Add BordQ to Streamlabs Desktop as a clean, controllable audio source

Streamlabs Desktop can capture a microphone globally as Mic/Aux or locally as an Audio Input Capture source, while Application Audio Capture and Desktop Audio are separate routes that can accidentally duplicate the same clip. BordQ combines a physical microphone with triggered clips before the signal reaches Streamlabs Desktop, so listeners receive one controlled voice feed instead of speaker audio leaking back into an open microphone.

One BordQ trigger can produce two meters, echo, missing scene audio, unwanted microphone filters, or a clean local monitor that never reaches the output when source ownership and mixer assignments are unclear. This guide covers the exact input route, the channel or mode that controls delivery, a low-risk test, and the failure that is most often mistaken for a broken virtual cable.

Download BordQ free

Decide whether the soundboard belongs globally or only in selected scenes.

BordQ sends its mic-and-clip mix to CABLE Output. Streamlabs can capture that device through the global Mic/Aux slot or a named scene source, then apply mixer gain, filters, monitoring, and output tracks.

Keep incoming call or game audio out of VB-Cable. Only the BordQ microphone-and-clip mix should enter CABLE Input; routing both directions through the same cable creates echo, delayed duplicates, or a feedback loop.

Select CABLE Output under the audio settings Mic/Aux device or add it through Sources > Audio Input Capture. Use one method, not both. Keep game and private call audio on their own Application Audio Capture or headset routes.

• Virtual Cable (Output): VB-Cable Input
• Audio Input Capture / Mic-Aux: CABLE Output · Sources > Audio Input Capture

Three Streamlabs soundboard source layouts

The right layout depends on scene reuse and whether speech needs independent processing.

• Global Mic/Aux = CABLE Output

  One soundboard-and-mic mix present across every scene.

  Scene-specific hiding and separate voice/effect filters are limited.

  Use for the simplest consistent setup.

• Scene Audio Input Capture = CABLE Output

  Collections where soundboard audio belongs only in selected scenes.

  The source must be added or nested consistently across scene changes.

  Disable the global copy and reuse one named source.

• Application or Desktop Audio capture

  Game or app audio intentionally separated from the microphone.

  Capturing BordQ here as well as through CABLE Output duplicates clips and can expose private audio.

  Reserve these sources for apps other than the BordQ voice route.

Route BordQ into Streamlabs Desktop in five steps

Configure the path from source to destination, then prove the complete route with one short clip before a real call, match, or public room.

1. Install BordQ and expose both VB-Cable endpoints

   Install BordQ on Windows and let its audio-driver setup finish. Restart Windows if CABLE Input and CABLE Output do not appear in the device lists.

   CABLE Input is the playback endpoint BordQ sends to; CABLE Output is the recording endpoint the destination hears.

2. Build one clean mic-and-clip mix

   In BordQ Audio Setup, select the physical microphone as Microphone Input and VB-Cable Input as Virtual Cable (Output). Trigger a short, normalized clip and confirm the BordQ and Windows recording meters move.

   Leave headphones as the playback device. Do not route the destination output back into the cable.

3. Capture CABLE Output through one Streamlabs path

   Open the Audio Mixer settings and choose CABLE Output for Mic/Aux, or click Sources > Add Source > Audio Input Capture and select CABLE Output. If both entries react to one sound, disable one immediately.

   A global device follows every scene; a source belongs to the scenes or nested collection where it is added.

4. Separate private apps and tune the soundboard source

   Use Application Audio Capture for the game or selected public apps instead of broad Desktop Audio when privacy matters. In the BordQ source advanced settings, start with monitoring off, remove speech-only suppression, set safe gain, and verify stream plus recording tracks.

   If BordQ also receives the physical mic, do not add that same mic to Streamlabs separately unless you intentionally disable it inside BordQ.

5. Record every scene transition before going live

   Make a local recording that includes speech, quiet and loud clips, a source mute, a Starting Soon transition, gameplay, and a BRB scene. Confirm one copy, stable level, and no private Discord or notification audio.

   Scene changes expose missing local sources and duplicated global sources faster than a static microphone test.

Global, scene, and application audio must not capture the same feed twice

A clear source map makes every mute and fader predictable.

• BordQ source — CABLE Output once

  Global or scene-owned, never both.

• Game source — Application Audio Capture

  Keeps selected public app audio separate.

• Desktop Audio — Broad capture risk

  Can duplicate clips and leak private sounds.

A stream-ready soundboard needs rights-safe clips, conservative levels, and an emergency mute. Test what viewers receive, not only what your headphones play.

Fix a Streamlabs Desktop soundboard that is silent, doubled, or in the wrong place

Follow the signal from left to right and change one setting at a time. A local monitor is useful, but only a remote listener proves the final channel.

• CABLE Output shows no recording activity — Return to BordQ and confirm Virtual Cable (Output) is VB-Cable Input. Check Windows microphone privacy permissions, driver installation, device mute, and the BordQ output meter.
• The meter moves, but listeners hear nothing — Check that the active scene includes the CABLE Output source, unmute its mixer row, raise the fader, remove a blocking gate, enable the correct output track, and confirm it is not set to Monitor Only.
• Listeners hear themselves or a delayed duplicate — Incoming audio is entering the cable, or speakers are feeding an open physical microphone. Use headphones, remove loopback or monitoring routes, and monitor the BordQ mix in only one place.
• The clip is doubled only in certain scenes — Those scenes likely contain a local Audio Input Capture while the same cable is also global Mic/Aux. Keep one shared source and remove or disable the duplicate scene instance.

Questions to settle before using it live

Which microphone should Streamlabs Desktop use?

Choose CABLE Output once as either the global Mic/Aux device or a scene Audio Input Capture source in Streamlabs Desktop.

Can I keep speaking while a clip plays?

Yes. BordQ mixes the selected physical microphone and clips into CABLE Output. Balance clip gain below normal speech and use ducking or short clips when intelligibility matters.

Why can I hear a clip that nobody else hears?

Local monitoring proves only the playback side. Check CABLE Output activity, the destination input, active channel, mute or push-to-talk state, permissions, and a remote listener.

Should I use Application Audio Capture for BordQ?

Use CABLE Output as an audio input source for the predictable virtual-microphone route. Application Audio Capture is better for isolating a game or another app and can duplicate BordQ when both are active.

Is a soundboard allowed here?

Use licensed or original clips, keep peaks below clipping, avoid deceptive alerts and harmful audio, and record a privacy check so calls, notifications, and music are not broadcast accidentally.

Official references for Streamlabs Desktop

Menus, channel behavior, and moderation rules can change. These first-party pages are the review anchors for this setup.

• Streamlabs: Desktop quick-start and audio setup
• Streamlabs: split audio with Application Audio Capture

Make one Streamlabs source responsible for every BordQ trigger.

Download BordQ, capture CABLE Output globally or by scene, separate other apps, and verify every transition in a local recording before going live. BordQ's full soundboard, Live Audio, Mobile Remote, and native Stream Deck integration remain free; Pro adds expanded limits, Voice Personas, and Voice Changer without a subscription.

Download BordQ free — See Pro

Use the same clean audio route in other apps and games

• Build a Twitch soundboard — Verify live and VOD delivery after the Streamlabs mixer.
• Set up a soundboard in OBS — Compare the upstream source and monitoring model.
• Build a TikTok LIVE soundboard — Apply the same disciplined route to LIVE Studio.
• Build a BordQ soundboard — Prepare stream profiles, normalized effects, and safe hotkeys.