Simple VoiceMeeter Configuration Guide For Windows 11

 



VoiceMeeter on Windows 11 – The 10-Minute Beginner’s Guide

Ever wished your USB microphone and Windows system sounds could show up in the same Zoom call, OBS stream, or Audacity recording—without cables or extra hardware?

VoiceMeeter (a free software from VB-Audio) turns your PC into a mini audio console. Below is a copy-and-paste–ready recipe that works on Windows 11, even if you’ve never touched an audio mixer before.

What you’ll achieve

• One “virtual” microphone that blends:
– Your USB mic
– Everything happening on your PC (game audio, YouTube, notification pings, etc.)

• Two destinations:
– Your headset (so you can hear it all)
– Any recording or meeting app (so they can hear the mix)

Step 1 – Turn on Windows’ hidden “Stereo Mixer”

  1. Windows key → Settings → System → Sound → More sound settings (classic control panel).
  2. Tab over to Recording.
  3. Right-click Stereo Mixer → Enable.
    (If you don’t see it, right-click in the white space → Show Disabled Devices.)

Stereo Mixer is Windows’ way of letting software “listen” to whatever is playing on the PC.

Step 2 – Install & open VoiceMeeter

Download the “VoiceMeeter Standard” zip from vb-audio.com, unzip, run the installer, reboot.
Open VoiceMeeter from the Start menu. You’ll see a window that looks like a hardware mixer—don’t panic.

Step 3 – Wire up Windows

  1. System tray speaker icon → Open Volume mixer (or Settings → System → Sound → Volume mixer on Win 11).
  2. Under Input device pick:
    Voicemeeter Output (VB-Audio VoiceMeeter VAIO).
  3. Under Output device pick:
    Voicemeeter Input (VB-Audio VoiceMeeter VAIO).

These two choices create the loop that feeds Windows into VoiceMeeter and back out again. Be sure to note the unique numbers associated with your input and output choice e.g. for Input Device you choose "Voicemeeter Out B1 (VB-Audio VoiceMeeter VIAO)" and for output device you choose "Voicemeeter Input (VB-Audio VoiceMeeter VIAO)"

Step 4 – Patch/configure sources inside VoiceMeeter software

Top-left panel = INPUTS, far-right column = OUTPUTS.

INPUTS (left click each to select your device)

  1. HARDWARE/STEREO INPUT 1 → left-click/drop-down → choose your USB microphone.
  2. HARDWARE INPUT 2 → leave blank for now (second mic, guitar, phone, etc.).
  3. VIRTUAL INPUT (labelled “Voicemeeter VAIO”) → this auto-grabs everything Windows is playing because of Step 3.

OUTPUTS (HARDWARE OUT section)

  • BUS A1 → your headset or speakers (so you can monitor or hear through your listening device/speaker/headphone - disable to turn off hearing yourself).
  • BUS B1 → click the B1 button under VIRTUAL OUT (this feeds into the mixed feed that apps will “hear”).

Step 5 – Tell Windows to use the new “microphone”

Back in Settings → System → Sound → More sound settings → Recording:

  • Right-click Voicemeeter Output (VB-Audio VoiceMeeter VAIO) → Set as Default Device and, if you like, Default Communication Device. Note that your virtual output might have a unique number attached e.g. Voicemeeter Out B1

From now on, Zoom, Discord, OBS, Teams, Audacity, etc., will receive the blend of your USB mic + system audio when they ask for “the microphone”.

Step 6 – Quick test

  1. Open Voice Recorder (Start menu → type “Voice Recorder”).
  2. Before you hit the big mic button, click the three-dot menu → Settings → Microphone → choose Voicemeeter Input (VB-Audio VoiceMeeter VAIO).
  3. Record 5 seconds of you talking while a YouTube video plays.
  4. Play it back—both your voice and the video audio should be there.

Tips & gotchas

• No sound? Check that BUS A1 and B1 buttons are lit (orange/green) in VoiceMeeter. Also used to disable/enable hearing microphone in your output hardware/speaker or the apps running on your PC. e.g. "A" will turn off the microphone feedback to your speakers/earphone so you don't hear it. B will turn off microphone feedback to your app so that the app can't capture the sound from it.
• Latency: Keep buffer size low (512 or below) under Menu → System Settings / Options.
• Levels: Use the big input knobs in VoiceMeeter; aim for green bars, avoid red.
• Second mic or phone: plug it in, pick it in HARDWARE INPUT 2, hit B1 to send it to the mix.

That’s it—your PC now behaves like a two-channel broadcast console. Happy streaming, podcasting, or meeting!

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