audiorouter

# AudioRouter **See your sound. Shape it. Send it anywhere.** AudioRouter is a visual audio router for Windows 11. Draw your audio on a canvas: plug a microphone into a noise gate, an EQ and a compressor, send the result to Discord, monitor it in your headphones and record it, all at once. Stream game audio from your gaming PC to your streaming PC over your home network. Every route is a picture you can read, and every setting is live. [](https://github.com/MrDesjardins/audiorouter/actions/workflows/ci.yml) [](https://github.com/MrDesjardins/audiorouter/actions/workflows/quality.yml) **[Website](https://audiorouter.org)** · **[Download](https://github.com/MrDesjardins/audiorouter/releases/latest)** · [Manual](https://audiorouter.org/manual.html) · [Audio tools](https://audiorouter.org/tools.html) · [Videos](#videos) · [For developers](#for-developers)  ## Get started 1. **Download** `AudioRouter_<version>_x64-setup.exe` from the [latest release](https://github.com/MrDesjardins/audiorouter/releases/latest). It is the only file you need: the app, its audio engine, the command-line tool and the Stream Deck plugin are all inside. 2. **Install** it. It installs for your Windows account only and needs no administrator rights. Windows may warn that the installer is unsigned; choose **More info**, then **Run anyway**. 3. **Open AudioRouter** and allow it to use your audio devices when you first press **Play**. Requirements: Windows 11 x64. To send AudioRouter's sound into another app (Discord, OBS, a game's voice chat), install a virtual cable such as [VB-Cable](https://vb-audio.com/Cable/). You don't need one to route to your speakers or headphones. ### Your first route in one minute 1. In **Tools**, add an **Input device** and an **Output device**. 2. Select each one and choose the real device (your microphone, your headphones) in **Properties**. 3. Drag from the input's orange connector to the output's blue connector. Add a **Noise gate** or **Advanced EQ** in between if you like. 4. Press **Play**. Speak, watch the line light up, and adjust settings live. 5. Press **Save** to keep the route. **Session → Save to file…** backs it up. The [manual](https://audiorouter.org/manual.html) walks through plugins, recording, application capture and two-PC streaming. ## Videos | Video | Watch | | --- | --- | | AudioRouter overview (2 minutes) | [Watch on YouTube](https://youtu.be/IHitHqpi87s) | | Your first route | [Watch on YouTube](https://youtu.be/3--AnDZZXzA) | | Streaming audio between two PCs | Coming soon | ## What it does - **One canvas instead of five control panels.** Sources on the left, outputs on the right, processing in between. The lines show where sound flows and pulse with its level while it plays. - **Studio processing for your voice.** Noise gate, denoise, de-hum, de-click, a 16-point parametric EQ, compressor, limiter, delay, pitch and more: 30+ built-in [audio tools](https://audiorouter.org/tools.html). - **Your VST plugins, safely.** Load x64 VST2 effects (for example the free ReaPlugs) and qualified VST3 effects, and open a plugin's own editor while audio plays. Each plugin runs in its own process, so a crashing plugin cannot take your route down with it. - **One source, many destinations.** Send a processed microphone to Discord, OBS, your headphones and a recorder at the same time. Mix several sources into one with the Mixer. - **Two-PC streaming built in.** Network Send and Network Receive carry audio between computers on your home network, with no extra software. A shared pairing key stops other devices from injecting audio (it does not encrypt). - **Capture one application.** Route just the game, just the browser or just Spotify instead of the whole desktop. - **Record while you route**, with a recording library. - **Sessions you can switch and move.** Keep several setups ("Streaming", "Podcast", "Late-night gaming"), switch between them, and save one to a single `.audiorouter` file to open on another PC. - **Stream Deck keys** for toggles, privacy mute, Play/Stop, session switching and recording. Install the plugin from the app's **API** tab; see [Stream Deck controls](https://audiorouter.org/stream-deck.html). - **Private by design.