Use a soundboard in ARC Raiders proximity chat without losing squad comms
ARC Raiders has separate settings for regular squad voice and proximity voice, and proximity chat can reach Raiders outside your squad. BordQ combines your physical microphone and selected clips before the signal reaches the game, so nearby players hear one intentional voice-chat feed instead of audio leaking from speakers into an open mic.
A nearby stranger can hear a cue, negotiation, or joke, but the same transmission can reveal your presence and intent in a PvPvE extraction. This guide keeps the route useful and predictable: headphones stay on the real playback device, CABLE Output becomes the game microphone, and every effect is triggered deliberately.
Proximity is part of ARC Raiders gameplay—not just a call channel.
ARC Raiders has separate settings for regular squad voice and proximity voice, and proximity chat can reach Raiders outside your squad. That makes distance, channel choice, and microphone mode part of the setup. A clip that works in a private lobby can reach the wrong people—or no one—when the selected voice channel changes.
A nearby stranger can hear a cue, negotiation, or joke, but the same transmission can reveal your presence and intent in a PvPvE extraction. Keep incoming game sound out of VB-Cable. Only the mic-and-clip mix should enter CABLE Input; otherwise teammates, strangers, or the game itself may hear an echoing copy of their own audio.
ARC Raiders reads CABLE Output from its own Voice Chat Input Device setting. The choice is scoped to the game, so your physical microphone can remain the Windows default and other apps are not redirected to the cable.
- Virtual Cable (Output): VB-Cable Input
- ARC Raiders voice input: CABLE Output · Voice Chat Input Device · chosen voice channel
Three ways to use audio in ARC Raiders
These routes solve different needs. The dedicated cable is the only one that mixes live speech and triggered clips without relying on acoustic speaker pickup.
- BordQ → proximity voice
Short nearby cues, roleplay, warnings, or negotiation with Raiders outside the squad.
Range and position matter, and speaking may expose you.
Select CABLE Output for proximity input and transmit deliberately. Use this route when that behavior matches the lobby and the people in it.
- BordQ → squad voice
Private coordination and clips intended only for current squadmates.
It does not reach strangers in proximity chat.
Use the normal squad channel when the clip is tactical information for your team. Use this route when that behavior matches the lobby and the people in it.
- Physical microphone only
Lowest-risk competitive communication with no triggered audio.
No clips, cues, or mixed BordQ processing.
Keep it as a fallback profile if an update or anti-cheat policy changes. Use this route when that behavior matches the lobby and the people in it.
Route BordQ into ARC Raiders in five steps
Configure the devices from source to destination, then test with one short clip before joining a live session.
- Install BordQ and expose VB-Cable
Install BordQ on Windows and allow its audio-driver setup to finish. Restart Windows if CABLE Input and CABLE Output do not appear immediately.
CABLE Input is a playback device; CABLE Output is the recording device the game must listen to.
- Build the BordQ mix
In BordQ Audio Setup, select your physical microphone and set Virtual Cable (Output) to VB-Cable Input. Play a short, normalized clip and confirm the output meter moves.
Keep your headset or speakers as the Windows playback device. Do not send incoming game audio into the cable.
- Point ARC Raiders at CABLE Output
Open Settings → Audio. Set Voice Chat Input Device to CABLE Output (VB-Audio Virtual Cable), then make sure voice chat is enabled. This game has its own input picker, so you do not need to replace the Windows default microphone.
If CABLE Output is missing, finish the VB-Cable install, restart Windows, relaunch the game, and reopen the device list.
- Choose the correct channel and mic mode
Enable voice chat, then configure regular voice and proximity voice deliberately. ARC Raiders supports Open Microphone and Push to Talk for proximity voice; choose push-to-talk when clips must reach nearby Raiders only at an exact moment.
Use push-to-talk for precise timing when possible. Open mic can broadcast accidental clips, keyboard noise, or a feedback path.
- Test at real distance with another player
Enter a private or low-stakes run with a squadmate. Verify normal speech in squad voice, move into and out of proximity range, then trigger one short clip while the correct talk control is active. Do not use extraction loot as the first test.
A moving Windows meter proves the cable works; another player hearing the clip through the intended channel proves the complete route works.
Squad voice, proximity voice, and Raider Voice are different controls
ARC Raiders applies its own channel, distance, and gameplay rules after Windows delivers the signal.
- Squad voice — Your current team
Use for coordination that should not be broadcast to nearby outsiders.
- Proximity voice — Raiders near your position
Useful for negotiation and situational interaction; distance and presence matter.
- Raider Voice (Beta) — Changes how voice sounds
This is an in-game voice effect, not the device route that carries BordQ clips.
Treat a soundboard like speech: short, readable, and appropriate for the current lobby. A working audio route does not override mute, privacy, distance, server, or moderation rules.
Fix a ARC Raiders soundboard that is silent, doubled, or in the wrong channel
Follow the meters in order. Change one device or voice setting at a time so the actual break remains visible.
- CABLE Output has no meter activity — Return to BordQ and confirm Virtual Cable (Output) is VB-Cable Input. Check Windows microphone privacy and restart after installing the driver.
- The meter moves, but nobody hears the clip — Return to Settings → Audio, set Voice Chat Input Device to CABLE Output, and confirm voice chat, channel, push-to-talk, distance, mute, and lobby permissions. Relaunch the game if the device list is stale.
- Other players hear themselves or a delayed echo — Incoming game audio is entering the cable or speaker sound is reaching an open physical mic. Keep game playback on headphones, remove loopback routes, and monitor only once.
- Squad hears the clip, but nearby strangers do not — The cable is working; the selected channel is not. Enable proximity voice separately, use its configured microphone mode, confirm the proximity control is active, and test within speaking distance.
The questions worth checking before a live lobby
Where exactly do I select CABLE Output?
Use Settings → Audio → Voice Chat Input Device and choose CABLE Output. BordQ sends your physical microphone and clips into CABLE Input; the game records the other end, CABLE Output. No Windows-default change is required.
Can I keep talking while using the soundboard?
Yes. Select your physical microphone inside BordQ, then BordQ mixes speech and clips into CABLE Output. Set levels so speech remains understandable when an effect plays.
Why can I hear the clip but other players cannot?
Local monitoring only proves your listening path. Check the CABLE Output recording meter, the game input device, the selected voice channel, microphone mode, distance, and mute state with another player.
Should I use open mic or push-to-talk?
Push-to-talk gives the cleanest control for clips and reduces accidental noise. Open mic can work, but it makes feedback, repeated effects, and unintended broadcasts easier.
Is using a soundboard allowed?
Use short clips that do not harass, impersonate staff or teammates, spam strangers, or create an unfair gameplay tool. Embark prohibits abusive behavior and warns that external software affecting game integrity can trigger enforcement; check current rules and stop if uncertain.
Official ARC Raiders references
Game settings and voice behavior can change with patches. These first-party pages support the mechanics described here.
Give ARC Raiders one clean mic-and-clip feed.
Download BordQ, send its mic-and-clip mix to VB-Cable Input, choose CABLE Output under Settings → Audio → Voice Chat Input Device, and test one short clip with someone you trust. Pro unlocks the full soundboard workspace without a subscription.
Use the same clean route without repeating the same mistakes
- Understand VB-Cable — Learn why Input is the sending end, Output is the recording end, and how to fix missing devices.
- Rust soundboard — See how Rust changes the same virtual-microphone route with its own proximity rules.
- DayZ soundboard — See how DayZ changes the same virtual-microphone route with its own proximity rules.
- Build the BordQ soundboard — Import clips, normalize levels, assign global hotkeys, and organize game-specific profiles.