Installation
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System requirements
| Minimum | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 version 1809 or newer (64-bit), or Windows 11 | Windows 11 recommended |
| App capture (APP channels) | Windows 10 build 20348+ or Windows 11 | Capturing a single application uses a Windows feature that older builds don't have. Everything else works on any supported Windows 10. |
| Audio | Any WASAPI-compatible device | That's every built-in, USB and Bluetooth audio device on a modern PC. No extra drivers needed. |
| CPU | Any modern 64-bit CPU | The DSP engine is light; CPU use is shown live in the status bar. |
Not sure which Windows build you have? Press Win + R, type winver, press Enter.
Installing
- Download the latest installer from aura-mixer.com.
- Run it and follow the prompts.
- Launch Aura Mixer from the Start menu.
Aura Mixer is currently in beta. It is not fully tested, so expect rough edges, and please report anything odd on Discord — it genuinely helps. During the beta, Premium is free (details).
First launch
The first time you open Aura Mixer — and again after a Factory Reset — a short setup flow runs before the main window. On this first run Aura Mixer also switches on start with Windows (you can turn it off any time in Settings → General).
- Activate Premium (optional) — paste a license key to unlock Premium, or click Skip — use the Free version → to carry on. There is no sign-in. More about Premium.
- Pick how you'll use it — three cards: Gaming (hear enemies around you in 3D), Streaming (a clean, processed microphone), or Gaming + Streaming. Or choose Skip setup.
- Your path's steps — see below.
- Grab a few starter presets (optional) — a gallery of the Workshop's curated starter presets (EQ curves, voice chains, game folds) with live previews. Tap the ones you want, hit Add, and they land in your library — or Skip for now and browse them later. This screen only appears when there's starter content published; if there isn't, or you're offline, setup finishes without it.
The Streaming path
- Choose your microphone — pick the device; you can also browse ready-made voice presets from the Workshop right there.
- Choose your output — where the final mix plays (the Main L+R bus). Optionally add a correction profile for your exact headphones.
- How should your streaming app get your audio? — Aura puts your microphone on a dedicated Streaming bus. Pick Application capture (recommended — no extra cable): in OBS you add an Application Audio Capture source and choose "Aura Mixer — Streaming". Or pick Virtual cable and send the bus to a cable you've installed. Step-by-step: Stream with OBS.
Either device step can be skipped and set later in the matching SETUP tab; no devices plugged in is fine too.
The Gaming path
- Choose your headphones — where you'll hear the game. Optionally add a correction profile for your exact model (from squig.link or an imported
.txtfile) to even out the tone. - Install audio cable(s) (optional) — Aura hears your game directly by default, so nothing is required here. Two free third-party VB-Audio cables are offered for the extras: the Virtual Cable carries your desktop sound (music, browser, chat) through Aura, and the Hi-Fi Cable is a fallback for the few games that refuse direct capture.
- Connect your game — choose your game (the list shows games that have a tuned setup published in the Workshop; Other game uses a solid generic 3D profile) and pick its process from the list of apps that are playing sound. Aura captures the game directly — nothing to change in the game's own audio settings.
Then Aura builds the setup, starts the engine and checks that your game really is sending surround. If it isn't, it tells you what to change: turn on 7.1 inside the game, or — if Windows is holding the headphones back — allow exclusive control of the device. Both can be skipped.
The full step-by-step reference, including the cable options, is in the Beta Setup Guide.
Gaming + Streaming runs the gaming steps first, then adds a microphone step on top.
If you stop half-way
Skip setup — or closing the app mid-way (say, for the Windows restart some cable installers ask for) — doesn't throw anything away: a Finish setting up Aura button stays visible, and you can reopen the flow at any time from Help ▾ → Setup wizard.
You then land in the Simple view — your sounds on big, friendly faders — with a starter layout already in place for your path. Want the full console with every knob and tab? Switch to Advanced anytime from the menu bar.
Starting the engine
Check the status bar at the bottom of the window:
- If it says Stopped, press the ▶ button at the right end of the monitor bar (top of the window) — or Sound off in Simple view's top bar.
- When it says Running | 48000 Hz | …, the engine is live and audio is flowing.
After the first run, Aura Mixer starts the engine by itself each time it opens (Settings → General → Start engine on app launch).
From here, jump straight into the Quick Start.
Where your settings live
Aura Mixer saves everything automatically — every fader move, every routing change, every setting. There is no Save button and nothing to lose when you close the app.
Your session is stored at:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\AuraMixer\session.ngsa
Imported HRTF profiles and other app data live in the same AuraMixer folder. Deleting this folder resets the app completely (the same thing Factory Reset in Settings does, more politely).
Closing vs. quitting
By default, clicking the window's ✕ doesn't quit — it minimizes Aura Mixer to the system tray, so your audio keeps flowing. Left-click the tray icon to bring the window back, or right-click it and choose Quit to exit for real. You can change this behaviour in Settings → General (see Tray icon & auto-start).