Pick and install a virtual mic for SylphSpeak

Start here

Use this page if SylphSpeak asks you to choose a virtual microphone and you are not sure what to install.

New to virtual microphones?

Start with How to use text-to-speech as a microphone if you want a plain-language overview of how typed speech becomes microphone input. Then come back here to pick and install a virtual mic for SylphSpeak.

Goal

Pick a virtual mic for SylphSpeak, install it, and choose the matching route in your voice app. A virtual mic lets SylphSpeak send typed speech into apps like Discord, Zoom, games, or streaming tools. You do not need to learn audio routing to use this guide.

Quick recommendation

SylphSpeak onboarding already walks you through installing one route and optionally a second. Use this page when you want more options, more routes, or you are setting up outside onboarding. Pick your operating system first, then choose between the simplest path and the free path.

Windows

Need	Simplest path	Free path
One route	VB-CABLE	VB-CABLE
Two separate routes	VB-CABLE A+B	VB-CABLE • Hi-Fi CABLE
Four separate routes	VB-CABLE A+B • C+D	No recommended free setup

macOS

Need	Simplest path	Free path
One route	VB-CABLE for Mac	VB-CABLE for Mac
Two separate routes	VB-CABLE A+B for Mac	VB-CABLE for Mac • BlackHole*
Four separate routes	VB-CABLE A+B for Mac • C+D for Mac	No recommended free setup

* BlackHole does not require a paid license, but getting it may require a donation, following the project on social media, or installing it through Terminal/Homebrew.

For most people, start with one route. If you need more later, you can add them without changing how SylphSpeak works.

How many routes do you need?

A route is a separate voice path from SylphSpeak to a virtual mic. Use more than one route only when you want different apps to hear different SylphSpeak audio.

If this sounds like you…	Use
I use SylphSpeak in one call, game, or app at a time.	Route A
I am in two calls at once and want to choose which call hears SylphSpeak.	Route A + Route B
I need three or four separate destinations.	Route A, B, C, and D

For example, Route A can go to Discord while Route B goes to Zoom. Sending to Route A does not need to send the same audio to Route B.

Start small

If you are not sure, start with Route A. You can add more routes later.

Pick what to install

Check official download links

SylphSpeak does not distribute or maintain third-party virtual mic software. Before downloading, check that the link opens the provider’s official site and that the site looks correct. SylphSpeak is not responsible for third-party downloads, installers, or provider site issues.

Windows

Need	Install	Payment style	Why
One route	VB-CABLE	Free download; optional donation	Best first choice for most Windows users.
Two clear routes	VB-CABLE A+B	Payment required	Cable letters match Route A and Route B.
Two cheaper routes	VB-CABLE • Hi-Fi CABLE	Free download; optional donation	Cheaper, but names are harder to follow.
Four clear routes	VB-CABLE A+B • C+D	Payment required	Cable letters match Route A, B, C, and D.
Advanced control	Virtual Audio Cable	Paid license	Another powerful option for advanced routing.

macOS

Need	Install	Payment style	Why
One route	VB-CABLE for Mac	Free download; optional donation	Best first choice if you want the guide to match Windows.
Another no-money route	BlackHole	No paid license; gated download	Another Mac option for a free path.
Two clear routes	VB-CABLE A+B for Mac	Payment required	Cable letters match Route A and Route B.
Four clear routes	VB-CABLE A+B for Mac • C+D for Mac	Payment required	Cable letters match Route A, B, C, and D.

Route names you may see

The names may look different depending on your operating system and the virtual mic you install.

Route A only

Install	In SylphSpeak, choose	In your voice app, choose
VB-CABLE on Windows	CABLE Input	CABLE Output
VB-CABLE for Mac	VB-CABLE	VB-CABLE
BlackHole on Mac	BlackHole 2ch	BlackHole 2ch

Route A + Route B

Route	Windows VB-CABLE A+B	macOS VB-CABLE A+B
Route A	CABLE-A Input in SylphSpeak, CABLE-A Output in your voice app	CABLE-A
Route B	CABLE-B Input in SylphSpeak, CABLE-B Output in your voice app	CABLE-B

Four routes

Route	Windows VB-CABLE A+B and C+D	macOS VB-CABLE A+B and C+D
Route A	CABLE-A Input in SylphSpeak, CABLE-A Output in your voice app	CABLE-A
Route B	CABLE-B Input in SylphSpeak, CABLE-B Output in your voice app	CABLE-B
Route C	CABLE-C Input in SylphSpeak, CABLE-C Output in your voice app	CABLE-C
Route D	CABLE-D Input in SylphSpeak, CABLE-D Output in your voice app	CABLE-D

Install the virtual mic

Use the official link in the table above and follow the provider’s current installation instructions.

