Ask the desk, get a straight answer

Voicemeeter installs virtual audio drivers signed for Windows. The package is not designed to spy on you or mine cryptocurrency. Some third-party antivirus tools flag new kernel audio drivers as suspicious. Download from a trusted package, verify checksums when provided, and run setup as administrator.

Virtual audio drivers load at a low level in Windows, similar to other sound interfaces. Heuristic scanners sometimes report them as potentially unwanted until the file is widely seen. Allow the installer if you trust the source, finish setup, reboot, then confirm the Voicemeeter devices appear in Windows Sound settings. If a scan still blocks the driver, add an exception per your antivirus vendor instructions.

Yes. Current builds support Windows 10 and Windows 11 on 32-bit, 64-bit and ARM64 systems. Recent updates include compatibility work for Windows 24H2. Use the latest package from the download page for your architecture.

Standard offers 3 inputs and 3 outputs with one VAIO strip. Banana expands to 5x5 with a second VAIO, compressor and gate, limiter, 8-channel recorder and more VBAN streams. Potato goes to 8x8 with a third VAIO, multilayer mixbus, parametric EQ, denoiser, C5 multiband compressor and JustVerb 3. Banana and Potato installers include the lighter editions.

Yes. Restart Windows after install and after uninstall so virtual playback and recording devices register cleanly. Skipping reboot is a common reason Voicemeeter Input or Output does not appear in app device lists.

No. The mixer runs fully offline once installed. Internet is only needed to download the ZIP package or optional license activation steps for Potato. VBAN network audio uses your local LAN, not cloud services.

The publisher states Voicemeeter does not collect user data during normal mixer operation. It is local desktop software without a mandatory login or telemetry dashboard in the core product. You remain responsible for what you route, record or stream to other services.

Usually buffer size, mismatched sample rates or the wrong driver mode on output A1. Set A1 to your main interface first, match Voicemeeter buffer to the device, and avoid stacking heavy processing on every strip before testing. Follow the crackling section in the setup guides for step-by-step fixes.

Point Discord playback to Voicemeeter Input (or Aux on Banana and Potato) and set Discord microphone capture to Voicemeeter Output. In the mixer, assign your mic strip to the bus Discord listens on, and route chat return to your headphones on A1. Banana helps when you want game audio on a separate VAIO from Discord.

Voicemeeter Potato uses a donationware activation model. After the evaluation period, the About dialog asks for an activation code tied to a license purchase. Standard and Banana show a similar donation reminder without the same activation gate. Supporting the publisher funds ongoing driver maintenance.

Choose Standard for simple mic plus one app routing on a light PC. Pick Banana for streaming, Discord plus OBS split routing, recording and VBAN between two machines. Pick Potato for dense broadcast desks that need 8x8 routing, advanced FX and multilayer buses. When unsure, Banana is the common middle ground for creators.

VBAN (VB-Audio Network) sends uncompressed PCM audio over UDP on your local network. Voicemeeter can transmit and receive multiple named streams between PCs without a physical cable. Banana and Potato include more VBAN in and out streams than Standard. It is useful for dual-PC streaming desks.

Macro Buttons is a companion app that sends scripted actions to Voicemeeter: recall presets, toggle mute, adjust gain, fire sound clips or automate scene changes. Streamers use it as a software cart machine or to duck background music when speaking. It ships with Voicemeeter packages and reads the same configuration files.