How to Virtualize Desktop Audio as Line-in Audio for Stereo Game Sound Effects

If you play with Open Mic in Desktop Mode, you'll only hear sound effects out of the left audio channel.

This guide will show you how to use Open Mic with a virtual line-in driver. This way you can mix desktop music or sounds to get stereo sound effects in the game.

Windows 10

This first portion of the guide is for Windows 10 users.

For Windows 7 users, please scroll down to that section.

1) Download and Install Voicemeeter Banana

Download the exe version, right-click, and Run as administrator:

Voicemeeter Banana[www.vb-audio.com]

(Be sure to reboot after installation.)

2) Three Methods To Listen

There are three main methods to use the Virtual Audio Cable line-in driver that comes with Voicemeeter Banana. They will do the following for Beat Hazard 2:

Application or Chrome Browser Tab --> Virtual Audio Cable Line-In --> Beat Hazard 2 Open Mic Line-In

Explanation:

BH2 Open Mic Line-In is a dedicated input and allows the game to play with stereo sound effects because it can analyze independent channels.

With Desktop Audio Mode the game's sound effects are limited to the left channel for proper audio analysis because the game's sound effects would interfere, so it analyzes the right audio channel.

These methods will allow audio from desktop applications (including Chrome web browser tabs) to be redirected to BH2 Open Mic Line-in, so the game's sound effects play in stereo.

2a) Application Method - Run Your Desired Music or Sound Player

1. Launch your music player or application and play music or sounds.
   
   
2. In the Windows 10 search bar type:
   
   Sound Playback Options
   
   
3. Scroll down and select:
   
   App volume and device preferences
   
   
4. Scroll down to find your application in the list:
   
   Select for output "Voice Meeter Input (VB Audio-Digital Cable).

For more detailed steps on this method, please see the following article:

How to Set Per-App Sound Outputs in Windows 10[www.howtogeek.com]

2b) Shairport - AirPlay Audio-Receiver for your Windows-PC

"Play audio content from your iPhone, iPad, iPod or iTunes on your PC with Shairport4w. AirPlay lets you wirelessly stream what's on your iOS device whenever you see the AirPlay symbol."

Download: Shairport4w[github.com]

Advantages to playing music, running apps, or sounds on the iPhone/iPad:

• Play the music collection available on the iPhone/iPad.
  
• Off-load app, sound, or music processing to the iPhone/iPad for better performance game performance (helps a lot with lower spec systems.)

Running and Configuring ShairPort:

1. Run SharePoint.
   
   
2. Choose Edit -> Advanced -> Soundcard -> System Default
   
   
3. Connect iPhone/iPad via AirPlay and play music through it.
   
   
4. In the Windows 10 search bar type:
   
   Sound Playback Options
   
   
5. Scroll down and select:
   
   App volume and device preferences
   
   
6. Scroll down to Shairport4w (or latest version):
   
   Select for output "Voice Meeter Input (VB Audio-Digital Cable).
   
   
7. Force refresh by scrolling up to Master Volume and change the output to something other than listening headphones or speakers, then reselect listening headphones or speakers. If necessary, refresh Voice Meeter selections by deselecting and reselecting options.

2c) Chrome Browser Method - Go to Your Desired Music Site

1. Install Audio Pick Current Tab Extension for Chrome
   
   AudioPick[chrome.google.com]
   
   
2. Use the Chrome Extension Audio Pick Current Tab to change the audio device.
   
   Select: VoiceMeeter Input (VB-Audio Virtual Cable)
   
   

3) Configure Voice Meeter Banana

1. Hardware Input 1 = WDM: VoiceMeeter Output (VB-Audio...)
   
   ⠀
   
2. A1 Drop Down = MME: Your Speakers / Headphones Device Driver, etc.
   
   

⠀

• There should be no music or sound output from the website, music player, etc.
  
• The sound meter under Hardware Input 1 should bounce up and down.
  
• Sound or music will play through Beat Hazard 2's Open Mic.

