Hi
I have a very strange problem with a new Plantronics headset and vMix and could really do with some help.

I've been using a cheap USB headset with microphone with vMix for some time with no problems. I've been able to monitor, talkback to presenters etc perfectly.
I thought I'd upgrade to a much better Plantronics USB headset but then my problems started. I can talk into vMix with no problem and I can hear anything else from the computer including Skype and Teams through the headset perfectly but no matter what I do I can't get any sound from vMix into the Plantronics headset? I've tried using them as the default output device. I've tried selecting them directly in vMix. I've tried different USB sockets. Nothing works.

Any ideas?

Update... I'm having exactly the same effect with a pair of Bose QC 35 headphones.

Hi C_Paul
Sorry to hear you're having the same problem but, at the same time, I'm glad I'm not the only one.

I can only think it's something to do with the way vMix accesses the various audio ins and outs of the computer and some interaction the circuitry of the headsets have on that. Or maybe something to do with the auto mix-minus.
I've noticed that, when I have my Plantronics or Bose headsets connected, no vMix levels show on the computer's sound mixer. As soon as I plug in my cheap headset, everything works again and there are levels on the mixer.

It would be good to hear from somebody from vMix but, until then, it's back to a separate microphone for me.

This is equal parts experience and conjecture. Experience because this has happened to me. Conjecture because I was using difference devices.

I think this hinges on how the software and audio device driver access the device. It's quite common for an application to take a device for it exclusive use. So, if vMix is using the headset some other app cannot.

There is a way around this. I use Voicemeeter as the app that gets hold of the headset, it has complex audio routing that lets me send the microphone to multiple destinations. Also, route various signals to the earpieces.

Every combination of hardware, drivers and software is different, but maybe my experience could help someone else :

In my case I realised that the Powerbeats Pro actually have 2 different modes : Either "HD quality" with great audio but no microphone, or "Call/Hands-Free" mode with a microphone but reduced audio quality.

Both seem to be mutually exclusive, in VMIX at least.

Also, I tested 2 different bluetooth 5.0 dongles :

- First a €10 multi-purpose bluetooth 5 dongle (works with mouses, keyboards, headphones...) : I could connect the powerbeats for skype, zoom and listen to music, but getting the right configuration of inputs/outputs in VMIX was tricky. I couldn't get the mic AND the headphone to work together.

- Then a €28 audio-only bluetooth 5.0 interface (works only with a headphone/mic not other devices) : It then appears as an extra audio card, not a bluetooth device once installed, it was easier to connect with VMIX, no problem of selecting the right combination of input/output, as the switch from APTX HD (quality) and CALL modes is done with a physical switch on the dongle and is transparent to vmix (input doesn't change).

The second solution feels more robust in VMix, range is decent (10m or so with walls, maybe 20m without), but all in all Mic quality in "telephone" mode wasn't all that great, so I'm only planning to use bluetooth devices as wireless in-ear monitoring, while using my rode wireless Go for the microphone.

Hope that can help some people.

Best,