To split audio sources with VoiceMeeter Banana, send each app to a different VoiceMeeter playback endpoint, then use that source strip’s A and B buttons to choose where its audio goes. For example, keep ordinary Windows audio on the VAIO strip and set a conference app’s speaker output to AUX; you can then monitor both while sending only the sources you want to a recording app. Apps that share one playback endpoint arrive together on the same strip, so Banana does not automatically separate them.
How VoiceMeeter Banana separates and routes audio
Banana works like a virtual mixer. Windows or an individual app sends playback to a virtual input endpoint; that signal appears on the corresponding input strip. You then select destination buses on each strip. As VB-Audio explains, “You can send any input channel to any output bus – if you send more than one to a bus, these channels get mixed together.” VB-Audio’s Banana product page lists five inputs—three physical and two virtual—and five output buses: A1, A2, A3, B1 and B2.
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| Control or endpoint | What it does |
|---|---|
| Hardware input strips | Receive physical audio sources, such as a microphone or other connected input device. |
| VAIO and AUX | The two virtual software input strips. Windows playback sent to VoiceMeeter Input (VAIO) appears on VAIO; playback sent to VoiceMeeter AUX Input appears on AUX. |
| A1, A2, A3 | Physical output buses for listening devices. A1 is commonly the primary output; A2 and A3 can feed additional devices. |
| B1, B2 | Virtual output buses that appear to Windows applications as recording or input endpoints. Choose one as the input in the app that should receive the mix. |
On any strip, enable the bus buttons for the destinations that should receive that source. A buttons route it to physical outputs; B buttons route it into a virtual mix. The routing is independent per strip: you can send a microphone to a conference app on B1, for instance, without sending desktop audio there.
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Install Banana and select your listening output
- Download the installer from VB-Audio’s official VoiceMeeter Banana page. The page lists version 2.1.3.0, dated September 2026; check the page for the current installer when you download. Run the installer as administrator and reboot as directed.
- Open Banana and set the physical listening device under Hardware Out for A1. Choose the actual headphones, speakers or audio interface you want to hear. Routing a strip to A1 will not make it audible if A1 has no suitable device assigned.
- For the first setup, follow the current manual, especially its “step ZERO.” The official manual edition identified here is version 2.1.2.2 from December 2025, while the product page lists a newer installer version; use the current download page for the installer and account for that version difference when following documentation.
VB-Audio lists MME, DirectX, KS, WDM and ASIO interfaces. Compatibility and stability depend on the selected device and its driver. The product page also says the processing rate is defined by the A1 configuration, so use a sample-rate approach supported by the master hardware device and the applications where possible.
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Split PC audio and conference audio
This setup puts general Windows playback and incoming call audio on separate strips. VB-Audio’s conference guide demonstrates this approach for tools such as Zoom and describes separating call audio from browser, YouTube or Spotify playback.
- Send ordinary PC audio to VAIO. In Windows sound settings, set the playback device to VoiceMeeter Input (often labeled VAIO). General Windows playback should now appear on the first virtual input strip. You can rename that strip “PC Sounds” in Banana for easier identification.
- Send conference speakers to AUX. In the conference application’s audio settings, set its speaker or output device to VoiceMeeter AUX Input. Incoming call audio should appear on the AUX strip, separate from ordinary playback on VAIO.
- Choose what you hear. Enable A1 on the VAIO and AUX strips if you want to monitor both through the primary device. Use A2 or A3 on either strip if that audio should also go to another configured physical output.
- Choose what enters a recording mix. Enable B1 on only the source strips that belong in the recording or receiving mix. In the recording app—VB-Audio names Audacity and Reaper as examples—select the corresponding VoiceMeeter B1 output as its recording input. Use B2 instead if that is the virtual bus you intend the app to receive.
- Set the call’s microphone input deliberately. If the conference app needs your microphone, select the appropriate VoiceMeeter virtual output as its microphone or input device, then route the intended microphone strip to that bus. Check the app’s labels carefully: the selected speaker device controls where incoming call audio goes, while the selected microphone device controls what the call receives.
For example, to record desktop audio but exclude the call, leave B1 enabled on the VAIO strip and disabled on AUX. To hear both, enable A1 on both. To send your microphone to the call without sending desktop audio, route only the microphone strip to the selected virtual bus.
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Route other individual apps to separate strips
Banana has two virtual software input strips, VAIO and AUX—not an unlimited strip for every running app. If several applications use the same Windows playback endpoint, their audio arrives together on that strip and cannot be independently controlled there.
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- Keep the general Windows playback device on one VoiceMeeter endpoint, such as VAIO.
- For an app you want to separate, open that app’s audio settings and select a different VoiceMeeter playback endpoint, such as AUX, if the app offers one.
- If the app has no device selector, use Windows per-app audio output settings to assign it to a different available endpoint.
- Play audio and confirm that the meter moves on the intended Banana strip. Enable the desired A or B bus buttons on that strip to control its destinations independently.
If your workflow needs more than two independent virtual software input strips, Banana’s standard arrangement may not fit. VB-Audio lists VoiceMeeter Potato separately, and its site also lists an optional VAIOs Extension for Banana; consider those only if you specifically need additional virtual endpoints. Check their current documentation and compatibility before changing editions or adding an extension.
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Check the signal path when audio is missing or misrouted
- No meter movement on the expected strip: The app may be sending audio to another endpoint. Check its own output selection and the Windows playback device, then verify the meter again.
- The strip meter moves, but you cannot hear it: Confirm the strip’s A1 button is enabled and a working headphones, speaker or interface is selected under Hardware Out for A1. If you intended another physical device, check its A2 or A3 assignment and routing.
- Desktop audio stops when Banana closes: If VoiceMeeter is the Windows default playback device, Windows audio is routed through the mixer. The manual warns that PC audio may stop when VoiceMeeter is not running; reopen it or select a direct playback device in Windows.
- A recording or call receives the wrong audio: Check both ends of the route: the intended strip must have the right B button enabled, and the receiving app must select the matching VoiceMeeter virtual output. Disable that B button on strips that should be excluded.
- Audio disappears, crackles or behaves inconsistently: Check device and application sample-rate compatibility, then consult VB-Audio’s manual and product guidance and its support topics for installation or update problems, Windows 10/11 audio issues, driver installation and latency.
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