** No cloud, no account, no telemetry. AudioRouter never changes your Windows default devices or volumes, never switches to another microphone behind your back, and a failed effect on your voice path goes silent instead of leaking unprocessed audio. - **Scriptable.** A local [HTTP API](https://audiorouter.org/api.html), a command line, and an [MCP server](https://audiorouter.org/mcp.html) for AI assistants, all permission-controlled. ## See it in action **ChatGPT builds a voice route.** With the optional MCP connection, ask ChatGPT to list saved sessions and create a microphone → Advanced EQ → CABLE-A and headphones route. See the [setup steps, real request and resulting AudioRouter session](docs/operations/chatgpt-mcp-example.md). **Two PCs, one stream.** The gaming PC mixes game audio with a cleaned-up microphone and sends the mix to the streaming PC, while you keep the game in your headphones.  **The streaming PC receives it**, trims the level, feeds OBS through a virtual cable, and keeps a backup recording. Light and high-contrast themes are available too.  **Shape your voice precisely.** The Advanced EQ has up to 16 points you drag on a live frequency-response curve, or type exactly.  ## Ideas to try | Goal | Route | | --- | --- | | Clean voice for Discord | Microphone → Noise gate → Denoise → EQ → Compressor → Output *CABLE Input*; pick *CABLE Output* as the microphone in Discord | | Hear yourself while streaming | Split the same chain to your headphones | | Podcast with a safety copy | Add a Recorder branch next to the live output | | Game audio to a second PC | Gaming PC: Game → Network Send · Streaming PC: Network Receive → Output to OBS | | Stream only the game | Application source (the game) → Volume → Output | | Clear Rainbow Six Siege footsteps | See the [Siege guide](https://audiorouter.org/siege.html) | | Try an effect without risk | Toggle Bypass or Enabled on any tool while it plays | ## Help and status - **Website and manual:** [audiorouter.org](https://audiorouter.org), the [basic manual](https://audiorouter.org/manual.html) and the in-depth [user guide](docs/operations/quickstart.md). - **Release notes:** [Releases page](https://audiorouter.org/releases.html) or [GitHub Releases](https://github.com/MrDesjardins/audiorouter/releases). - **Questions and ideas:** ask in [Discussions](https://github.com/MrDesjardins/audiorouter/discussions), or show the route you built. - **Problems:** open an [issue](https://github.com/MrDesjardins/audiorouter/issues). In the app, the **Logs** tab has **Open logs folder** for the files to attach. AudioRouter is an **early preview**. Known limits: the app and installer are not signed yet; clock drift between two different devices is not corrected (rare, regular clicks on very long sessions); clean-machine, upgrade and uninstall testing is still open. Releases use existing virtual cables such as VB-Cable. AudioRouter's own virtual cable is in development and not shipped yet. See [distribution status](docs/operations/distribution.md) for details. ## Support AudioRouter AudioRouter is free and stays free. Its own virtual cable needs one thing money can buy: Windows only installs audio drivers that Microsoft has signed, and Microsoft requires an EV code-signing certificate for every driver submission, a few hundred dollars a year. If AudioRouter is useful to you, [sponsor it on GitHub](https://github.com/sponsors/MrDesjardins). A **$25 one-time** contribution is the main ask; **$5 a month** helps with renewals. Sponsorships pay for the certificate and its renewals, and any balance goes to future renewals and project costs. Everyone gets the same free software; there are no paid features or priority support. Progress is shown on the Sponsors page, with an update once the certificate is bought. --- ## For developers AudioRouter is a Rust workspace (control plane, real-time engine, WASAPI audio, plugin host, storage, transport, CLI) plus a React/TypeScript interface in a [Tauri](https://tauri.app) desktop shell. It builds and runs on Windows 11 x64 only. | Folder | What is in it | | --- | --- | | `crates/` | Rust workspace: `domain`, `control`, `engine`, `dsp`, `windows-audio`, `plugin-host`, `storage`, `transport`, `recording`, `protocol`, `cli`, `driver-helper` | | `src-tauri/` | Desktop shell (window, tray, embedded