A simple virtual audio mixer for Windows and macOS.
Discord too loud, the game too quiet, music you would rather keep out of your recording. Soundweave gives every sound its own fader and sends it exactly where it should go, without a manual.
Input strips in an example session.
Windows gives you one volume. You need one per sound.
Windows plays everything through the same output and gives you a master volume and a volume mixer. That is fine until you stream, record or take a call. Then a friend is too loud, music ends up in your recording, and your voice needs fixing before anyone hears it.
Everything shares one volume
Discord, the game and your music all share one level, so turning one down turns them all down.
Every sound on its own fader
Every source gets its own strip with gain, pan, mute, solo and a meter. Bring in a microphone, a game, a browser or a virtual cable, and balance them on one screen.
Sound has to go to several places
Headphones, speakers, a stream and a call each need a different blend.
Send it where it belongs
Send each strip to hardware outputs (A buses) and virtual ones (B buses) with one click. The routing matrix shows every route with its send level.
Apps only listen to one device
A call app asks for one microphone, and you want to give it your voice and your music.
Give apps their own audio devices
Virtual cables show up in Windows as a speaker and a microphone, so OBS, a call app or a recorder can listen to exactly the mix you send. Four are free.
Fixing your voice takes another app
A good voice needs noise removal, EQ and a compressor, and those usually mean another tool.
Effects where the sound already is
Noise removal, gate, EQ, compressor and an output limit sit on the strip, with live meters. “Analyse my voice” suggests EQ bands from a five second recording.
A setup that does not stay put
Rebuilding the same setup for streaming, gaming and work takes time.
One click between setups
Profiles store strips, buses, routing, effects and hotkeys. Switch from the title bar or with a global hotkey, even while a game has focus.
One app for the whole signal path.
Everything below is in the free edition. Screenshots and details are on the features page.
| Feature | What it does | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Input strips | Hardware inputs (WASAPI) and virtual cables, each with gain, pan, mute, solo, mono and a meter. | Mixer |
| Buses | Hardware (A) and virtual (B) buses, with compressor, EQ, output limit, mono and balance. Add or remove them as you need. | Mixer |
| Routing matrix | Sources against buses, with a send level on every active route and a count of active routes. | Routing |
| Virtual cables | Four free, up to 30 with a plan. Windows lists each one as a speaker and a microphone. Rename a cable at any time. | Devices |
| Noise removal | On every input strip. A Strength control from 0 to 100 percent and a live reduction meter. Takes out steady noise like fan hiss and hum. | DSP view |
| EQ and voice analysis | Six bands on every strip and bus, built-in presets, and “Analyse my voice”: about five seconds of speech in, suggested bands out. | DSP view |
| Gate and compressor | A gate and a compressor on every input strip, a compressor on every bus, with live gain-reduction meters. | DSP view |
| Ducking | Up to four groups. A priority strip lowers the strips you choose while it speaks, then they come back. | Mixer |
| Recorder | FLAC 24-bit. One file per line, one combined mix, or both, before or after the fader. Shows a timer, file sizes and free disk space. | Mixer |
| Profiles and hotkeys | A profile stores strips, buses, routing, DSP and hotkeys. Global hotkeys keep working while a game or OBS has focus. | Settings |
| Settings import | Reads saved mixer settings files (.xml) from other virtual audio mixers and shows a preview first. Your original files are only read. | Settings |
Where Soundweave tries to be simpler.
A general comparison with virtual audio mixers as a group. It describes common traits, not any single product.
| Topic | Soundweave | Other virtual mixers, typically |
|---|---|---|
| Adding virtual cables | Add and name a cable on the Devices page. One Windows administrator approval for the first setup, none after that. Four are free, up to 30. | Extra cables often come as separate driver installs. |
| Your first mix | Start with the sources you use. Add strips and buses when you need them, and click A or B on a strip to route it. | Often a fixed set of strips and buses to get to know before the first mix. |
| Each app on its own fader | Play each app into its own virtual cable and bring the cable in as a strip, with its own fader, EQ and routing. | Often done by pointing each app at its own device in Windows. |
| Seeing every route | A routing matrix shows every route and its send level next to the strips. The A and B buttons on each strip still work. | Often routes are shown only as buttons on each strip. |
| Cleaning up a microphone | Noise removal, gate, EQ, compressor and an output limit are built in, with live meters. | Often some of these are separate plug-ins or separate apps. |
The right column is a generalisation. It varies by product and version, and other tools may offer more than described here. Check what you need before you choose.
A fair look at who it suits.
Soundweave is a young app. These lists should save you a download if it is not for you.
You want the basics to be easy
- You stream, record or take calls on Windows 10 or 11 and want Discord, games and music on separate faders.
- You want noise removal, EQ and a compressor on your microphone without another plug-in host.
- You would rather add things as you need them than learn a large setup first.
- You are happy with donationware: every feature is free, and licences are one-time.
You need something it does not do yet
- You use Linux. Soundweave runs on Windows 10 and 11 and on macOS 14 or later with Apple Silicon.
- You need more than 30 virtual cables. That is the most the Windows driver supports.
- You need Soundweave to take one app’s audio directly, without a cable. Soundweave separates apps through virtual cables: one cable carries the app in, another carries the mix out.
Five steps, and your old setup stays put until you are ready.
Change one app at a time and check it works before you move on to the next.
Install Soundweave
It installs for your user account and needs no administrator rights. Updates install themselves.
Import your settings
Soundweave looks for saved mixer settings files from other virtual audio mixers, or you pick a .xml file. A preview lists every input, bus, route and effect it will create, and what it could not carry over.
Settings › ImportAdd your virtual cables
Install Virtual Cable Support once (one Windows administrator approval), then add two cables for each app you want on its own fader: one that the app plays into and one that carries its mix out.
Devices › Add CablePoint your apps at the new devices
In each app’s audio settings, or in Windows sound settings, choose the cable by the name you gave it. Windows shows it once as a speaker and once as a microphone.
Remove what you no longer use
When everything works, remove old virtual cables and drivers you no longer need. A short list of audio devices is easier to read, and apps stop offering devices that lead nowhere.
Your original settings files are only read, never changed.
Good to know.
Is Soundweave really free?
Yes. Every feature works in the free edition, including four virtual cables. After the first 30 days Soundweave shows a periodic reminder, and a licence (€9.99 or more, one time) removes it. Cable plans for 6, 8, 15 or 30 cables start at €4.
Which versions of Windows work?
Windows 10 (22H2) and Windows 11, 64-bit.
Do I need to know a lot about audio?
No. Add the sources you use, click A or B on a strip to choose where it goes, and use the meters to see what happens. The step by step guides cover the common setups.
Will it work with OBS, Discord and games?
Any app that lets you choose an audio device can use a Soundweave virtual cable. Windows lists each cable as a speaker and a microphone, so you can play an app into it or record from it.
Does it add delay?
You choose the buffer size in Settings: smaller buffers mean less delay and a higher risk of crackles. Noise removal adds about 20 ms while it is switched on.
Does Soundweave upload my audio?
Never. Voice analysis runs on your PC and the recording is deleted afterwards. Usage statistics (once a day, can be switched off in Settings) and problem reports (only when you press Send) are explained in the privacy notice.
Can I record with it?
Yes. Tick any strips and buses and record them as FLAC 24-bit, as one file per line, one combined mix, or both. All files of a take start on the same sample.
Try it on your own setup.
Free to use on Windows 10 and 11. Pay what you want if it earns a place on your PC.