Level Hound › Route your mic to Discord and OBS
How to route one mic to Discord and OBS on Windows
Updated November 10, 2026
To send one microphone to Discord and OBS with the same processing in both, run the mic through one app that cleans it up, and have that app publish the result as a virtual microphone. Discord and OBS then both select the virtual microphone instead of the real one. Level Hound, a free microphone mixer app for Windows, does this with a device called Level Hound Mic.
Why not just pick the same mic in both apps?
Windows lets Discord and OBS open the same microphone at once, so the basic case already works. The trouble starts when you want to sound better. Each app then gets the raw signal and applies its own noise suppression, gain and filters, so your stream and your voice chat sound different, and any fix has to be made twice. A soundboard clip or voice effect also has nowhere to go: there is no single place where your finished voice exists.
A virtual microphone solves that. One app takes the real microphone, does all the processing once, and plays the result into a virtual device. Every other app records from that device as if it were hardware.
Set it up with Level Hound
- Install Level Hound. Download the installer from levelhound.org and run it on Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit). Level Hound is free and needs no account.
- Install the virtual cable when asked. Level Hound Mic needs one virtual audio cable. The installer and the Audio setup screen point you to VB-CABLE on vb-audio.com; install it once and restart Windows if it asks.
- Pick your real microphone. Open Audio setup in Level Hound and choose the microphone you talk into. Speak: the meter moves and the row turns green.
- Name the virtual mic. Press Name it on the Level Hound Mic row so Windows and every other app show the device as Level Hound Mic. Windows asks for permission once.
- Choose Level Hound Mic in Discord. In Discord, open User Settings, then Voice & Video, and set Input Device to Level Hound Mic.
- Choose Level Hound Mic in OBS. In OBS, open Settings, then Audio, and set Mic/Auxiliary Audio to Level Hound Mic. You can also add it as an Audio Input Capture source in a scene.
- Turn off the second layer of processing. If Discord's noise suppression, an OBS filter or a Windows enhancement is also cleaning your voice, Level Hound's Health page names it so you can switch it off and avoid processing your voice twice.
- Press Test everything. The test plays a chime in your headphones, then records three seconds from Level Hound Mic and plays it back, so you hear what Discord and OBS will hear.
What each app hears
| Source | Discord and OBS on your real mic | Discord and OBS on Level Hound Mic |
|---|---|---|
| Your voice | Raw, processed separately by each app | Levelled and cleaned once, identical in both |
| Noise suppression | Set up in each app | Done once in Level Hound; it warns you if another app stacks its own on top |
| Soundboard clips | Need extra routing | Played into the mic on a hotkey |
| Voice effects | Need a separate tool | Applied before either app hears you |
| After a Windows update changes devices | You re-select devices by hand | Level Hound puts the default mic and routes back and tells you what it fixed |
Different mixes for stream and chat
Sometimes Discord and OBS should not hear the same thing: viewers should hear your music and alerts, while friends in voice chat should hear only you. Level Hound has a Stream mic and a Chat mic, each with its own mix, and mix-minus is automatic, so callers never hear themselves back. In the current early-access release the two extra virtual mics need VB-Audio's second cable pack, VB-CABLE A+B; with only one cable installed, Level Hound says so on its Routing page and offers the single Level Hound Mic.
If something sounds wrong
- Robotic or pumping voice: two apps are suppressing noise at once. Turn off Discord's noise suppression or the OBS noise filter and let Level Hound do it.
- Crackle or dropouts: Level Hound's sound check looks for mismatched sample rates, a late audio thread or the Windows power plan, and explains the fix.
- Nobody hears you: check that the app's input device is Level Hound Mic and not the cable's other half, then run Test everything.
- A game refuses to start: see the game and anti-cheat compatibility list.
For the wider picture of gain, noise and room sound, read Quill Hound's guide Make any mic sound good on Windows. For what the cable underneath is doing, see Virtual audio cable setup.
Level Hound is free for Windows 10 and 11. No account, no subscription.