backend, local HTTP API) | | `ui/` | React/TypeScript interface, unit tests (Vitest) and browser tests (Playwright) | | `contracts/` | Generated TypeScript API contracts and drift checks | | `tools/streamdeck/` | Stream Deck plugin | | `drivers/` | AudioRouter virtual cable driver (in development) | | `site/` | The [audiorouter.org](https://audiorouter.org) website, deployed by `.github/workflows/pages.yml` | | `tools/release/` | Release build, verification and draft-publication scripts | | `docs/` | Specifications, plans, evidence and operations guides | ### Build from source Install on a Windows 11 x64 PC: | Tool | Where | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | | Visual Studio 2022 Build Tools | [visualstudio.microsoft.com](https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/downloads/) | Select **Desktop development with C++** (MSVC and the Windows SDK) | | Rust (rustup) | [rustup.rs](https://rustup.rs) | `rust-toolchain.toml` pins 1.96.0; rustup installs it on the first build | | Node.js | [nodejs.org](https://nodejs.org) | 22 LTS or newer | | Git | [git-scm.com](https://git-scm.com) | | WebView2, which draws the interface, is already part of Windows 11. Then, in PowerShell: ```powershell git clone https://github.com/MrDesjardins/audiorouter.git cd audiorouter # The interface npm.cmd ci --prefix contracts npm.cmd ci --prefix ui npm.cmd run build --prefix ui # The app, its plugin worker and its command line, in one folder $env:CARGO_TARGET_DIR = "$PWD\target\app" cargo build --release --manifest-path src-tauri/Cargo.toml --features custom-protocol cargo build --release -p audiorouter-plugin-host --bin audiorouter-plugin-worker cargo build --release -p audiorouter-cli ``` The first build takes several minutes. The three programs end up in `target\app\release`. To run them like an installed copy: ```powershell $app = "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Programs\AudioRouter" New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force $app | Out-Null Copy-Item target\app\release\audiorouter-shell.exe, target\app\release\audiorouter-plugin-worker.exe, target\app\release\audiorouter-cli.exe $app ``` Start `audiorouter-shell.exe` from that folder. Run one copy of AudioRouter at a time; close it before copying a new build over it. Sessions are stored in `%LOCALAPPDATA%\AudioRouter`. To build the installer exactly as a release does, use `tools\release\prepare-artifacts.ps1`; see [release qualification](docs/operations/release-qualification.md). ### Checks before you commit CI (`.github/workflows/ci.yml`) runs on Windows for every push to `main` and every pull request, and fails on any of these: ```powershell cargo fmt --all -- --check cargo fmt --manifest-path src-tauri/Cargo.toml -- --check cargo clippy --workspace --all-targets --all-features --locked -- -D warnings cargo clippy --manifest-path src-tauri/Cargo.toml --all-targets --locked -- -D warnings cargo test --workspace --locked npm.cmd --prefix ui run format:check # Prettier npm.cmd --prefix ui run lint # ESLint; warnings do not fail npm.cmd --prefix ui test npm.cmd --prefix ui run e2e # Playwright in Edge, a separate CI job ``` Tests that need real audio devices are `#[ignore]`d; run them on a PC with endpoints using `cargo test -p audiorouter-windows-audio -- --ignored`. When dependencies change, a Linux job checks them against `deny.toml` (RustSec advisories, licenses, crate sources) and runs `npm audit --omit=dev` for `ui`, `contracts` and `tools/streamdeck`; run `cargo deny check` and `cargo deny --manifest-path src-tauri/Cargo.toml check` locally. Dependabot proposes weekly grouped updates (`.github/dependabot.yml`). Actions and npm minor/patch groups and Cargo patch groups merge themselves once CI passes (`dependabot-auto-merge.yml`). Cargo minor and all major updates wait for a person, because CI cannot run the live audio checks. A nightly (and manual) `quality.yml` workflow reports Rust (`cargo llvm-cov`) and UI (`npm --prefix ui run test:coverage`) coverage, runs a 20-minute engine soak and times a fresh-install startup, with a trend table in the job summary. Coverage is never a gate. Run the soak locally with `cargo run --release -p audiorouter-engine --example soak` (`AUDIOROUTER_SOAK_SECONDS` sets the duration; default 10). #### Automated quality and performance The table is refreshed after successful coverage, engine soak and startup runs on `main`. It links to the measured source commit and exact workflow run. Coverage is informational: it measures test execution, not audio quality, hardware compatibility, or release readiness. The badges above show current CI and nightly quality workflow status, including failures. <!