It’s just my kind of humour as my first Linux PC had a SoundBlaster16 😛 It also is a pattern sufficient enough so I don’t mix this up with the zoo of real microphones or audio sinks attached to my computer. # RUN `pavucontrol` => Select Tab Record => Set BekoMic-16 input to 'Monitor of BekoBlaster-16' Pactl load-module module-remap-source master='BekoBlaster.monitor' node.nick='BekoMic' device.icon_name='audio-input-microphone' source_name='BekoMic-16' source_properties=scription='BekoMic-16' # setup virtual MIC so intended monitoring device can be recorded from as MIC Pactl load-module module-null-sink sink_name='BekoBlaster' device.icon_name='audio-card-analog' node.nick='BekoBlaster' scription='BekoBlaster-16' sink_properties=scription='BekoBlaster-16' # setup virtual device intended for monitoring The steps are the same for PulseAudio if you don’t have PipeWire (yet). Video conferences get this as “default device” so they don’t get a chance to mess up my audio setup (looking at you Teams). So achieve all this I utilise PipeWire to run a bunch of virtual devices that I can control via pavucontrol and obs later.

I also want to be able to disable the microphone with a hotkey but it doesn’t have any physical switch. I want more control over what my microphone picks up on screen share in video conferences or during streaming but I don’t want to buy a hardware mixer.

Virtual audio obs