How to Play Audio through Microphone?

If you are a tech enthusiast or a very regular computer user, it might be one of the essential things for you to know how to play audio through microphone. This is because, there are several applications out in the market which will require you to play sound without putting the microphone in the speakers.

You are able to play audio through mics using different methods- there is no specific standard rule of doing so unless you are bound to use a single application or program.

Let us start by looking at how this can be done in Windows Computers.

Playing Sound Through Mic in Windows Computer

While using applications like Skype and Zoom, it is important to be able to broadcast audio through your microphone. While having meetings or live conference calls in video, it is extremely essential to have clear audio through the microphone.

When you want to share a playback audio during such an online application call, you must first configure the sound settings in your computer. This will allow you to be able to speak clearly to your mic without having to deteriorate the quality of the speakers.

Usually the computers of today are well-equipped with sound card supports while allow them to share multiple kinds of audio through configuration of some software while the programs are running. However, in order to do this, you must first activate the ‘Stereo Mix’ as your recording device. It is not difficult to do so, but you must be aware of it.

This is available in the sound settings of the computer. You are going to easily find the option in most Windows versions. However, if you are using the Windows 8.1 (older version), it is important you check if the operating system supports the ‘Stereo Mix’ at all. Unfortunately, this is not an option available to Mac users.

Stereo Mix in Windows

This can be found and activated in the following manner:

1. Press on the Windows button in the keyboard
2. Type ‘Sound’ as your keyword for the search
3. Upon hitting enter, a window will pop- up
4. Select the option which says ‘Sound’
5. Navigate to the tab named ‘Recording’
6. Click on ‘Recording’ so that you can easily find ‘Stereo Mix’
7. By default, in the sound settings, ‘Stereo Mix’ is disabled. You must activate it
8. Right-click any recording device.

A different option tab can appear here as well. When browsing through that tab, you should look for ‘Show Disconnected Devices’ and ‘Show Disabled Devices’. Hereby, the Stereo Mix must be present in the list of the devices which are available. When you click it, you can activate this specific configuration.

What to do if Stereo Mix is missing?

Without ‘Stereo Mix’ setting you will be unable to play audio in your mic in any Windows Application. If you were not successful in finding the ‘Stereo mix’ in the settings, start by trying to update your audio driver.

This can be done in the following manner:

1. Press the Windows button and type ‘Device Manager’
2. Choose the option ‘Device Manager’ from the search results and expand the option that says ‘Sound, Video, and Game Controllers’. This will allow you to find the sound devices that are present in your system.
3. Click on the sound device which you are currently using. This causes another window to pop-up.
4. Next, click on the tab that says ‘Driver’, followed by selecting ‘Update Driver’. This will allow you to look for any and every update that is available.
5. If your system is unable to get update, it merely means that your sound card in the computer does not support ‘Stereo Mix’ settings. In such a case, you have to resort to installing a new sound card which is compatible with this setting.

Auxiliary Cable

This can be relevant for users who are unable use any sort of software-based solutions to play audio through mic. Furthermore, it is also compatible with Mac computers. This hardware solution is pretty popular.

All you have to do is, buy the auxiliary cable and attach one of the end of the jack of the sound source. All sorts of devices (smartphones, tablets, iPods) are usually compatible with this method. The other end of the cable has to be attached to the microphone input jack in the computer.

Next, you should move to the recording device. This is done by navigating to the Control Panel option in the search bar or start menu. Click the ‘Sound’ configuration where you can choose or switch the default device from the ‘Microphone’ to ‘Line-In’. This will enable you to play sound through the mic.

There is also an option to go for the VB-Audio Virtual Cable, which is a free software that enables you to connect any output and input audio devices. With this program, you will be able to play any sound to the virtual output device. However, you must configure the virtual the input to ‘Microphone’.

Nevertheless, this option may not work out in every situation. It highly depends on the specifications of your computer or the characteristics of the sound card you are using. However, many computer coders and tech enthusiasts go for this option.

If all fails, you must go for purchasing the virtual audio driver. It must be known that though Microsoft has started to offer some options for this, it may not be very compatible with the older versions of Windows.

Final Words

Knowing how to play sound using mic is imperative for many as it is relevant for use with many different applications. It will facilitate your audio recordings, conversations during games and video calls. There are several options mentioned above. You can follow the steps described above and see which one is the best compatible option for you and your device.

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