Menu

Equalizer APO doesnt change my mic at all

2025-08-12
4 days ago
  • Lukas Wilsberg

    Lukas Wilsberg - 2025-08-12

    No matter what I try, nothing seems to change. I’ve experimented with VB-Cables, Voicemeeter, and pretty much every method I could think of, but nothing works. This feels like my last attempt to get it running, so I’m hoping someone might know how to fix it. I can provide any screenshots you need.

    My microphone is a USB Fifine model, and I’ve seen other people use Fifine mics successfully with Equalizer APO. I’m on Windows 11, and I’ve tried all installation modes (SFX/MFX, LFX/GFX, SFX/EFX), but none of them have worked.

     
  • Peter Verbeek

    Peter Verbeek - 2025-08-12

    In what app do you use the mic? Some apps use the mic in exclusive mode bypassing any Audio Processing Object like Equalizer APO. But as you're writing about Voicemeeter in principle by selecting one of its A1 to A5 virtual devices you can get Equalizer APO working. Note that selecting is introducing a device selection command as first command. The upper right device drop down box doesn't select a device. It's only there for the graph.

     
  • Lukas Wilsberg

    Lukas Wilsberg - 2025-08-12

    I tried putting my device at the very top of the config file like you suggested, but unfortunately it still didn’t make any difference. My mic audio hasn’t changed in any app I’ve tested — I tried Discord, OBS, and the self-monitoring feature in Voicemod, but there was no change in sound at all. Sorry for the late response im new to sourceforge and didnt see that i got a answer from you.

     
  • Lukas Wilsberg

    Lukas Wilsberg - 2025-08-12

    My config

     
  • Lukas Wilsberg

    Lukas Wilsberg - 2025-08-12

    If ur wondering why the name is different now i changed it just to make sure its not the problem.

     
  • Peter Verbeek

    Peter Verbeek - 7 days ago

    Although you have the device at the top I'm not sure if Equalizer APO is able to find it. I think it resolves it by the name "Beste" but knowing the programming code a bit, that isn't that sure. Perhaps selecting it by using the Configuration Editor so an id (known as GUID) is included.

    Have you tried to the unchecked exclusive mode check boxes? If an app is using a mic in exclusive mode any Audio Processing Object (APO, read sound effect) like Equalizer APO is bypassed, see screenshot where these check boxes are. On the other hand, I think that OBS should at least work as it doesn't use the mic exclusively but I can be mistaken.

    Btw. Does Equalizer APO work on any output device? If using updates of Windows 11 Insiders Program they may not contain the APO architecture. It isn't likely but this has happened in the past a few times on Windows 10 at its early stages.

     
  • Lukas Wilsberg

    Lukas Wilsberg - 7 days ago

    I’ve already unchecked the exclusive mode boxes and also selected my device directly in the Configuration Editor, so itshould be included. I haven’t tested it on an output device yet, but I’m going to try that next and see if Equalizer APO works there.

     
  • Lukas Wilsberg

    Lukas Wilsberg - 7 days ago

    One more thing i think u should know is that everytime i start Equalizer APO it gives me an warning that it hasnt been installed to the selected device but when i select it then its already installed.

     
    • Peter Verbeek

      Peter Verbeek - 7 days ago

      Thanks for mentioning this. I should have seen this in one of your previous screenshots.

      Anyway, this usually has 2 causes. Either the Fifine mic has its own software (sometimes with Fifine APO). This software may "correct" its own Windows registry keys causing the automatic uninstallation of Equalizer APO (or better said, undoing the changes made to registry done by the Device Selector / Configurator). Or some anti-malware apps is monitoring the registry and undoes what the Device Selector / Configurator did. This is easy to check as this would probably be done to all audio devices on which you install Equalizer APO.

      Unfortunately, in some rare occasions the message pops up when the above aren't the cause. There is a possible third cause: a privacy setting by Windows. To check go to the Windows settings -> Privacy & Security page -> Micophone (under Add permissions, scroll down for it) -> Microphone access. After that try to install Equalizer APO. I don't think that does the trick but it's worth to try.

       
  • Lukas Wilsberg

    Lukas Wilsberg - 7 days ago

    I already have microphone privacy turned on in Windows (Microphone access is enabled).
    Also, the driver for my Fifine microphone is the standard Microsoft USB Audio driver, not any custom Fifine APO or third-party driver. Sorry for the late response i dont get a notification if u answered.

     
  • Lukas Wilsberg

    Lukas Wilsberg - 7 days ago

    If it would be my antivirus wouldnt it also block Voicemeeter?

     
    • Peter Verbeek

      Peter Verbeek - 7 days ago

      In principle any app can be blocked, especially by developers of small companies or persons. However, Voicemeeter does have a code signing certificate by GlobalSign what makes it less likely to be blocked. But VoicemeeterClient.exe, the small tool that is the link from Equalizer APO to Voicemeeter can be blocked or worse gets removed all the time. You can check if it's still there. It should be in
      c:\Users\pever\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
      I know that this folder sometimes gets emptied. Either by a large Windows update or by an anti-malware app. It also happened to my Peace equalizer startup shortcut. I'm the developer of this app hence the support I give on Equalizer APO besides the support on my app.

       
  • Lukas Wilsberg

    Lukas Wilsberg - 7 days ago

    Hello Peter, yes i can see the Voicemeeter.exe in the Equalizer folder am i supposed to open it or something?

