Enable real mic passthrough in SylphSpeak

Goal

Enable real mic passthrough so you can speak out loud and send SylphSpeak messages through the same virtual mic. Use real mic passthrough when you do not want to keep switching a third-party app between your real microphone and your SylphSpeak virtual mic.

Before you start

Make sure you have:

• SylphSpeak open
• Config mode > Devices open
• A paid SylphSpeak account linked to your active device
• Your real microphone connected
• Your third-party app set to use your SylphSpeak virtual mic

Understand real mic passthrough

Normally, a third-party app can listen to either your real mic or your SylphSpeak virtual mic. Real mic passthrough lets your real mic pass through SylphSpeak’s virtual mic. This means you can set the third-party app to the SylphSpeak virtual mic once, then use both:

• Your real spoken voice
• SylphSpeak text-to-speech messages You do not need to change the third-party app’s input device each time you switch between speaking and typing.

TTS and real mic do not play at the same time

You cannot have text-to-speech playback at the same time you are speaking through real mic passthrough.

Choose your real mic

1. Open Config mode.
2. Go to Devices.
3. Under Virtual mic, turn Enable real mic? on.
4. Select your real microphone device.

Turn on real mic passthrough, then choose your real microphone.

Do not choose a virtual mic

Do not select a virtual mic as your real mic. Choose the physical microphone you speak into.

Enable real mic for a route

After you choose your real mic, turn real mic passthrough on for the routes that should use it.

1. Stay in Config mode > Devices.
2. Under Virtual mic, find the route you want to use.
3. Turn real mic on for that route.

Real mic passthrough uses a two-step setup for extra control.

This two-step setup helps keep real mic audio hidden unless you intentionally enable it for a route.

Use a route with real mic enabled

Make sure the active route is a route where real mic passthrough is enabled.

Use a route with real mic passthrough enabled.

If you switch to a route where real mic passthrough is off, your real mic will not pass through that route.

Select the SylphSpeak virtual mic in your app

In your third-party app, choose the mic name that matches Your app listens on. Do not choose your real mic in the third-party app. The app should listen to the SylphSpeak virtual mic, and SylphSpeak will pass your real mic through that virtual mic when passthrough is enabled.

Your third-party app should use the virtual mic name, not your real mic name.

Need the exact virtual mic name?

If you are not sure which input device to choose, use the device name shown under Your app listens on.

Check that it worked

Real mic passthrough is working when your third-party app receives your real mic through the SylphSpeak virtual mic. To test:

1. In SylphSpeak, select a route where real mic passthrough is enabled.
2. In your third-party app, select the mic that matches Your app listens on.
3. Use the third-party app’s mic test, voice test, or recording preview.
4. Speak into your real mic.
5. Confirm the app receives your real mic audio.
6. Send a short SylphSpeak message and confirm the app receives the text-to-speech audio too.

Third-party app settings can affect your real mic

You may have tuned the third-party app’s microphone settings for text-to-speech. Those settings can make your real mic sound worse, or make background sounds more audible when real mic passthrough is on.

If it does not work

If the third-party app does not receive your real mic:

1. Confirm Enable real mic? is on.
2. Confirm your physical microphone is selected as the real mic.
3. Confirm real mic is enabled for the active route.
4. Confirm the third-party app is using the SylphSpeak virtual mic, not your real mic.
5. Use the app’s mic test again.

Next step

After real mic passthrough works, send one text-to-speech test message and one spoken test line in the third-party app to confirm both paths are ready.