Windows default devices

Some virtual mic installers on Windows set themselves as the default playback device and the default communications device. That can change your previous speaker and microphone defaults.

If the installer offers an option not to change those defaults, leave that option off.

When installation is complete:

1. Restart your computer if the provider asks you to.
2. Open your computer’s sound settings.
3. Check that the new virtual mic appears.
4. Return to this guide to connect it to SylphSpeak.

Assign the virtual mic to a SylphSpeak route

Installing a virtual mic does not automatically connect it to SylphSpeak. You must manually assign the virtual mic to the route you want to use.

1. Open SylphSpeak.
2. Open the route or audio output settings.
3. Select the virtual mic for Route A.
4. If you use additional routes, manually assign a different virtual mic to Route B, Route C, or Route D as needed.
5. Make sure each route points to the virtual mic you intend that destination to hear.

Manual assignment required

SylphSpeak does not automatically decide which installed virtual mic belongs to Route A, B, C, or D. You choose and assign each route yourself.

For the in-app route settings walkthrough, see Use routes in SylphSpeak.

Choose the virtual mic in your voice app

In Discord, Zoom, your game, or another voice app, select the matching virtual mic as your microphone. For example:

• If SylphSpeak sends Route A to CABLE-A, your voice app should listen to CABLE-A.
• If SylphSpeak sends Route B to CABLE-B, your voice app should listen to CABLE-B. On Windows, the names may say Input on the SylphSpeak side and Output on the voice app side. That is expected.

Check that it worked

1. Join a private test call or use your voice app’s microphone test.
2. Type a short test line in SylphSpeak.
3. Send it through Route A.
4. Confirm the voice app hears the virtual mic. Your voice path is ready when the app hears SylphSpeak through the selected virtual mic.

If it does not work

The virtual mic does not appear

Try this:

1. Restart your computer.
2. Reopen SylphSpeak.
3. Reopen the app where you want to use the virtual mic.
4. Check your computer’s sound settings.
5. Reinstall the virtual mic if it still does not appear.

The app shows the virtual mic, but nobody hears anything

Check this:

• SylphSpeak is using the route’s virtual mic.
• Your voice app is listening to the matching virtual mic.
• Your voice app has microphone permission.
• The app is not muted.
• You are testing the same route you selected.

Audio is distorted, crackly, silent, or fails a virtual mic test

If the virtual mic audio sounds wrong, see Set up virtual mic format.

What the payment labels mean

Label	Meaning
Free download; optional donation	You can install it without paying. You may donate if you want.
No paid license; gated download	You do not buy a license. Getting the installer may still require a donation, a social follow, or installing through Terminal/Homebrew.
Payment required	You must pay something before you can download it.
Paid license	You need to buy the app for normal long-term use.

Mixer setups are not needed

This guide does not recommend mixer-style setups for a basic SylphSpeak install. These tools and setup types may be useful for other audio workflows, but they add extra routing work that most SylphSpeak users do not need. Without careful mixer configuration, SylphSpeak can also behave unexpectedly and become harder to troubleshoot.

Tool or setup type	Why this guide does not recommend it for basic setup
VoiceMeeter and VoiceMeeter Banana	It is a mixer setup. SylphSpeak only needs a virtual mic for most users.
Loopback	It is an advanced Mac routing app, not a simple cable-style virtual mic.
OBS or other streaming tools*	They can interfere with an existing streaming setup and add unnecessary computer load if you only use them for audio mixing.
Aggregate devices	They combine devices, but they do not create the simple virtual mic path this guide is focused on.
Multi-output devices	They send audio to more than one output, but they are not the same as choosing a SylphSpeak virtual mic.

* OBS and other streaming tools are completely fine for streaming. SylphSpeak pairs well with them when you are actually streaming. This note is only saying not to open heavy streaming software just to use it as an audio mixer. Choose a cable-style virtual mic first unless another guide specifically tells you to use a mixer or advanced routing setup.

Final advice

Start with the smallest setup that solves your problem.

• Use Route A for one app.
• Use Route A + Route B if you are in two calls at once.
• Use Route C and Route D only if you need more separate destinations.
• Choose the cable-style option first unless you already know you need advanced routing.

Virtual mic providers

Are you a virtual mic provider? For guide inclusion or product/pricing updates, contact partners@sylphspeak.com.