Soundboard for Zoom — Play Custom Sounds During Meetings on Mac

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 (BlackHole on Mac). Zoom detects BlackHole as a microphone input and transmits soundboard audio to all meeting participants alongside the user's voice.

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 BlackHole (free), create a multi-output device in Audio MIDI Setup, set it as system output, then select BlackHole as the microphone in Zoom Settings under Audio. The BlackHole setup guide covers every step in detail.

Install BlackHole 2ch free virtual audio driver
Create multi-output device Audio MIDI Setup on Mac
Set as system output System Settings > Sound
Select BlackHole in Zoom Settings > Audio > Microphone

Zoom-specific configuration: open Zoom Settings, go to Audio, set Microphone to BlackHole 2ch. Uncheck "Automatically adjust microphone volume." Disable "Suppress background noise" or set it to Low. Zoom's noise suppression is aggressive and filters out soundboard audio if left on 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 Zoom on iPad does not support selecting a virtual audio input device. The BlackHole routing method 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 BlackHole approach.

The recommended setup for Zoom soundboard use is Mac with BlackHole. The Mac version provides global hotkeys for triggering sounds during the meeting, per-pad EQ for optimizing audio quality, and seamless BlackHole 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 BlackHole as the microphone input and disable noise suppression features designed for voice-only use.

Marcel Iseli

Indie Developer · DJ · Producer

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.