3a) Listening To Music Without Beat Hazard 2

Select A1 underneath Hardware Input 1:

⠀

3b) Listen to Music Through Beat Hazard 2

Deselect A1 underneath Hardware Input 1:

4) Launch Beat Hazard 2

Go to the Open Mic Settings.

Choose: Line-In Audio / VoiceMeeter Output (VB-Audio Virtual Cable)

Windows 7

Since the audio routing capabilities of Windows 10 aren't available within the OS on windows 7, getting this to work is a little bit more complicated, but still doable.

1) Download Required Programs

Download and Install all three of these:

https://www.vb-audio.com/Cable/index.htm

Virtual audio cable to connect your music streaming app to Beat Hazard 2

https://github.com/audiorouterdev/audio-router

This program will route the music streaming app into the virtual audio cable

https://www.vb-audio.com/Voicemeeter/banana.htm

You will also need Voice Meeter Banana as you would on windows 10.

Once you have installed all of these, you will need to restart your PC for the drivers to take effect.

2) Set up Audio Router

Open up Audio Router and your music streaming app of choice (for this example I am using Spotify, but it should work for just about anything).

You should see the app under default audio device. If it doesn't show up at first, play some audio and it should appear.













Click the dropdown menu under your streaming app, and click Route.

Select "CABLE Input (VB-Virtual Audio Cable)" Then click OK.












It will say "Routing Pending" Above the app if you are not playing any audio. Once it detects audio, it will be successfully routed into the audio cable. You should no longer hear any audio that plays from the app.

3) Set up VoiceMeeter Banana

Launch Voice Meeter Banana and click on "HARDWARE INPUT 1", then select "MME: CABLE Output (VB-Virtual Audio Cable)".









Then, on the right side of the application, click "A1", then select whatever you are using to listen to audio, like your headphones or speakers. (Make sure you use MME rather than WDM, WDM is seeming to cause problems with Beat Hazard!!






Voice Meeter Banana should now be properly configured.

4) Launch Beat Hazard 2

Launch Beat Hazard 2, make sure you have the open mic source set to line in, and select the virtual audio cable output. From there, you should be good to go!

Results?

Does it work for you?

You should have a virtual line-in Open Mic with full stereo sound effects!

Please reply with your results or problems. All suggestions are welcome.

(Thanks to the folks in the Beat Hazard Discord for helping!)

[Khamethyst]

this is too much work on our end to make a "feature" the game advertises work. The more I scrolled down the more I was like 'screw this" I can demonstrate that open mic works fine through both speakers without any of this, so to claim this is "unfixable" or opting for an elaborate workaround like this seems kinda crazy.

[Kodi022]

Found another way: plug a aux into your phone with spotify on, and plug that into the mic aux on your pc, idk if that'll work for most but it gives me 2 channel audio BEAUTIFULLY

[Kodi022]

I'm on windows 11 and i have a easier solution (though it hurts audio quality)
In the audio options there is a switch "Mono audio" and turning that on will make the audio work great aside from it sounding fairly worse

[TwitchTV/TheStonedSpider]

im pretty sure, i might be wrong, but virtual audio cable do the exact same thing without all the fluff. and its free. vac.muzychenko.net just add the https to the beginning of that. don't worry its a completely safe site it was written about in tom's hardware which is where i got it from.

[Leah.-]

Downloading Virtual Audio Cable from the site doesn't help either.. well, we'll just have to leave the SFX to our left ears 😅

[CobaltNinja]

It sounds like we need the paid version of the Digital Audio Cable.

Lame.

[Craig]

Same issue, pretty sure you also need VB Audio Cable

[CobaltNinja]

nevermind, i solved that.
but there's no option for "Voice Meeter Input (VB Audio-Digital Cable)."

only "Voicemeeter Input (VB-Audio VoiceMeeter VIAO)"

[CobaltNinja]

think i fucked up, i tried to install voicemeeter banana but i'd already installed the regular version, and it still thinks it needs to uninstall. i deleted the files completely before trying to install. not sure what to do. help?

[Extreme Thug Maid]

Everything turned out, but there was problem with FPS drop (locked to 60 and drops to 30 - 35).