section below.