-- quality-stats:start --> Updated 2026-10-21 (UTC) from [`b4bbbef5`](https://github.com/MrDesjardins/audiorouter/commit/b4bbbef57f56598d50dcf3b5cabc25b7093a1e70) · [quality run #39570183964](https://github.com/MrDesjardins/audiorouter/actions/runs/39570183964). | Check | Latest result | | --- | --- | | Rust workspace coverage | 78.3% (67318/85948) lines · 71.2% (5734/8058) functions · 80.1% (104124/130012) regions | | Portable Rust coverage | 87.7% (36536/41659) lines · 86.6% (3265/3769) functions · 88.5% (56621/63954) regions | | Desktop shell coverage | 56.8% (3539/6232) lines · 52.0% (326/627) functions · 57.2% (5631/9846) regions | | UI (Vitest) coverage | 68.5% (5444/7947) lines · 65.7% (1743/2654) functions · 62.4% (5322/8533) branches | | Engine soak | PASS · p99 123 µs, p99.9 175 µs per quantum · in-process heap 0.0 KiB · process heap 0.0 MiB · 17836735 quanta | | Fresh-install backend readiness | 138 ms to first backend response on the hosted Windows runner; UI-ready time is not measured | <!-- quality-stats:end --> Historical performance (the last 90 successful runs; the full history is in [`docs/quality-history.csv`](docs/quality-history.csv)):  Format with `cargo fmt --all` and `cargo fmt --manifest-path src-tauri/Cargo.toml`, and the UI with `npm --prefix ui run format` (check it with `npm --prefix ui run lint`). To format staged Rust and UI files automatically at commit time, run once per clone: `git config core.hooksPath .githooks`. More in [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md). ### Working on the project - **Start here:** the [documentation index](docs/README.md), the [active plan](docs/plans/active/current.md) and the [specifications](docs/spec/01-product.md). - **AI agents:** read [AGENTS.md](AGENTS.md), the canonical agent instructions (do not add a case-only `agent.md` copy on Windows). Claude Code sessions format each edited Rust file automatically (`.claude/settings.json`). - **API:** [API reference](docs/operations/api-reference.md) for the command line, JSON-RPC and MCP, and the [local HTTP API](docs/operations/local-http-api.md). - **Plugins:** [plugin compatibility](docs/operations/plugin-compatibility.md). Only VST3 fixture and validator work needs the Steinberg VST3 SDK (building the app does not): `powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\tools\m06-vst3-sdk\install.ps1` (see [SDK setup](docs/operations/sdk-setup.md)). - **README screenshots:** regenerate with `AUDIOROUTER_README_SHOTS=1` and `npx playwright test e2e/readme-screenshots.pw.ts` in `ui`, after `cargo build --example e2e_backend -p audiorouter-control`. - **Website:** edit `site/`; changes deploy to audiorouter.org when they reach `main` (see [site/README.md](site/README.md)). ## License Copyright (C) 2026 Patrick Desjardins. AudioRouter is free and open-source software under the [GNU General Public License v3.0 only](LICENSE) (`GPL-3.0-only`). You may use, study, share and modify it. If you distribute AudioRouter or a modified version, you must publish its complete source code under the same license. Commercial licenses that allow use outside the GPL (for example, in a closed-source product) are available from the copyright holder; contact the maintainer through [GitHub](https://github.com/MrDesjardins). Releases up to and including 0.0.13 were published under the MIT License, and those copies remain available under MIT. Third-party components keep their own licenses: see `THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.txt` in each release. The virtual audio driver in `drivers/audiorouter-virtual` is derived from Microsoft sample code and is a separate program under the Microsoft Public License (`drivers/audiorouter-virtual/LICENSE-MS-PL.txt`). Contributions are welcome under the terms in [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md).