Mumble Voice Chat Server

What is Mumble?

Mumble is a free, open-source voice chat application designed for gaming. It offers the lowest latency of any voice chat solution, positional audio, strong encryption, and extensive permission systems. The server component is called Murmur.

Installation

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y mumble-server

# Or install latest from source/snap
sudo snap install mumble-server

Configuration

# /etc/mumble-server.ini (or /etc/murmur.ini)
# Basic settings
welcometext="Welcome to our Mumble server!"
port=64738
serverpassword=
bandwidth=72000
users=100

# SSL (recommended)
sslCert=/etc/letsencrypt/live/mumble.example.com/fullchain.pem
sslKey=/etc/letsencrypt/live/mumble.example.com/privkey.pem

# Admin password (for first-time SuperUser setup)
# Set via: murmurd -ini /etc/mumble-server.ini -supw YOUR_PASSWORD

# Database
database=/var/lib/mumble-server/mumble-server.sqlite

# Logging
logfile=/var/log/mumble-server/mumble-server.log

Set SuperUser Password

# The SuperUser account manages the server
sudo murmurd -ini /etc/mumble-server.ini -supw YourAdminPassword

# Connect with Mumble client as SuperUser to:
# - Create channels
# - Set permissions
# - Register users
# - Configure ACLs

Service Management

sudo systemctl enable --now mumble-server

# Firewall
sudo ufw allow 64738/tcp
sudo ufw allow 64738/udp

Channel Structure

# Recommended channel layout:
# Root
# ├── Lobby
# ├── Gaming
# │   ├── Team 1
# │   ├── Team 2
# │   └── Spectators
# ├── General Chat
# └── AFK

# Create channels via the Mumble client connected as SuperUser
# Set per-channel permissions for different user groups

Advanced Features

• Positional Audio: 3D audio support for compatible games
• ACL System: Fine-grained access control per channel
• User Registration: Persistent user accounts with certificates
• Overlay: In-game overlay showing who is talking
• Low Latency: Typically 10-30ms, lower than Discord or TeamSpeak

Mumble vs Discord

• Mumble has significantly lower latency
• Mumble is self-hosted (full privacy control)
• Discord has more social features and wider adoption
• Mumble uses less bandwidth and CPU
• Mumble has no user limit on self-hosted servers