Set up a soundboard on this computer
Match the Soundux door to the OS on the desk in front of you. Windows prefers the setup exe on GitHub Releases, Linux prefers Flatpak or Releases packages, and macOS has no official binary on the verified tag—so pick honestly before you chase a random soundboard mirror.
Quick chooser
| If this computer is… | Prefer | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 10/11 64-bit | soundux-*-windows-setup.exe | Windows |
| Windows, portable only | portable exe or winget Portable | portable |
| Linux desktop | Flatpak io.github.Soundux | Linux |
| macOS | No official release binary | macOS notes |
Safe download rules: download safe. Filenames: releases.
Windows desks
Take the setup exe when you want VB-CABLE and WebView2 helpers bundled per upstream README. Run it once, launch the pad UI, import one local file, and route output into VB-CABLE before you bind hotkeys across a full soundboard grid.
If policy blocks installers but allows portable apps, use the portable exe or winget install -e --id Soundux.Soundux.Portable. That winget id is portable-only YAML—say so aloud when you document the machine card.
SmartScreen may prompt. Confirm the GitHub URL, then finish. Do not “solve” the prompt by fetching a second soundboard setup from a ranking portal.
Linux desks
Prefer flatpak install flathub io.github.Soundux when Flatpak is allowed. Otherwise install the .deb, rpm, .flatpak, or tar.gz from the same Releases tag that carries the Windows files. Prove system audio, then configure application passthrough into the call client you actually use.
PipeWire and PulseAudio quirks belong to the OS session. Fix headphones and sample rates before you declare the soundboard broken. Snap and AUR remain optional doors that may lag.
macOS desks
The current release tag does not ship a macOS asset. Upstream README compile notes focus on Linux and Windows. If this computer is a Mac, either use a Windows/Linux machine for the GPL soundboard path or keep a different tool—do not invent a dmg that Releases does not list.
Shared stream PCs
Write the door on a sticker: setup vs portable vs Flatpak. Keep cue files in a folder with clear rights. Leave Voicemod installed only while someone still needs marketplace voices, then remove it once the local soundboard habit sticks for the whole room.
Reimage checklists should include one proof cue through the sink. That single play catches vanished portable folders and Softonic shortcuts that reappear from old bookmark exports pretending to be a soundboard update.
After the chooser
Continue into first hour, first run, and update uninstall. Comparison: vs Voicemod.
The right soundboard path is the one that matches this OS and still shows official filenames. Everything else is delay dressed up as a download button.
Travel kits should carry the portable exe on known media only when you already verified the hash conversation against Releases. Otherwise download fresh on the venue network from GitHub over HTTPS and keep the boring soundboard story intact.
Classroom images benefit from the Flatpak door when students lack admin rights for random exes. Admin-backed Windows labs can standardize on the setup exe and VB-CABLE so every booth hears cues the same way during live shows.
When two doors exist on one PC, pick a survivor and uninstall the other. Dual soundboard installs are how hotkeys fire twice and panic sets in mid-bit.
Checklist before you click download
Confirm administrator rights if you need the Windows setup exe. Confirm Flatpak is available if you chose the Linux store door. Confirm disk space for cue libraries so the soundboard is not installed onto a full system drive that will fail mid-import.
Disable conflicting virtual audio devices you no longer use. Old Voicemod cables and abandoned VAC installs create a maze in the Windows sound panel. Label the cable you intend to keep before Soundux setup adds VB-CABLE.
Tell housemates or co-streamers which hotkeys you plan to bind. A shared couch PC with overlapping bindings turns a funny cue into an accidental blast during serious calls—still a soundboard problem, just a social one.
Proof of success on this machine
Success is not the Start-menu icon alone. Success is one local file imported, one routed play heard in the call app or monitor, and one stop that silence correctly. Capture that proof before you decorate the grid with twenty tabs.
If proof fails, revisit download safe and confirm the binary name. Then revisit OS audio. Only after both are clean should you open upstream Discord for edge-case help.
Write the winning door on the machine card: setup, portable, winget Portable, or Flatpak. Future you restoring this soundboard after a Windows feature update will need that line more than another bookmark titled with the head keyword alone.