Now available: Microphone passthrough

This feature is available to users on release 150-90 or later. You can find more information about app updates in our Changelog.

Today, we’re rolling out the ability to pass your client microphone through to a host machine with the Virtual USB driver installed. Here at Parsec, it is our mission to make you forget that you’re working or playing games remotely – and adding a feature that makes things easier to do brings us closer to achieving that mission. 

With mic passthrough, remote collaboration will be seamless, making it feel like you’re working directly at your desk in the office. Remote meetings can be joined with voice over Parsec, and Film editors can lay reference voice over remotely. And if you’re playing games with friends in other places, you can use in-game voice chat to easily have your conversations.

At launch, mic passthrough can be done from a Windows or macOS client and you must have the 0.2.5.0 Virtual USB driver installed on the host. Currently, mic passthrough can only be delivered to a Windows host. 

How to set up Microphone Passthrough on Parsec

Follow these 3 easy steps to setup Mic passthrough using Parsec:

1.) Head into User Settings and click on Experimental Settings.

2.) Within the Experimental menu you’ll see three settings for mic passthrough:

• On the Client machine:

  • Microphone passthrough: Select On to pass your client microphone through to your host machine. Once you have turned it On you will be able to select your microphone in the next setting.

  • Microphone Selection: Allows you to choose which microphone you want to use. With the option Default, if you disconnect and reconnect your microphone it will remain connected as your default microphone.

• On the Host machine:

  • Microphone: You can choose between, On, Off, and Persistent. When On is selected, Parsec will create a temporary microphone. When Persistent is selected, Parsec will create a microphone that will remain on indefinitely unless you manually select the option Off. 

3.) Double check audio settings on both the host and the client. Sometimes these settings will disrupt Parsec’s microphone passthrough.

What’s improved with client microphone passthrough?

Collaborate efficiently with distributed team members

The days of using a third-party application on top of Parsec to communicate with colleagues are over! Now you can make a call in Microsoft Teams or huddle on Slack directly from your client computer and your teammates will be able to hear you as clearly as before. Use any communication tools downloaded on your host computer like Zoom, Slack, Teams, and more just how you’re used to.

Play and talk with friends while playing games remotely

Co-op with your friends and talk with them directly through in-game voice chat with Parsec’s mic passthrough. This means you will no longer need to use an additional app or reroute your audio to talk with your friends. For gamers who connect multiple people into one Parsec stream, please note that only the host owner's microphone will be passed from client to host. 

Mic passthrough is available for all versions of Parsec – give it a try! If you have questions, visit the support article for additional details. We hope this update makes it a little easier for you to collaborate with team members and chat and play games with your friends from anywhere.