OBS audio

How to set up audio in OBS: mic, game, Discord, and music.

Audio is the part of a stream viewers forgive least. Chopping mic levels, game explosions over dialogue, and a music bed louder than your voice all push viewers out. Set up four audio sources in OBS with separate volume control and a simple level target, and most audio problems disappear.

Separate audio tracks in OBSFirst stream checklistOBS scenes for beginners

The one setting most new streamers miss

By default, OBS captures desktop audio and mic/audio input as two global sources. Everything on your computer — game, Discord, music, alerts — collapses into one channel. That single channel is why audio problems are hard to fix live: you can only turn everything down.

The fix is to route each sound-producing app to its own OBS audio source (or its own audio track) so you can mix them independently. This guide covers the standard setup; the routing patterns for separate tracks are in the separate audio guide.

Step 1: Set your mic as a dedicated source

  1. Open Settings → Audio. Under Global Audio Devices, set Mic/Auxiliary Audio to your actual microphone (not the default input).
  2. In the mixer, check that your mic appears and the slider is at 0 dB.
  3. Disable the auto-level mic filters unless you have a dynamic mic; the default noise gate often cuts words at the start. Add filters deliberately instead: Noise Suppression → Noise Gate → Compressor, in that order.

The mic meter should sit in the yellow band when you talk normally and never touch red. Speaking at your normal stream voice, aim the peaks around two-thirds of the meter.

Step 2: Route desktop audio where you choose

Desktop Audio in Settings → Audio captures everything your computer outputs that isn’t already captured elsewhere. Keep it as the catch-all for games, but understand what rides along with it: system pings, Spotify that a friend starts, Windows update sounds.

  • On Windows, use App Audio Capture (WDM) for the game process so game audio lands on its own source and desktop audio carries only system sounds.
  • On macOS, capture the specific app with an Application Audio Capture source (macOS 13+ on OBS 30+), or use BlackHole for broader control.
  • Mute (the speaker icon) any desktop source that shouldn’t reach viewers — system sounds especially.

Step 3: Keep Discord viewer-safe or viewer-audible — your choice

Discord on desktop audio means your chat’s voices go live. Decide explicitly:

  • Private: set Discord’s output device to a virtual audio device (VB-Cable on Windows, BlackHole on macOS) that only OBS picks up when you want it, or simply use Application Audio Capture on it and mute that source by default.
  • Audible: unmute the Discord source and set its volume around 70% of your mic level so you’re always the loudest voice on stream.

Whichever you choose, test it before going live: play a Discord sample sound and watch the meter.

Step 4: Music at a sane level

Music should never compete with your voice. A practical starting mix:

  • Your mic: reference level.
  • Game: noticeably quieter than the mic.
  • Music: quieter still — a background bed, not a concert.

Use cleared music sources only; see the DMCA-safe streaming music guide before playing anything with a commercial label attached. If your license covers live but not VODs, route music to a separate track and mute it in post.

Step 5: Level-balance check

Open the OBS mixer (lower right) and do a 60-second dry run:

  1. Talk as you would on stream for 15 seconds.
  2. Play the game’s loudest scenario (gunfire, explosions) for 15 seconds.
  3. Have a friend (or sample sounds) speak in Discord for 15 seconds.
  4. Play music for 15 seconds.
  5. Adjust slider levels so the mic dominates, game is a clear second, and nothing peaks into red.

The “unclick” habit: viewers notice when audio levels swing wildly between scenes. Do the dry run in every scene you’ve built from the scenes setup guide.

Audio tracks for VODs and recordings

Balanced live audio is a fixed mix. For recordings you have a better option:

  1. Open Settings → Output → Recording. Set the track count and format (e.g., 6 audio tracks, MKV or MP4 with AAC).
  2. In the mixer, use each source’s Advanced Audio Properties to assign its track number (music to track 4, Discord to track 5, and so on).
  3. Record as usual; the resulting file has separate audio tracks you can rebalance in editing.

This is the workflow in the separate audio tracks guide, which also covers why you might capture the mic twice (a broadcast mix for live and a clean raw track for editing).

Common audio problems and quick fixes

  • Double audio (viewers hear you twice): the mic is set as both a global source and a dedicated source. Disable one.
  • Echo/robotic sound: speakers feeding back into the mic. Use headphones.
  • Audio cuts out on alerts: an alert browser source has its audio on a muted track; unmute that source in the mixer.
  • Discord but not game audio (or vice versa): check which device each app is outputting to, not what OBS is capturing.
  • Hum or hiss: ground loop from a powered USB hub or a nearby power strip. Try a different USB port and unpowered gear first.

Useful next guides