Use a R.E.P.O. soundboard without forgetting that staying quiet is gameplay
R.E.P.O. explicitly combines physics, proximity voice chat, and scary monsters in co-op, so voices belong to the player’s location rather than an always-global team call. 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.
Your crew may be spread around fragile valuables, and the game tells players to know when to stay quiet; a long effect can hide a warning or add risk at exactly the wrong moment. 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 R.E.P.O. gameplay—not just a call channel.
R.E.P.O. explicitly combines physics, proximity voice chat, and scary monsters in co-op, so voices belong to the player’s location rather than an always-global team call. 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.
Your crew may be spread around fragile valuables, and the game tells players to know when to stay quiet; a long effect can hide a warning or add risk at exactly the wrong moment. 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.
R.E.P.O. reads CABLE Output from its own 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
- R.E.P.O. voice input: CABLE Output · Input Device · local crew voice
Three ways to use audio in R.E.P.O.
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 team cues that follow your semibot’s location.
Separated teammates may not hear the cue, and effects can cover important movement audio.
Use a compact profile with one-purpose clips. Use this route when that behavior matches the lobby and the people in it.
- External party voice
Always-global coordination with friends outside the game’s distance rules.
It removes the spatial communication tension central to the game.
Do not use a party-call success as proof that R.E.P.O. received CABLE Output. Use this route when that behavior matches the lobby and the people in it.
- Physical microphone only
Natural proximity voice with the smallest setup surface.
No triggered cues and no BordQ mic-and-clip mix.
Keep it available as a fallback after updates. Use this route when that behavior matches the lobby and the people in it.
Route BordQ into R.E.P.O. 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 R.E.P.O. at CABLE Output
Open Settings → Audio. Set 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
Choose CABLE Output as the microphone and use the game’s current voice mode deliberately. Because R.E.P.O. is in Early Access, labels and controls can change; trust the live settings screen and retest after major updates.
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
Create a private lobby with one friend. Speak and play one low-volume clip while standing together, then separate until local voice fades. Repeat while moving an inexpensive object so the test represents real co-op noise without risking a valuable haul.
A moving Windows meter proves the cable works; another player hearing the clip through the intended channel proves the complete route works.
Distance, team separation, and silence shape every clip
R.E.P.O. applies its own channel, distance, and gameplay rules after Windows delivers the signal.
- Together — Clear local coordination
A short cue can help while several players handle one physical object.
- Separated — Voice fades with distance
A clip is not a global alert; another teammate may be outside its useful range.
- Stay quiet — Silence can be the correct play
Do not let a joke clip cover danger or sabotage a careful extraction.
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 R.E.P.O. 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 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.
- The lobby connects, but the game never receives the microphone — Re-select CABLE Output, confirm Windows microphone privacy, close apps holding exclusive access, and restart the game. The developer shipped a voice-chat connection hotfix early in Early Access, so also check current patch notes after an update.
The questions worth checking before a live lobby
Where exactly do I select CABLE Output?
Use Settings → Audio → 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 clips with a consenting friend group, keep them quieter than urgent speech, and stop during tense or silent sections. Avoid public-lobby spam or startling volume spikes. R.E.P.O. is Early Access, so re-check both rules and voice behavior after major patches.
Official R.E.P.O. references
Game settings and voice behavior can change with patches. These first-party pages support the mechanics described here.
Give R.E.P.O. one clean mic-and-clip feed.
Download BordQ, send its mic-and-clip mix to VB-Cable Input, choose CABLE Output under Settings → Audio → 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.
- Lethal Company soundboard — See how Lethal Company changes the same virtual-microphone route with its own proximity rules.
- Phasmophobia soundboard — See how Phasmophobia 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.