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Playing music

Playing music from your PC

Broadcast whatever your PC is playing — a music app, a browser tab, DJ software — and still hear it yourself. On a Mac? That guide is here.

How it works

txMode listens to inputs — a mic, an interface, a mixer. Your PC's own sound isn't one, so you need a free tool called VB-CABLE. It acts like an invisible cable with two ends:

  • CABLE Input — where you send your sound. It shows up as a speaker.
  • CABLE Output — where txMode picks it up. It shows up as a microphone.

It takes about ten minutes, and you only set it up once.

Set it up (once)

  1. Download VB-CABLE from vb-audio.com/Cable. It comes as a zip file — right-click it and choose Extract All first. Running it from inside the zip won't work.
  2. Install it. In the extracted folder, right-click VBCABLE_Setup_x64 and choose Run as administrator, then press Install Driver. Restart your PC when it's done.
  3. Make it so you can hear it. Open Settings ▸ System ▸ Sound ▸ More sound settings, and go to the Recording tab. Double-click CABLE Output, open the Listen tab, and tick Listen to this device. Under Playback through this device, choose your speakers or headphones, then press OK.

On Windows 10, More sound settings is called Sound Control Panel, on the right of the Sound page.

Each time you broadcast

  1. Send your sound down the cable. In Settings ▸ System ▸ Sound, set Output to CABLE Input.
  2. Pick the cable in txMode. Open Settings ▸ Setup, press Rescan if you need to, and choose CABLE Output as the input. txMode remembers this for next time.
  3. Play something. You should hear it, and the meter in txMode should move. Set your on-air level with the gain slider.
  4. Turn on Do Not Disturb, then press Go Live.
Everything your PC plays goes to air — notification pings and video calls included. And don't play your own station's stream on the same PC, or listeners will hear an echo.

When the show's over, set your output back to your usual speakers or headphones.

Good to know

  • Send just one app, not the whole PC. Leave your output as it is, start your music app, and open Settings ▸ System ▸ Sound ▸ Volume mixer. Find the app and set its output device to CABLE Input. Now only that app goes to air, and notification sounds stay off it. On Windows 10 this lives under Sound ▸ App volume and device preferences.
  • The Windows volume now changes what listeners hear, not just what you hear. Leave it up, and set your on-air level with the gain slider in txMode.
  • You'll hear it a fraction of a second late. That's normal for Listen to this device, and it doesn't affect what goes to air.
  • This carries your PC's sound only, not your mic. To talk between tracks you'll need something that mixes the two, like a small mixer or interface.

If something's off

  • Flat meter while music is playing. Check your output — or your music app's output in the Volume mixer — is set to CABLE Input. Windows also treats the cable like a microphone, so check Settings ▸ Privacy & security ▸ Microphone, and make sure Let desktop apps access your microphone is on.
  • The meter moves but you can't hear anything. Listen to this device isn't ticked on CABLE Output, or it's playing through the wrong speakers — go back to the last setup step.
  • CABLE Output isn't in txMode's list. Press Rescan. If it's still missing, restart your PC — the driver needs it after installing.

Still stuck?

Email me at mail@eurico.ws — I read these myself, and I'd rather fix a problem than leave you off air.