Do not select AS Recorder (Virtual) or other virtual audio sources as your microphone input in our extensions or apps. Virtual devices cannot capture your voice.
A. When you install our extension on a device with macOS:
B. How to re-select a valid microphone device?
C. About AS Recorder (Virtual)
A. When you install our extension on a device with macOS:
B. How to re-select a valid microphone device?
If you previously selected AS Recorder (Virtual) or another virtual device as your default microphone, you need to revoke the permission and authorize it again. Even if you uninstall and reinstall our extension, your previously selected microphone source will remain as the default if you are not prompted to choose a new microphone source.
1. Right-click on our extension.
2. Click "Manage Extensions" from the pop-up menu. You can also copy and paste the following URL to your Chrome directly:
chrome://settings/content/siteDetails?site=chrome-extension://nlipoenfbbikpbjkfpfillcgkoblgpmj
3. Click "Site settings".
4. Select Ask (default) beside Microphone.
5. Choose a valid microphone source after you are prompted to choose. Do not select AS Recorder (Virtual) or other virtual audio sources as your microphone input.
C. About AS Recorder (Virtual)
What is "AS Recorder (Virtual)"?
It's a Virtual Audio Device. It's not a physical microphone, but rather a "virtual" input source created by software.
Its main purpose is to capture System Audio, meaning it records the audio being played by your computer itself (such as audio from websites, music players, conferencing software, etc.), instead of recording external sounds through a physical microphone.
Why is it there?
When you install Awesome Screenshot Desktop App for Mac, the installation package typically installs a piece of software called a "Virtual Audio Driver" or "Audio Capture Component" along with it. This driver (e.g., based on WebRTC or similar technology) registers a virtual device with the operating system (macOS).
When Chrome requests microphone permissions, it queries the operating system for all available audio input devices. macOS lists the device reported by this virtual driver (i.e., AS Recorder (Virtual)) along with the others.
Key point: Even if you later uninstall or modify the desktop app, this underlying virtual audio driver may still remain in the system and not be completely removed. This is why the option may not be visible within the desktop app itself, but still appears in Chrome.
Why doesn't it "work"?
It's designed not to receive signals from a physical microphone. When you speak into a physical microphone, the sound is not routed to this virtual device.