Short answer
Before you start
- An OBS version with Application Audio Capture
- Discord, the game, and music app open
- Headphones for checking the mix
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Step by step
- 01
Review the output tracks
Watch this step on YouTube · 1:36 ↗Open Settings > Output and switch to advanced mode. OBS supports six tracks. Keep one full mix and separate tracks for anything you may edit later.
Play music and watch which meter reacts when a device name is unclear. Set up one full mix first so the recording remains easy to review.
What you should see: Advanced Output shows the tracks you plan to use and reserves one complete mix.
- 02
Add each application as a source
Watch this step on YouTube · 3:31 ↗Create an Application Audio Capture source for music, Discord, and the game. Match every source to the correct window.
Open the application before selecting it. An exact title match lowers the chance of capturing another window from the same program.
What you should see: Each application moves its own meter and no unrelated window enters the mix.
OBS documentation shows where to choose the application that will have its own audio source. OBS documentation ↗ - 03
Set levels in the mixer
Watch this step on YouTube · 5:06 ↗Your voice should stay clear above everything else. Keep meters out of the red and compare game, music, and conversation in a short recording.
Lower music and game audio while speaking normally. Listen to the file because meters cannot tell you whether Discord feels tiring to a viewer.
What you should see: Voice stays clear above game, music, and Discord without meters remaining in the red.
- 04
Disable Desktop Audio
Watch this step on YouTube · 7:57 ↗Once important applications have their own sources, disable Desktop Audio so the same signal does not enter the mix twice.
Disable it only after confirming the dedicated sources. If an alert goes silent, inspect its Browser Source and monitoring route.
What you should see: Desktop Audio is disabled and every dedicated source still plays exactly once.
Desktop Audio is disabled after confirming that the dedicated sources work. YouTube · 8:15 ↗ - 05
Reuse sources in other scenes
Watch this step on YouTube · 11:08 ↗Paste sources as references in every scene that needs them. One volume change will then apply across the project.
Paste as a reference to keep one shared control. Then visit every scene and confirm that no source has been duplicated.
What you should see: Required scenes share the same sources without separate copies drifting to different levels.
- 06
Assign tracks and record as MKV
Watch this step on YouTube · 11:44 ↗In Advanced Audio Properties, send each source to its own track. Record as MKV to reduce file-loss risk and set OBS to convert the result to MP4 automatically.
Keep a full mix and separate tracks. Open the file in an editor, mute the game, and confirm that voice remains before deleting the test.
What you should see: The MKV opens, tracks can be muted separately, and the file remuxes to MP4.
Source rows and tracks can preserve one full mix alongside separate signals. YouTube · 12:15 ↗
If something does not work
- Audio is doubled
- Disable Desktop Audio and keep one source per application. Check that the scene does not contain another copy.
- An application is silent
- Open it before selecting it and confirm that the matching rule points to its current window.
- The player shows one track
- Open the file in an editor that reads multiple tracks. Mute one track at a time to confirm that the export kept them.
Test before you go live
- Each application has its own source
- Desktop Audio does not duplicate the mix
- Your voice is clear above the game
- Sources appear in every required scene
- The MKV recording converts to MP4
Cómo separar audio en OBS: juego, Discord y micrófono
Watch the full tutorial ↗Common questions
Do I need virtual audio cables to separate OBS audio?
Not for this method. Nicole uses OBS Application Audio Capture, which assigns individual windows to separate sources.
Why does my OBS audio sound doubled?
The same application may be entering through its own capture and Desktop Audio. Disable Desktop Audio after confirming every important application has a dedicated source.
What about Mac?
The video mentions a virtual cable route but does not demonstrate it. Check current OBS and macOS documentation before installing an audio tool.
Why did an alert disappear?
The alert needs its own source and monitoring route. Check Control Audio via OBS and its output under Advanced Audio Properties.
