If you've set up your microphone with OBS filters and are using VB-Audio Virtual Cable to route that audio to Discord (or other apps), you might have recently noticed crackling, distorted, and potentially laggy audio. For as long as anyone can remember, this hasn't ever been an issue, but all of a sudden, something has changed, either Windows, Discord, OBS, or VB-Auido and since it's hard to pin down the exact reasons, you're going to need to troubleshoot quite a few different things. All of which we'll be covering in this guide.

Takeaways:

  1. VB-Audio Virtual Cable for OBS and Discord started crackling all of a sudden.
  2. What is causing VB-Audio Virtual Cable to crackle when used with OBS and Discord?
  3. Fixing poor audio when using VB-Audio Virtual Cable.

What's Going on?

  • Audio crackles or pops in Discord or other programs

  • Your microphone sounds clean in OBS, but poor in Discord

  • Audio stutters, cuts out, or lags in real time

How to Fix Crackling and Bad Audio when Using VB-Audio Virtual Cable for OBS and Discord

As we mentioned in the intro, there are quite a few variables here that need to be checked to actually solve this problem. And sadly, there isn't a single simple, quick fix, as it's hard to know which piece of software is causing the issues. Thus, you'll need to work your way through all of them. I also suggest checking for any BIOS updates as well as they might also be able to solve the problem. It was a known issue a while back with Asus BIOS.

Reinstall OBS Studio

OBS may lose its link to the virtual cable device or get misconfigured after an update.

  • Uninstall OBS completely

  • Then reinstall it.

  • Reconfigure OBS audio monitoring settings as described in the setup guide (linked below)

Reinstall Discord

Discord sometimes fails to properly recognise virtual audio devices, especially after an update.

  • Uninstall Discord fully

  • Then reinstall it.

  • Open Settings > Voice & Video

    • Set Input Device to "CABLE Output"

    • Scroll down to the Advanced section and disable all Voice Processing features

Reinstall VB-Audio Virtual Cable

The driver may be outdated or corrupted.

  • Download the latest version from https://vb-audio.com/Cable/

  • Run the installer (VBCABLE_Setup_x64.exe) as Administrator

  • Restart your computer after installation to ensure the driver is loaded correctly

Uninstall the Most Recent Windows Update

Windows has a long history of causing issues with software like this, so I highly suggest rolling back a version if nothing above solves the problem.

  • Go to Settings > Windows Update > Update History

  • Select Uninstall Updates

  • Locate and remove the most recent "Quality Update"

  • Restart your computer and test the audio again

Initial OBS Microphone Filters in Discord Set up Guide

If you haven't already set up your OBS microphone filters to route through VB-Cable into Discord, check out this detailed guide:

How to Use OBS Microphone Filters in Discord