     
    • Peter Verbeek

      Peter Verbeek - 7 days ago

      It's about Voicemeeterclient.lnk which should be in (see screenshot):
      c:\Users\pever\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

      As this is started at Windows startup you don't have do anything. It's a little app that makes it possible to use Voicemeeter's virtual devices output A1 to A5 in Configuration Editor (or Peace equalizer for that matter) after installing Equalizer APO on them in the Device Selector / Configurator.

       
  • Lukas Wilsberg

    Lukas Wilsberg - 6 days ago

    Oh i thought ur talking about this one. Also i tried installing peace and it always says peace is opened even after i closed Equalizer. I tried reinstalling but the same error happens.

     
    • Peter Verbeek

      Peter Verbeek - 6 days ago

      You could manually start VoicemeeterClient.exe from the folder you're showing me. At installation of the Equalizer APO files this is copied to your startup menu folder so you don't have to start it manually.

      I'm not sure what you're experiencing when you say: "it always says peace is opened". If Peace is running and is hidden in the Windows system tray (Windows notification area right below) then you get a message that Peace is already running. Just open its interface by going to its Peace menu in the system tray.

      I added Peace to my startup menu (by using Peace's Shortcut interface under the Shortcut button on the main screen). So at Windows startup Peace is hidden in my system tray.

      In principle Peace is an interface for Equalizer APO, just like the Configuration Editor is. Both apps creates commands for the audio engine of Equalizer APO to read and process. This means after you're done with either app you can close it. The audio engine is always "on" as it's an APO (Btw. Being an APO it has no process which is shown in the Windows process list).

       
  • Lukas Wilsberg

    Lukas Wilsberg - 6 days ago

    The problem is i never installed Peace and even after closing everything from Equalizer APO (i searched up every keyword for the proccess in the task manager) it still seems to say the same error that its opened. So i just stopped trying to download it since people say it wouldnt change anything.

     
    • Peter Verbeek

      Peter Verbeek - 6 days ago

      I'm confused about your post. Are we still talking about the "Equalizer APO has not been installed ..." error message? If so it can be present in the Device Selector and the Configuration Editor. Both apps determined that the Equalizer APO's APO installation on your "Beste" somehow gets undone. Of course the question is if this assessment is correct. And if it is, the question becomes what app undid this.

      Btw. One can't see the process of the audio manipulation engine of Equalizer APO because it isn't a process, it isn't running at all. It's a dll file with functions which Windows calls so the audio stream gets changed according to your commands in the config.txt file.

      So i just stopped trying to download it since people say it wouldnt change anything.

      I don't exactly understand what you're saying here. If you're talking about Peace then in some rare occasions Peace works on the audio device (after selecting it in Peace), even if the error popup says that Equalizer APO isn't installed on this specific device. This is about the wrong assessment of the Configuration Editor I spoke about in the first paragraph.

       
  • Lukas Wilsberg

    Lukas Wilsberg - 6 days ago

    Yes i was talking about Peace in that message it doesnt seem to work. I tried installing Peace because i thought maybe that would fix my problem with my microphone. My microphone still doesnt change with Equalizer and i tried turning off my Windows Defender and the other things u told me to. Is there a alternative i can use or a fix that could cause this? And thanks for the help i also send a screenshot what i with the peace setup error incase that matters.

     
    • Peter Verbeek

      Peter Verbeek - 6 days ago

      That message is telling you that Peace is running, probably hidden in the system tray. You could check in the Windows task manager if Peace is indeed running. But this doesn't have to do with your mic issue. It's just a Peace app installation thing.

      It's unfortunate that Peace doesn't work either. This can only be that Equalizer APO gets uninstalled. Unfortunately I don't have other options left than the ones I pointed to. If the Fifine was a Bluetooth mic then there is one other thing. But I see it's a standard USB mic.

      So the only option available is to install Equalizer APO on one of Voicemeeter's virtual outputs A1 to A5, reroute your mic through it and then select this virtual output in the Configuration Editor or Peace. It's a bit cumbersome and I'm not an expert on how to do this. There are YouTube videos on this matter.

       
  • Lukas Wilsberg

    Lukas Wilsberg - 5 days ago

    I already installed Equalizer APO on a voicemeeter B1 output but it still didnt change anything like i dont know why it doesnt change my mic. And yes i checked already in the task manager if peace is running but even if i close everything from the Equalizer and check again it still has the same error.

     
    • Peter Verbeek

      Peter Verbeek - 5 days ago

      I don't know if B1 can be used. It isn't how Equalizer APO is promoting to use Voicemeeter. Then again, it may work as the creator of Voicemeeter does have the basic APO architecture on its virtual devices. But I would use A1 to A5 and select those in Equalizer APO or Peace.

      I don't understand why the Peace Setup tool determines that Peace is running. It searches for a process called "Peace.exe". I don't know why this is going wrong. Btw. As Peace isn't related to any app of Equalizer APO you don't have to close anything of Equalizer APO.

       
  • Lukas Wilsberg

    Lukas Wilsberg - 5 days ago

    Oh i think i missunderstood something then i thought A was for the headsets and B was the output im gonna try that and if that doesnt work i will try to fix the issue with the Peace Setup.

     
    • Peter Verbeek

      Peter Verbeek - 4 days ago

      Well, I find Voicemeeter quite confusing. Then again I don't need to use it.

      If Peace is installed you should find its files like Peace.exe in c:\program files\equalizerapo\config.

       

Log in to post a comment.

Want the latest updates on software, tech news, and AI?
Get latest updates about software, tech news, and AI from SourceForge directly in your inbox once a month.