Soundboard for Zoom

Zoom meetings do not include soundboard features. Here is how to play custom sounds during Zoom calls on Mac for presentations, workshops, quizzes, and live events.

Can You Use a Soundboard in Zoom?

Zoom does not include a built-in soundboard. A custom soundboard app running alongside Zoom routes audio through a virtual audio driver (LitLink on Mac). Zoom detects LitLink as a microphone input and transmits soundboard audio to all meeting participants alongside the user's voice.

Recommended: LitLink is a free virtual audio driver with built-in mic passthrough and automatic multi-output device creation. No manual Audio MIDI Setup required.

Quiz ShowsWorkshopsWebinarsPresentationsMeditationQ&A Sessions

Common use cases for soundboard audio in Zoom: quiz show buzzers and timers for team-building events, applause and reaction sounds for virtual workshops, jingle transitions for webinars and presentations, ambient background music for online meditation or yoga sessions, and notification chimes for moderated Q&A sessions.

How Do You Set Up a Soundboard for Zoom on Mac?

Install LitLink (free), enable System Audio Passthrough and Mic Passthrough in the LitLink app, then select "LitLink Audio Bridge" as the microphone in Zoom Settings under Audio. LitLink automatically creates a multi-output device and mixes your real microphone with soundboard audio. The one-toggle setup eliminates the need for manual BlackHole configuration or Audio MIDI Setup.
  • Download LitLink free signed and notarized by Apple, installer is 280 KB
  • Open the LitLink app the companion app that controls audio routing
  • Enable System Audio Passthrough LitLink creates the multi-output device automatically
  • Enable Mic Passthrough mixes your mic input with soundboard audio into one stream
  • Open Zoom Settings > Audio configure Zoom to receive audio from LitLink
  • Set Microphone to "LitLink Audio Bridge" Zoom now hears both your voice and LitPads audio
  • Uncheck "Automatically adjust microphone volume" prevents Zoom from altering soundboard levels
  • Set "Suppress background noise" to Low Zoom's aggressive noise suppression filters out soundboard audio if set to Auto or High

Test the setup by starting a Zoom test meeting (zoom.us/test), triggering a pad in LitPads, and confirming the audio plays through the test recording.

What Sounds Work Best in Zoom Meetings?

Short, clear sounds with strong mid-frequency content work best in Zoom. The Zoom audio codec compresses heavily and prioritizes voice frequencies. Sounds under 5 seconds with presence in the 1 kHz to 4 kHz range translate well. Deep bass and subtle ambient sounds lose quality.

LitPads per-pad EQ optimizes sounds for Zoom. Cut frequencies below 100 Hz that Zoom filters out anyway. Boost 2 kHz to 4 kHz for clarity through the codec. Set per-pad volume to match the speaking voice level so sounds do not blast participants.

Audio ducking in LitPads is useful for Zoom presentations with background music. Mark the background music pad as normal and mark all effect pads as duck triggers. The music automatically lowers when a transition sound or notification plays, then restores. The podcasting soundboard guide covers ducking configuration in detail.

Can You Use a Soundboard in Zoom on iPad?

LitPads runs on iPad, but iPadOS does not support virtual audio drivers like LitLink or BlackHole. Virtual audio routing works only on Mac. iPad users can play sounds through LitPads with the device speaker and hold the iPad near the Mac microphone, though audio quality is lower than the Mac virtual audio approach.

The recommended setup for Zoom soundboard use is Mac with LitLink. The Mac version provides global hotkeys for triggering sounds during the meeting, per-pad EQ for optimizing audio quality, and seamless virtual audio routing that Zoom cannot distinguish from a real microphone.

How Do You Prevent Zoom from Filtering Soundboard Audio?

Zoom filters soundboard audio through three features: automatic microphone volume adjustment, background noise suppression, and echo cancellation. Disabling or lowering all three in Zoom Audio settings allows soundboard audio to pass through unmodified.

Disable "Automatically adjust microphone volume" and set "Suppress background noise" to Low in Zoom Audio settings. Zoom's noise suppression on Auto or High will filter out soundboard audio.

Automatic microphone volume adjustment causes Zoom to lower the input when it detects loud sounds, which creates inconsistent soundboard volume. Disable this setting. Background noise suppression on "Auto" or "High" identifies non-voice audio as noise and removes it. Set to "Low" or disable entirely. Echo cancellation may cause artifacts with looping sounds. Set to "Auto" and monitor for issues.

The same audio routing approach works for Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and other conferencing applications. Select "LitLink Audio Bridge" as the microphone input and disable noise suppression features designed for voice-only use.

Marcel Iseli DJing
Marcel Iseli

Indie Developer · DJ · Producer

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Marcel Iseli is an indie developer, DJ, and music producer with over 20 years behind the decks and in the studio. Rooted in hip hop culture, he collects drum machines, samplers, and vintage audio gear. LitPads grew out of that obsession: decades of triggering samples on hardware led him to build the software equivalent he always wanted.