Introduction
You wish to listen to other audio inputs without sacrificing your in-game audio, nor give up the ability to chat with friends via Discord or Skype / simultaneously livestream with your audience etc.
What I use
- Astro A40 mixamp, compatible with 3.5mm headsets but I use the headset listed below
[black arrow – front & back views] - Astro Wired Headset [green arrow]
- Console (PS4) with optical out [red arrow]
- Macbook Pro [blue arrow]
- Optional: Alternate music source of your choice. Android phone / MP3 player / iPod etc [grey arrow]
Red Arrow: In-game audio is heard via the digital optical port of the console which is plugged in at the back of the A40 mixamp.
Blue Arrow: The mixamp gets its power from USB connection to the Macbook. This connection also allows you to hear input from the Macbook, ie. Spotify, iTunes playlist, YouTube browsing etc. This also allows you to communicate with team mates, but only through VOIP apps such as; Discord, Skype, Mumble.
If you have a capture card system already setup for streaming, having the mixamp connected to your Mac/PC allows for you to have your mic also broadcast your voice to your stream
Grey Arrow: This is optional, but if you have a male-to-male 3.5mm cable, you can plug in external mp3 players of your choice, or your phone etc. The audio from here will only be heard by you and cannot be heard by your stream audience.
Note: This methodology no longer allows you to communicate with players over PSN with your headset mic. You will have to switch to alternatives such as Discord, Skype.
PSN Party Chat: getting the best of all worlds!
You can still join and hear other players in PSN Party Chats. However, they will not be able to hear you. If your preference is to still make use of PSN voice chat as well as all the other features addressed in this post, this is achievable through using an external usb microphone and pluging that into one of the free USB ports of your console.
The external mic now allows the PSN party members to hear your voice.
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