A virtual bridge to transfer audio files between apps
Virtual Audio Cable is a Windows audio utility, which supports audio file transfers between multiple apps. Additionally, the program lets you record audio from one app to another. While transferring audio files without losing quality can often be challenging, this software makes the job easier. On a Windows PC, the program acts as an audio driver or device and lets you export audio between multiple applications seamlessly. Since it retains the bit-perfect sound quality, you’re able to enjoy the purest audio possible on your computer.
Several customization possibilities, versatile tools, and quick transfers
Virtual Audio Cable is a reliable, useful, and simple tool. With this program, you can run a wide range of audio streams simultaneously and transfer one application to another without experiencing slowdowns or losing quality.
It’s important to understand, though, that the audio software’s efficiency depends on other apps’ settings. For everything to work properly, the applications you use with Virtual Audio Cable should be able to support custom audio output devices.
What is Virtual Audio Cable?
In simple terms, Virtual Audio Cable is a versatile audio driver specifically designed to connect multiple audio apps. While this program acts like a bridge, the applications are able to transfer audio streams among themselves. The tool package introduces the concept of ‘virtual cables’, which denotes a set of virtual devices containing output and input ports. Using the input port, an application like a music player records the audio signals and sends the message to a destination software program, such as a sound analyzer or processor.
How to use Virtual Audio Cable?
You can use Virtual Audio Cable for audio file transfers among sound editors, virtual synthesizers, sequencers, recorders, and other programs. Compared to OBS, Voicemeeter, and ASIO4ALL, this program offers several customization options, versatile features, and quick transfers. When you use Virtual Audio Cable, you can mix low sound latency, control volume, manage channel scattering, and mix signals between output ports. The tool also offers protocol support, so you can have information on notification events. Simply put, Virtual Audio Cable lets you build a music studio right on your Windows PC.
Once you install the application on your computer, you can access the control panel to configure different settings and parameters. Although the customization options have been neatly placed in an intuitive interface, the application can be quite overwhelming for beginners. To use the program properly, you need to go through a steep learning curve. It’s highly recommended to read the documentation carefully.
While some of the prominently displayed settings concern the audio driver, others refer to the cables. It’s easy to play around with different parameters in the toolset. For instance, you can change the number of cables created by the audio software. If you choose to add a new cable, it’s displayed as a new item in the monitoring window. You can also check the number of streams and modify the worker thread priority and number.
Virtual Audio Cable lets you configure various parameters for each cable. For example, you can modify the maximum number of instances, bits per sample range, channel number, and sampling rate. Additionally, you can enable volume control, stream buffer watermark, channel mixing, etc.
Once you’re done with the configuration process, you need to access the audio-producing tool to choose a compatible playback device. The actual audio transfer takes place in the ‘Audio Repeater’ application. This lets you transfer files from the recording or input port to the audio device. If you want to work with multiple apps simultaneously, the program mixes the signal together.
Does it offer advanced features?
Every cable that the program installs is a pair of audio software’s output and input devices. The virtual set up is independent of your physical loudspeakers and microphone. The process doesn’t rely on them. So this means that you can even use the program on a computer without audio output or input devices.
From the tool’s control panel, you can customize the sound traveling through the virtual cables. This includes specifying the audio format range, the number of worker threads, the settings for the stream buffer, the number of cables, and more. Most users recommend the default settings from the control panel. Moreover, you need to make sure that the PC exceeds the minimum hardware requirements.
What are the drawbacks?
Compared to other applications in this category, the audio driver works in a different manner. As such, it requires you to possess some technical skills or knowledge. Unfortunately, the program doesn’t have high-quality tutorials or clear documentation. Some usage examples have been included, but you must make a tremendous effort to find them.
Considering the mode of operation, Virtual Audio Cable requires you to search for output/input options in the settings section of third-party apps. The program is, therefore, not compatible with applications that don’t support custom audio output/input sources to be manually set.
Most importantly, if you want the program to function properly, you should uninstall the current version of the software before installing an updated release. Otherwise, your system could experience unnecessary lags.
Virtual Audio Cable is a reliable program to install software audio output and input interfaces on your computer. You can these interfaces to take the audio coming from one application and turn it into mic input for another tool.
Also, the program doesn’t have a main window to pair output and input applications together. As such, you’ll have to manage most of the functionalities from the settings section.
A reliable platform for audio transfers and exports
Virtual Audio Cable is an effective and versatile app for gaining more control over audio transfers and exports. However, the program is still developing and needs some improvements in the interface, help section, and documentation. With some good support, the tool can become the preferred choice of sound editors and engineers from around the world. As of now, it’s a decent program serving its purpose and offering various customization options that don’t disappoint.
Route audio streams between applications, pass and record sounds
VAC connects audio applications together in real time. When an application plays a sound back, any other application(s) can record this sound directly. Thus, you can record and/or process audio output of any application by any other application, pass sounds between them, and much more. VAC can create up to 256 independent Virtual Cable, allowing you to route up to 256 independent sounds at the same time. Use VAC to connect various audio applications together: – Internet Telephony/VoIP/SIP/voice messengers (Skype, Ventrilo, MicroSIP). – Live mixing/broadcasting (vMix, Open Broadcaster/OBS Studio, WireCast, VidBlasterX. SAM Broadcaster). – Speech synthesis/recognition (Google Text-to-Spech/Speech-to-Text, Dragon Naturally Speaking). – Software synthesizers and studio/DAW (Ableton, Acid, AudioMulch, Band-in-a-Box, Bidule, Cakewalk/Sonar, Cubase, FL Studio, GarageBand, Logic, MiniMoog, n-Track, Nuendo, Reaktor, REAPER, Reason, Samplitude, Traktor, Vegas). – Audio editors/recorders (Audacity, Adobe Audition, GoldWave, WaveLab, Sound Forge). – Virtual Machines (VMware Player/Workstation, VirtualBox, Hyper-V). – Amateur and software-defined radio (Flex Radio, PowerSDR, HAM Radio Deluxe, HamSphere, HDSDR, Fldigi, SDR-Radio). VAC works under Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, 2003 and XP.
