How to Enable Microphone Loopback into Headset on Ubuntu Using PulseAudio

This blog post explains how to enable microphone loopback into headset on Ubuntu using PulseAudio, a sound server that manages audio devices and streams on Linux systems.

Have you ever wanted to hear your own voice through your speakers or headphones while using a microphone on Ubuntu? This feature, known as microphone loopback, can be useful for testing your microphone, adjusting the volume, or simply having fun with voice effects. However, unlike Windows, Ubuntu does not have a built-in option to enable microphone loopback. So how can you do it?

In this blog post, we will show you how to enable microphone loopback into headset on Ubuntu using a simple command-line tool called PulseAudio. PulseAudio is a sound server that manages audio devices and streams on Linux systems. By loading a module called module-loopback, you can create a virtual audio device that routes your microphone input to your speaker or headphone output.

We will also show you how to adjust the latency and volume of the loopback device, and how to disable it when you are done. By following these steps, you will be able to hear yourself on mic in Ubuntu in no time.

What You Need

Before you start, make sure you have the following:

• A microphone connected to your computer. You can use an external microphone, a headset with a built-in mic, or a built-in mic on your laptop.
• A speaker or headphone connected to your computer. You can use an external speaker, a headset, or a built-in speaker on your laptop.
• PulseAudio installed on your Ubuntu system. PulseAudio is usually installed by default on most Ubuntu versions, but if you don’t have it, you can install it from the official repositories using the command sudo apt install pulseaudio.

How to Enable Microphone Loopback into Headset on Ubuntu

To enable microphone loopback into headset on Ubuntu, follow these steps:

1. Open a terminal window by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T or searching for Terminal in the applications menu.
2. Enter the command pactl load-module module-loopback latency_msec=1 and press Enter. This will load the module-loopback with a latency of 1 millisecond, which means there will be almost no delay between your voice input and output. You should see a number as the output of the command, which is the index of the loaded module. Remember this number as you will need it later to unload the module.
3. Test your microphone loopback by speaking into your microphone. You should hear your voice through your speaker or headphone. If you don’t hear anything, make sure your microphone and speaker or headphone are working properly and selected as the default input and output devices in the sound settings.
4. Adjust the latency and volume of the loopback device as needed. If you experience any echo or feedback, you can increase the latency of the loopback device by adding a higher value after latency_msec= in the command. For example, pactl load-module module-loopback latency_msec=10 will set the latency to 10 milliseconds. You can also adjust the volume of the loopback device by using the sound settings or the command pactl set-sink-volume [sink] [volume], where [sink] is the name or index of the loopback device (usually 0 or 1) and [volume] is a percentage value (e.g., 50%).

How to Disable Microphone Loopback into Headset on Ubuntu

To disable microphone loopback into headset on Ubuntu, follow these steps:

1. Open a terminal window by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T or searching for Terminal in the applications menu.
2. Enter the command pactl unload-module [index] and press Enter, where [index] is the number you got when you loaded the module-loopback in step 2 of the previous section. This will unload the module-loopback and stop the microphone loopback.
3. Close the terminal window.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Question: How can I enable microphone loopback into headset on Windows?

Answer: On Windows, you can enable microphone loopback into headset by following these steps:

1. Right-click on the speaker icon in the system tray and select Sounds.
2. Click on the Recording tab and select your microphone device.
3. Click on Properties and then click on the Listen tab.
4. Check the box that says Listen to this device and select your speaker or headphone device from the Playback through this device dropdown menu.
5. Click OK and then click OK again.

Question: How can I enable microphone loopback into headset on Mac?

Answer: On Mac, you can enable microphone loopback into headset by following these steps:

1. Download and install Soundflower, a free audio routing software for Mac.
2. Go to System Preferences > Sound > Output and select Soundflower (2ch) as your output device.
3. Go to System Preferences > Sound > Input and select your microphone device as your input device.
4. Launch Soundflowerbed, a menu bar application that comes with Soundflower, and select your speaker or headphone device from the Soundflower (2ch) dropdown menu.

Question: How can I apply voice effects to my microphone loopback?

Answer: If you want to apply voice effects to your microphone loopback, you can use a software like Audacity, a free and open-source audio editor for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Audacity has a feature called Monitor that allows you to hear your microphone input with effects applied in real-time. To use this feature, follow these steps:

1. Download and install Audacity from the official website.
2. Launch Audacity and go to Edit > Preferences > Recording.
3. Check the box that says Software Playthrough of input and click OK.
4. Go to Effect > Add / Remove Plug-ins and enable any plug-ins you want to use for voice effects. Audacity comes with some built-in plug-ins, but you can also download and install more from the internet.
5. Go to Transport > Transport Options and select Software Playthrough.
6. Click on the Record button and speak into your microphone. You should hear your voice with effects applied through your speaker or headphone.
7. To stop the recording, click on the Stop button.

Summary

In this blog post, we have shown you how to enable microphone loopback into headset on Ubuntu using PulseAudio, a sound server that manages audio devices and streams on Linux systems. We have also shown you how to adjust the latency and volume of the loopback device, and how to disable it when you are done. We have also answered some frequently asked questions about microphone loopback on other operating systems and how to apply voice effects to it.

We hope you have found this blog post helpful and informative. If you have any questions or feedback, please leave a comment below. Thank you for reading!

Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by any of the products or services mentioned in this blog post. We are not responsible for any damages or losses caused by following the instructions in this blog post. Please use them at your own risk.