Discord has become the platform of choice for over 150 million monthly active users to connect through chat, voice, video, and live streaming. Gamers, communities, and businesses are increasingly relying on Discord‘s slick UI, low latency, and rich feature set for audio communication needs.
One popular feature is Discord‘s screen sharing facility – allowing a user to broadcast their desktop screen to other participants in a voice channel. By default, only the visual feed is shared. Enabling computer audio pickup allows everything from music to game sound effects to be transmitted as well.
In this comprehensive guide, we will explore multiple techniques to share device audio using Discord‘s screen sharing functionality across some popular hardware and software platforms.
Overview of Discord‘s Audio Architecture
To understand how to effectively share audio, it helps to first understand how Discord handles voice chat under the hood.
Discord voice communication leverages the Opus audio codec for encoding and streaming voice data between clients. Opus provides cross-platform low-latency performance at bitrates between 6-510 kbps and sampling rates of 8, 12, 16, 24, or 48 kHz [1].
The Discord desktop client and mobile apps contain an audio capture module that samples audio data from microphones or other inputs using the preferred sampling rate. This PCM input is encoded into Opus and streamed to other clients via Discord‘s distributed server infrastructure [2].
On the receiving end, the Opus streams are decoded and rendered as output audio signals on the local Discord clients. Volume sliders in the UI provide user control over playback levels.
This combination of sampling, encoding, streaming, decoding and playback allows Discord to transmit audio between devices with impressively low overhead.
Discord‘s screen sharing feature builds on this voice infrastructure – simply allowing users to share additional application windows and screens as video streams. The "Share Computer Sound" option pushes audio capture beyond the microphone, to system-wide sources.
Understanding this workflow better equips us to troubleshoot any audio issues. Now let‘s explore popular techniques for sharing audio via screen sharing.
Share Full Desktop Audio in Discord on Windows
Windows is the most popular desktop operating system with over 75% market share globally [3]. It offers robust audio options perfect for sharing on Discord.
Follow these steps:
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Launch Discord on your Windows PC, join any voice channel and ensure your microphone is picking up audio properly. Make any necessary adjustments in the Windows volume mixer.
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Click on the "Share Screen" icon at the bottom left of the Discord window, indicated by a monitor symbol.
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In the Share Screen pop-up window, locate and check the box for "Share Computer Sound". This enables desktop-wide audio capture outside of your microphone.
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Finally, choose to share your entire desktop screen, or a specific app window like a media player or game. Then click "Go Live".
The shared visual feed along with any computer audio should now be streamed to other participants in real-time.
To stop sharing, simply click the red "Stop Streaming" button in your Discord window.
Optimizing Windows Audio Quality
Sharing great audio requires optimizing sampling rates, bit depths, channel counts and volume levels across input and output chains.
In Windows‘ Sound Control Panel:
- Set primary sound playback device to 48000 Hz, 16 bit in Properties > Advanced tab
- Balance stereo channels equally
- Boost application volume sliders generously
- Reduce system-wide volume to 50%
This maintains signal clarity while minimizing clipping and distortion issues when sharing desktop audio via Discord on Windows.
Share Linux Desktop Audio in Discord
The Linux operating system powers most cloud infrastructure and runs on all types of devices. Given its flexibility – sharing audio via Discord on Linux has a few nuances across different distros.
Follow these guidelines while screen sharing on Linux:
Pipe Application Audio Only
On Linux, directly capturing desktop-wide audio input can be unstable. A cleaner approach is to pipe a specific audio stream instead.
For example, to share audio playing in the VLC media app:
vlc --audio-visual=visual --effect-list=scope --scope-channels=2 sometrack.mp3Then share the VLC application window itself in Discord‘s screen share mode. This pipelines the audio cleanly without invasive system hooks required for desktop capture.
Configure Alsa Loopback Devices
ALSA (Advanced Linux Sound Architecture) provides the audio framework for most Linux distros today. Configuring an Alsa loopback device routes audio streams into virtual capture inputs.
Setup a loopback using snd-aloop kernel module:
# Load kernel module
sudo modprobe snd-aloop
# Create loopback device
sudo insmod snd-aloop.ko `devices=8`
# Set as default Alsa input
sudo alsactl set-default-source alsa_input.pci-0000_00_1b.0Now desktop audio can be routed to the loopback input and shared on Discord screen share.
PulseAudio Bind Sources
On distributions with PulseAudio sound server managing Alsa – audio sources can also be bound directly:
pactl load-module module-loopback source=my_source sink=my_sinkBinding app sources to the loopback sink shares those streams properly through Discord.
While slightly more involved – these Linux audio tweaks pay off in the best Discord audio experience.
Share Mobile Device Audio on Discord Desktop
It is quite simple to share your phone or tablet‘s audio through the Discord desktop client by mirroring its display.
Here is how to live stream audio from iOS or Android devices:
For iOS Screen Mirroring
- Connect your iPhone/iPad to the computer using a lightning cable.
- Open QuickTime Player on macOS. Select File > New Movie Recording.
- Next to the record button, click the arrow and select your connected iOS device. Your mobile screen will now be mirrored to the desktop through QuickTime.
