Play your sounds into Discord, straight from your game.
SoundDeck plays sounds into the microphone your Discord call hears. Fire them from global hotkeys while you play, at full length, and change your voice live on top.
- Global hotkeys
- Full-length sounds
- 24 voice presets
- TeamSpeak and games too
The short answer
Discord has a built-in soundboard for short sounds: up to 5.2 seconds and 512 KB each, according to Discord's developer documentation (checked 14 October 2026). For longer sounds, hotkeys that work inside your game and voice effects, use a desktop soundboard that plays into a virtual microphone. With SoundDeck: install VB-CABLE, set Discord's Input Device to CABLE Output, and press a hotkey.
Set it up once. Three steps.
A one-time setup per PC. Discord only listens to one input device, so SoundDeck mixes your voice and your sounds and hands Discord a virtual microphone that carries both.
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Install VB-CABLE
First-run setup checks for VB-CABLE, a free virtual audio cable by VB-Audio, and with your consent opens VB-Audio's own installer. Windows asks for permission because it installs an audio driver. Restart your PC when it finishes.
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Pick your devices in SoundDeck
Microphone: your headset or desk mic. Headphones: what you listen on. Broadcast: CABLE Input, which SoundDeck selects for you when it finds VB-CABLE.
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Point Discord at CABLE Output
Discord now hears your voice and your sounds as one microphone.
User SettingsVoice & VideoInput DeviceCABLE Output (VB-Audio Virtual Cable)
Sounds cut out or sound thin?Turn off noise suppression and echo cancellation in Discord. Those filters treat music and sound effects as background noise.
Keep your headset as the Windows defaultIf CABLE Input becomes your default playback device, everything your PC plays is sent to your friends.
The Audio check does the restIt confirms VB-CABLE, your devices, your microphone and matching sample rates, with a Fix button where it can. It cannot read Discord's settings, so it tells you which one to pick.
VB-CABLE by VB-Audio Software (vb-cable.com) — donationware, all participations are welcome. vb-audio.com/Cable (info and donations), opens in a new tab
Discord's soundboard and a desktop soundboard.
Discord's soundboard lives inside Discord. A desktop soundboard plays into your microphone, so the limits are different. Discord facts come from Discord's developer documentation. SoundDeck facts come from pre-release build 1.0.0, checked on the same date; features may change before launch.
Facts checked
| Topic | SoundDeck | Discord's built-in soundboard |
|---|---|---|
| Longest sound | No length limit. 16 of the 78 included sounds already run past 5.2 seconds. | 5.2 seconds. Discord docs, opens in a new tab |
| File size | Up to 200 MB per file. | 512 KB per sound. Discord docs, opens in a new tab |
| Sounds in other servers | Your sounds live on your PC and play in any server or call. | Nitro subscribers can use them in all servers. Discord docs, opens in a new tab |
| Where it plays | Discord, TeamSpeak and games with voice chat: anywhere CABLE Output is your microphone. | Inside Discord. Discord docs, opens in a new tab |
When the built-in one is enoughDiscord's soundboard is part of Discord: nothing to install and nothing to set up. If short sounds inside Discord are all you need, start there. Coming from Soundpad instead? Compare SoundDeck and Soundpad
Discord is a trademark of Discord Inc. SoundDeck is an independent app and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Discord.
More than a soundboard.
Built for use mid-game: hotkeys, the Touch Deck and Instant Replay work while your game has focus, and Quick Search opens over windowed and borderless games. No alt-tab, no game injection.
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Global hotkeys
Bind any sound to a key; hotkeys work while your game has focus. F1 stops everything, Ctrl+Shift+H pauses hotkeys so you can type.
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Quick Search
Press Ctrl+Shift+Space over a windowed or borderless game, type a few letters, and Enter plays it to everyone. Shift+Enter plays it only to you.
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Your volume, their volume
Separate levels for your headphones and your listeners, per sound, plus Match loudness to even out quiet and loud files.
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Pages per game
A separate set of sounds and hotkeys for each game. Optional auto-switch reads only the name of the program in front.
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Voice Changer
24 live presets, each on its own hotkey. Voice-priority ducking lowers your sounds while you talk. See all 24
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Instant Replay
Turn it on, then press F8 to put the last moments of voice chat on your board. Up to 10 minutes, kept in memory until you save.
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Touch Deck
Your phone becomes a touch deck in its browser, on your home network. Nothing to install.
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Auto push-to-talk
Optional and off by default: holds your talk key while a sound plays. Some anti-cheat systems may flag simulated input, so SoundDeck asks before it turns on.
Discord soundboard questions.
Stuck on a setting? A human answers on Discord or by email.
Do I need Discord Nitro to use a soundboard?
Not for SoundDeck. It plays into your microphone input, so Discord hears your sounds the way it hears your voice, in any server or call. Nitro matters for Discord's built-in soundboard: according to Discord's developer documentation, Nitro subscribers can use soundboard sounds in all servers.
Why can't my friends hear my sounds?
Check three things: Discord's Input Device is CABLE Output, Broadcast in SoundDeck Settings is CABLE Input, and SoundDeck is running. The Audio check in SoundDeck Settings tests the rest.
My friends hear my sounds but not my voice. What now?
Pick your real microphone in SoundDeck Settings. Then make sure Windows lets desktop apps use your microphone, under Privacy & security, Microphone in the Windows Settings app.
Why do my sounds cut out on Discord?
Discord's noise suppression and echo cancellation treat music and sound effects as background noise. Turn them off in Discord's Voice & Video settings and your sounds come through whole.
Does it work in games with voice chat, not just Discord?
Yes. Choose CABLE Output as the microphone in the game's audio settings. Games without a device option use the Windows default recording device. TeamSpeak works the same way: pick CABLE Output as the capture device.
How does SoundDeck work alongside anti-cheat?
No game injection: SoundDeck never hooks into a game and never reads or changes its memory or files. Your sounds reach the game through VB-CABLE, a standard virtual audio cable, so to the game it is simply another microphone. The optional Auto push-to-talk presses your talk key with simulated input, which some anti-cheat systems may block or flag, so it is off by default and asks before you turn it on. Server and league rules on soundboards still apply.
Can I fire sounds from my phone?
Yes, with the Touch Deck. Scan the QR code in SoundDeck and your phone, tablet or laptop becomes a touch deck in its browser, on the same network as your PC. There is nothing to install on the phone.
Is SoundDeck free?
No. SoundDeck will be a one-time purchase on Steam, with no subscription and no ads. The price is announced with the Steam store page; until then we won't quote one.
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