How to set up separate audio tracks in OBS

Why separate tracks in OBS

By default, OBS may record all audio sources into one combined mix. For streaming this is usually enough: the viewer hears the game, microphone, and other needed sources at the same time. But during editing, such a recording is inconvenient. If the voice turned out too quiet and the game too loud, you can no longer change them separately.

Separate tracks solve this problem. The microphone, game, music, and voice chat are saved in separate audio mixes within a single video file. In the editor you can change the volume of each source, remove music from a specific fragment, or mute the voice chat.

It is important to distinguish a source from a track. A source is a microphone, game, browser, or other device or application transmitting audio to OBS. A track is a separate mix that the selected sources go into. If the microphone and game are assigned only to one track, they will remain mixed in the recording.

First, separate the audio sources

Tracks cannot independently recognize parts of an already finished signal. If the game, music, and browser go into one "Desktop Audio" source, OBS receives them as a single stream and cannot split it by application. Assigning such a source to different tracks will create several identical copies of the overall mix, not separate game, music, and browser.

So first set up capture for each needed source separately:

• add the microphone as a separate audio input source;
• for the game, use a separate application audio capture if this capability is available in your OBS version and system;
• for the browser, add a separate browser or application audio capture source;
• route music through a separate source, such as a media source or an application capture where it plays;
• capture voice chat separately if the application allows routing it to another device or passing it as an independent source.

If you use separate application sources, do not capture the same programs at the same time through desktop audio. Otherwise duplicates will appear in the mixer: the same signal will be heard several times with a delay or echo. It is better to disable desktop audio capture or leave it only for sounds that cannot be obtained otherwise.

Check the sources in the OBS mixer

After adding the sources, open the OBS mixer. It should have separate rows for the microphone, game, browser, music, and other sounds you want to edit independently. Speak into the microphone, launch the game, and turn on the other applications one by one. The indicator should react only for the corresponding source.

If the game and browser still appear on one row, it is too early to split them into audio tracks. Go back to setting up capture. In some OBS versions and operating systems, separate application audio capture may be unavailable or work with limitations. In that case, the applications need to be routed to different output devices that OBS can capture separately.

Also consider voice chat. If it runs within the same process as the game, application capture may pass both signals together. They can only be separated with a separate audio route: for example, if voice chat can output to another device.

Set up the track for streaming

Open OBS "Settings," go to the "Output" section, and enable advanced output mode. In the streaming subsection, find the audio track parameter and select track 1. This is the mix OBS will send to the stream.

Then open the advanced audio properties. Click the gear next to the mixer and select "Advanced Audio Properties." A table will appear with sources and columns with track numbers. A checkmark means the source will go into the corresponding mix.

For track 1, check everything the viewers should hear. Most often this is the microphone and game. Add music and voice chat only if needed. If a source is checked on track 1, it will go on air even if it is also assigned to a separate recording track.

For example, the microphone and game can be placed on tracks 1 and 2, and music only on track 3. Then the microphone and game will be heard by viewers, while the music will be saved in the recording but will not go into the stream.

Enable separate tracks for recording

In OBS "Settings," open "Output" again and go to the recording subsection. In advanced mode, check all the tracks that should be saved in the video file. Assigning them in advanced audio properties is not enough: the track must also be enabled in the recording settings themselves.

A convenient scheme might look like this:

• track 1 — the overall mix for streaming: game, microphone, and selected additional sources;
• track 2 — microphone only;
• track 3 — game only;
• track 4 — music only;
• track 5 — browser or voice chat.

In advanced audio properties, set the checkmarks according to this scheme. Check the microphone on tracks 1 and 2, the game on tracks 1 and 3. Add the browser, music, and voice chat to track 1 only when they are needed on air, and for separate editing assign them to their own tracks.

A single source may be added to several tracks at once. This does not create a second microphone or game, but only includes the signal in several mixes. If a track is enabled in the source properties but not checked in the recording settings, OBS will not save it in the file.

Choose the format and check the recording

For multitrack recording, it is more convenient to use the MKV format. If the program or system crashes, the already recorded part of the file is usually preserved more reliably than when recording directly to MP4. After recording is finished, the file can be converted to MP4 using OBS's remux function.

First, make a local test recording. In it, speak into the microphone separately, launch the game, turn on the browser and music. Open the finished file in a video editor that supports selecting audio tracks. Check that track 1 contains the mix for streaming and that the other tracks do not duplicate it entirely.

If the editor shows only one track, check the file in another application and check the OBS recording settings. Some players play only the first track or do not show additional mixes in the usual way.

Separately check the voice delay relative to the image. The indicators in OBS confirm that there is a signal, but do not show which track it was actually recorded to. Therefore, a test file is more important than a visual check of the mixer alone.

How to check specifically the stream audio

A local recording checks the file on the computer, but does not replace checking the broadcast. For streaming, only the selected track in the streaming section matters. Additional recording tracks are not transmitted to the viewer.

After setting up, run a check via the preview or the platform's test mode, if available. If the platform allows limiting the broadcast's visibility, use such a mode. When there is no separate mode, do a short broadcast and open its view from another device. That way you will hear exactly the mix the platform receives, not the OBS monitoring.

During the check, turn on the microphone, game, browser, and music one by one. Make sure that only the needed sources are on air, with no double audio or echo. If the music should remain only in the recording, check that it is audible in the local file but absent when viewing the broadcast.

Common setup mistakes

The most common mistake is to enable several tracks for recording but not assign sources to them. In this case the additional tracks will be empty. The opposite problem is removing the microphone or game from track 1. They may be saved separately in the file but will disappear from the stream.

Do not try to separate a combined desktop audio source after recording. If the game, browser, and music are already mixed in it, the original signals cannot be restored with standard OBS settings. Separation is done before recording, at the stage of capturing applications or routing audio.

Echo most often appears due to double capture or monitoring. If OBS simultaneously sends a source to the headphones and captures that signal again, the sound will be duplicated. For normal recording, monitoring is not needed. In advanced properties, leave it off unless you specifically use listening through OBS.

Another mistake is checking only the mixer indicators. They show source activity but do not confirm the correct track assignment. Always make a local recording and check the audio separately on the broadcast page.

In short: what to do step by step

1. Create separate sources for the microphone, game, browser, music, and voice chat.
2. Disable the duplicate desktop audio capture or exclude the same applications from it.
3. Enable OBS advanced output mode and select track 1 for streaming.
4. Assign to track 1 all the sources that viewers should hear.
5. Distribute the sources across separate tracks for recording.
6. Enable these tracks in the recording settings and use MKV.
7. Make a test file, check it in the editor, and separately listen to a test broadcast.