- In Discord, share the QuickTime window just like any other app. Voila! iOS audio is now shared.
For Android Screen Mirroring
- Install the Scrcpy open source app on GitHub to mirror Android screens: https://github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy
- Connect your Android phone via USB and run
scrcpyon the desktop. - Share the scrcpy app window in Discord to broadcast the Android audio.
That‘s all there is to wirelessly share mobile audio into Discord chats!
Advanced Audio Routing Tips and Tricks
Discord tries its best to capture desktop audio automatically. But users often want more advanced control over their audio pipeline for enhanced quality, mixing capabilities and creative options.
Here are some pro tips:
Using Virtual Audio Cable Software
Virtual audio cables route audio streams between programs as if physical cables are connecting them. Apps like Voicemeeter, Audio Hijack and VB-Audio Virtual Cable enable power users to twist audio signals to their will.
Common use cases include:
- Mixing multiple music/audio sources into a combined output
- Adding effects like compression, equalizers and noise reduction
- Integrating physical microphones, instruments and hardware mixers
- Saving output streams to files
With the flexibility of virtual routing, you can pre-process your audio and mix it for the perfect balance before sending to Discord.
Integrating Professional Audio Apps
Audacity, Reaper and Adobe Audition are prime examples of digital audio workstation (DAW) software used by professionals.
The free program VM Banana specializes in letting soundboard enthusiasts trigger audio clips on demand.
All such software can output to virtual audio devices which then connect to Discord, rather than trying to complex desktop audio capture. This streamlines audio quality and control.
Common Troubleshooting Tips
Audio issues can quickly ruin an otherwise smooth Discord voice call and screen sharing session. Let‘s talk through some frequent problems and their solutions:
Discord Not Picking Up Desktop Audio
- Check the screen sharing dialog box for the "Share Computer Sound" option, and enable it.
- Try changing default sound device configuration in System Settings.
- Temporarily reducing bit depths and sampling rates may help unstable captures.
- Update audio drivers if the problem persists.
Audio Echo During Screen Sharing
- Turn off any secondary speakers/outputs creating feedback. Wear headphones only.
- Adjust the Discord input/output volume sliders until echo disappears.
- Enable echo cancellation and other pre-processing options for your microphone by right-clicking the Discord icon > Sound Settings.
Audio and Video Out of Sync
- This is typically caused due to encoding overhead on the sender‘s machine. Lower the resolution and bitrate being transmitted.
- Upgrade hardware capabilities if possible – video sharing requires robust CPU, GPU and internet bandwidth.
Getting great quality Discord audio may require tweaking settings across operating systems, browsers, virtual cables, output devices and the Discord clients themselves. But the flexibility and customizable pipeline makes it a preferred platform for audiovisual communication amongst tech enthusiasts.
How Does Discord Compare to Other Apps for Sharing Audio?
Discord is certainly not the only app that exists in the voice and video chat application market. What sets Discord‘s audio capabilities apart when compared to its competitors like Skype, Google Hangouts or Zoom?
Latency and Consistency
Discord‘s voice architecture is optimized for the lowest latency using the efficient Opus codec. This allows seamless conversation flow without excessive buffering. Audio streams maintain consistency as more users join a voice channel vs apps that struggle under load.
Gamers particularly appreciate Discord‘s steady, real-time vocal feedback not hindering competitive online gameplay. The click-to-speak Push to Talk option also minimizes open mic background noise.
Desktop and Mobile Experience
Unlike meeting-first apps, Discord offers full-featured desktop and mobile clients for flexible audio integration across devices. This allows effortless sharing of audio from a range of hardware and software sources.
Screen sharing extends this source flexibility to casual broadcasting of audiovisual media, or dedicated streaming analystics via Discord‘s Go Live streamer mode.
Scalability and Control
Discord servers can support up to millions of concurrent voice chat participants in segmented audio channels. User roles, permissions and channel moderation enable massive communities to grow organically without audio quality loss.
Programmatic integrations like bots allow even finer user management and community analytics. ultimately enriching collaborative audio engagement.
Best Practices for Optimal Audio Quality
Here are some general guidelines and best practices regardless of platform to achieve great audio quality for both spoken communication and shared media:
Microphone Technique
- Position microphone close to your mouth but off-axis to minimize plosives
- Ensure environment is quiet to reduce ambient noise
- Use pop filter and shock mounts to isolate vocal input
- Practice stable posture and mic technique to maintain ideal distance and angle
Audio Interface Gear
- Dedicated external audio interfaces offer vastly superior mic pre-amps with better ADC (analog to digital conversion) over consumer soundcards
- XLR or USB microphone connectivity provides more flexibility
- Gain staging through the signal chain prevents distortion
- Use a compressor/limiter to manage dynamic range
Encoding Configuration
- Where bitrate options exist like in Opus codec, aim for a minimum 96 kbps
- Sample rate no lower than 44.1 kHz, up to 48 kHz
- 16 bits per sample should suffice, only increase to 24-bit for production needs
- Always choose joint stereo over forced mono
Following these guidelines where possible results in clear Discord audio sharing that sounds great on everything from gaming headsets to reference monitors.