Is there a way to set OBS record audio from a specific application?

[SomeRandomNerd]

Can OBS record audio specific applications or can it only record the whole desktop audio.

[minibois]

-- Moved to Programs, Apps and Websites --

12 minutes ago, SomeRandomNerd said:

Can OBS record audio specific applications

It can't on its own, but it can be done using a virtual audio cable (or VAC for short).

I am writing this post, assuming you are using Windows.

 

In short, this is how it's done:

1. First install VB-cable

2. Press the Windows button and search for "Sound Settings"

3. Scroll down and click "App volume and device preferences"

4. Look for the game you want to record the audio to and set the output to "CABLE Output (VB-Audio Virtual Cable)"

5. Looks for OBS in this list and change its input from Default to "CABLE Input (VB-Audio Virtual Cable)"

EDIT: 6. And add the step @ramavadescribed below, where you choose the "listen to this device" option. Thanks for the correction, to add this step!

 

Now OBS will only record audio passed through this virtual audio cable, which is the game (and anything else you choose to set to the VB-Audio output).

[ramava]

I used the solution above, but I'm pretty sure you can't actually hear the game yourself without an additional step.

[Kilrah]

You can also use Voicemeeter for more mixing flexibility.

[SomeRandomNerd]

Alright! Thank you very much!

[SomeRandomNerd]

18 minutes ago, minibois said:

1. First install VB-cable

Which one do I get? I take it I choose the above one for Windows 10?

 

 

[minibois]

2 minutes ago, SomeRandomNerd said:

Which one do I get?

Top one if you use Windows, bottom one if you use Apple MacOS.

Keep in mind what I wrote - those settings and such - only apply to Windows. MacOS handles their audio settings differently, I am not sure if those specific settings are available to MacOS.

[SomeRandomNerd]

On 6/7/2021 at 9:12 PM, minibois said:

Top one if you use Windows, bottom one if you use Apple MacOS.

Keep in mind what I wrote - those settings and such - only apply to Windows. MacOS handles their audio settings differently, I am not sure if those specific settings are available to MacOS.

Alright thank you very much, I am using Windows 10.

 

On 6/7/2021 at 8:53 PM, minibois said:

-- Moved to Programs, Apps and Websites --

It can't on its own, but it can be done using a virtual audio cable (or VAC for short).

I am writing this post, assuming you are using Windows.

 

In short, this is how it's done:

1. First install VB-cable

2. Press the Windows button and search for "Sound Settings"

3. Scroll down and click "App volume and device preferences"

4. Look for the game you want to record the audio to and set the output to "CABLE Output (VB-Audio Virtual Cable)"

5. Looks for OBS in this list and change its input from Default to "CABLE Input (VB-Audio Virtual Cable)"

EDIT: 6. And add the step @ramavadescribed below, where you choose the "listen to this device" option. Thanks for the correction, to add this step!

 

Now OBS will only record audio passed through this virtual audio cable, which is the game (and anything else you choose to set to the VB-Audio output).

Sorry, just to confirm, this won't interfere with any of the audio drivers right? As in, you can still hear other things such as youtube, games and such it's just that OBS can now record audio for a single application?

[SomeRandomNerd]

28 minutes ago, ramava said:

I used the solution above, but I'm pretty sure you can't actually hear the game yourself without an additional step.

How do you get to this step?

[ramava]

1 minute ago, SomeRandomNerd said:

How do you get to this step?

Settings -> System -> Sound, then click Sound Control Panel on the far right.

[minibois]

6 minutes ago, SomeRandomNerd said:

Sorry, just to confirm, this won't interfere with any of the audio drivers right? As in, you can still hear other things such as youtube, games and such it's just that OBS can now record audio for a single application?

Correct.

This basically just diverts the game audio to a separate track, only OBS can hear.

Sorta like this:

 

So the only changes you do is to:

- OBS input

- Game output

- The "listen to this device" setting

[SomeRandomNerd]

1 minute ago, minibois said:

Correct.

This basically just diverts the game audio to a separate track, only OBS can hear.

Sorta like this:

 

So the only changes you do is to:

- OBS input

- Game output

- The "listen to this device" setting

Thank you very much for the clarification!

[SomeRandomNerd]

7 minutes ago, minibois said:

Correct.

This basically just diverts the game audio to a separate track, only OBS can hear.

Sorta like this:

 

So the only changes you do is to:

- OBS input

- Game output

- The "listen to this device" setting

Unfortunately I am stuck. I have done all the steps you have listed but OBS just does not record the audio at all. Instead I was able to hear the game sound before the 'Listen to this device' prompt. Sorry, please help!

[minibois]

3 minutes ago, SomeRandomNerd said:

Unfortunately I am stuck. I have done all the steps you have listed but OBS just does not record the audio at all. Instead I was able to hear the game sound before the 'Listen to this device' prompt. Sorry, please help!

Did you set the game correct audio input/output in the Sound Settings menu?

Pretend "Discord" is the game you're playing, this is what you'd want:

[SomeRandomNerd]

1 minute ago, minibois said:

Did you set the game correct audio input/output in the Sound Settings menu?

Pretend "Discord" is the game you're playing, this is what you'd want:

Yes that is the step I did not do thank you very much. But what if I would like to record audio from a Mic or a Headset, do I have to do anything in that case?

[SomeRandomNerd]

14 minutes ago, SomeRandomNerd said:

Yes that is the step I did not do thank you very much. But what if I would like to record audio from a Mic or a Headset, do I have to do anything in that case?

Update: Aaaaand it did nothing, still no audio being captured

 

I'm using Minecraft to test it out and it's still not working

 

 

 

EDIT: So it turns out the V-Cable in 'Recording' just is not displaying any audio yet it is coming to the Speakers in 'Playback' instead.

 

[minibois]

15 minutes ago, SomeRandomNerd said:

Update: Aaaaand it did nothing, still no audio being captured

I'm using Minecraft to test it out and it's still not working

I don't remember for sure if this was a needed step, but try:

OBS > Settings > Audio > Desktop Audio set this to "CABLE Input (VB-Audio Virtual Cable)"

And set Mic/Auxiliary Audio to your microphone

[SomeRandomNerd]

2 minutes ago, minibois said:

I don't remember for sure if this was a needed step, but try:

OBS > Settings > Audio > Desktop Audio set this to "CABLE Input (VB-Audio Virtual Cable)"

And set Mic/Auxiliary Audio to your microphone

I have done that now and it still will not record any audio unless I set the Desktop Audio to my headset speakers.

[minibois]

36 minutes ago, SomeRandomNerd said:

I have done that now and it still will not record any audio unless I set the Desktop Audio to my headset speakers.

This is something I hard working perfectly in the past, with the settings as I have described in the first post in this thread. Now it just doesn't seem to work anymore.

The idea is to just to output all the audio in the game to VAC and get all the sound from VAC in OBS, but I just can't get it to work anymore.

 

Something like this plugin might work better, but I haven't used it yet: https://obsproject.com/forum/resources/audio-monitor.1186/

Or Voicemeeter, which is more well-known as it has been around for a longer time: 

 

[Moonzy]

14 hours ago, minibois said:

4. Look for the game you want to record the audio to and set the output to "CABLE Output (VB-Audio Virtual Cable)"

i did some test, it's Input that you want, not output

 

working for me

 

OBS: not changed in the audio setting thingy, but changed the pulling device