How to Mix Microphone and App Audio in Discord on Mac

How the routing works

Audio Router captures your microphone and the audio from a selected application. It combines them into a virtual audio device that Discord can use as its microphone input.

Microphone ─┐
            ├─→ Audio Router → Discord input
Safari ─────┘

Discord output → Headphones

This tutorial uses Safari as the application source, but you can substitute a soundboard, music player, media player, browser, or another supported audio-producing Mac application.

1. Prepare Discord

1. Install and open the Discord desktop application.
2. Sign in to your Discord account.
3. Open User Settings using the gear icon near the bottom-left corner.
4. Select Voice & Video.
5. Select your normal microphone under Input Device.
6. Use Discord’s microphone test to confirm that the microphone works.

Leave Discord open. You will select the Audio Router device after creating the mix.

2. Create an Audio Router session

1. Open Audio Router.
2. Click the large button at the bottom of the session sidebar.
3. Select the new session and rename it Discord Mix.
4. Confirm that the session is enabled. Its status indicator should be green.
5. Select the default Pass-Through source.
6. Click the button beside Sources to remove it.

3. Add your microphone

1. Click the button beside Sources.
2. Select the microphone you tested in Discord.
3. Confirm that Audio Router adds the microphone as a source block.
4. Speak into the microphone.
5. Check that the microphone source meter and Audio Router Channels meter both respond.

Keep the microphone level moderate. Avoid sustained orange or red meter levels, which may indicate clipping.

4. Add Safari or another application

1. Open Safari and begin playing an audio or video clip.
2. Keep the audio playing briefly.
3. Return to Audio Router.
4. Click the button beside Sources.
5. Select Safari from the application list.
6. Confirm that Safari is added as a source and connected to the Audio Router Channels.
7. Play the Safari audio and confirm that its source meter and the Channels meter respond.

5. Do not add an Audio Router monitor

A monitor device is not required for this basic Discord workflow. Leave the Audio Router Monitor area empty.

6. Select the mix in Discord

1. Return to Discord → User Settings → Voice & Video.
2. Under Input Device, select Discord Mix.
3. Under Output Device, select your headphones or headset.
4. Start Discord’s microphone test.
5. Speak into your microphone.
6. Play the Safari audio.
7. Confirm that Discord’s input meter responds to both your voice and the application audio.

Do not select Discord Mix as Discord’s output device. Doing so may route Discord’s incoming audio into the wrong path and cause echo.

7. Test the mix in a voice channel

1. Join an appropriate Discord voice channel.
2. Ask a friend to listen, or join from a second device using another account.
3. Speak normally and play audio in Safari.
4. Confirm that the listener can hear both your microphone and Safari.
5. Adjust the individual microphone and Safari levels inside Audio Router.

Adjusting the sources separately lets you balance your voice against music, clips, or sound effects without changing Discord’s overall input level.

What to do if Discord suppresses music or sound effects

Discord’s voice processing is designed primarily for speech. Noise suppression and automatic voice processing may reduce or distort music, sustained sounds, and some effects.

If this happens, open Discord’s Voice & Video settings and test with less aggressive voice processing. Change onesetting at a time and repeat the microphone test.

Troubleshooting

Discord Mix does not appear in Discord

• Confirm that the Audio Router session is enabled.
• Confirm that the Audio Router driver and helper are installed.
• Quit and reopen Discord to refresh its audio-device list.
• Use Audio Router’s setup panel to repair or reinstall the driver if the virtual device remains unavailable.

The microphone works, but Safari is missing

• Make sure Safari is running.
• Play audio before opening Audio Router’s Sources list.
• Close and reopen the Sources list to refresh it.
• Check that Safari is not muted inside Audio Router.
• Confirm that Safari’s source ports are connected to the Audio Router Channels.

Audio Router’s source meters move, but Discord receives nothing

• Confirm that Discord Mix is selected as Discord’s Input Device.
• Make sure the Audio Router session is enabled and unmuted.
• Confirm that each source is connected to Channels 1 and 2.
• Raise the session or source level gradually.

Your voice sounds delayed or echoed

• Remove any monitor device from the Audio Router session.
• Make sure Discord’s output is sent directly to your headphones.
• Confirm that Discord itself has not been added as an Audio Router source.
• Use headphones instead of speakers.

Safari sounds doubled

• Make sure no Audio Router monitor device has been added.
• Check that Safari is not being captured through another application or Discord screen-sharing route at the same time.
• Use only one Safari audio path during the test.

Final configuration

Audio Router

• Session: Discord Mix
• Sources: Microphone and Safari
• Channels: Stereo
• Monitor: None
• Session status: Enabled and unmuted

Discord

• Input Device: Discord Mix
• Output Device: Headphones or headset