Audio breakup on playback of recorded MP4

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Ambientdave

Member
Hello
My situation is that I record my Youtube tutorial videos via Cuckous Restream plugin. Which is located inside the main out channel of Studio One 6,been working fine,audio wise and of course image up until today.
I am getting audio via my Focusrite Scarlett interface ,monitoring via headphones. Using Reastream to get the audio into OBS
When I was getting ready to record,played back the MP4 FILE and checked the playback,the sound was really broken.Tried several things including starting up Studio one 6, re starting OBS too
My current setup is Windows 10 PC 64bit machine ,16gb ram ,2.4Ghz Intel chip 4 core.its an older refurb machine ,but as mentioned all has been working fine up to today
I really need to sort this out.Since I got a bunch of video tutorials I want to record. I have updated to the latest OBS Studio version too.
Appreciate the help. If there is more info you need ,I can get that for you

Below is my most recent log file,
 
koala

koala

Active Member
In essence, you're describing the issue as: "...the sound was [...] broken". That's not much.

About your log: make sure you don't increase the volume above 0 db in your gain filters. Instead of the gain filter, better use the volume slider in OBS' mixer dock. If you actually use the gain filter to increase the volume, go to the source device instead and make its output volume louder, so you don't need to amplify it in OBS. If you need to align the volume of your sources, don't amplify the quieter sources by using gain but reduce the volume of the louder sources instead.

And I miss a compressor filter - a common component in the audio filter pipeline for voice comments. And if that is configured correctly, and you're not the type who starts shouting, the compressor is all you need, no limiter. If your mic isn't completely silent, add a noise gate filter.

In case this is something you do within your DAW/VST, decide where you do your audio processing: either everything in VST, or everything in OBS filter. Otherwise it's not clear what filters are active, and the order is important.
A common filter pipeline order is noise gate, compressor, limiter.
An alternative to the noise gate is the expander. Or a noise suppression filter, however that usually distorts audio and is often doing more damage than it fixes. It makes the more damage the better your microphone is.
 
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A

Ambientdave

Member
Hello
Koala,thank you for your valuable advice,its much appreciated. While Im not that technically minded with this issue,here is the steps done so far.
When I got home late evening yesterday,I took another look. I removed all the plugins expect Reastream (receiving) from OBS ,where my Focusrite Scarlett interface comes in.
Then took a look at Studio One 6, checked my mixer channel (mic input) had no plugins on that. checked that the other Reastream plugin (sending) was the only one on the main output channel.
Tested the result, and the finished video (automatically remixed to MP4) is so much better and cleaner sounding.
I have made some notes,but as you rightly
Now I will add, with my Rodes Podmic with XLR connection, initally plugged it into my Audio Interface.
I found I had to crank up the interface's gain,without clipping to get any decent amount of volume when I spoke.
The halo round my interface was still in the green
So rather than overworking the interface,I purchased a Cloudlifter device,which bosts the mic gain,without over working the Audio Interface.Since then I dont have to increase the gain,so much
Checking Studio One 6, mic mixer channel meter had plenty of headroom,again without clipping.
So I have only Reastream plugin ,on OBS and nothing else (so its receiving the pure audio)
I will test further and see what happens,when I get a chance
 
A

Ambientdave

Member
Still same issues,really poor audio quality (really bad audio breakup when playing via VLC player MP4, will install a fresh copy see what happens
 
A

AaronD

Active Member
Studio One is a well-featured DAW. You should be able to do *everything* in there, and pass a finished soundtrack to OBS to pass through completely unchanged. No other audio sources in OBS, and no processing there either. No filters, and fader at 0dB.

Now, a couple of essentials as I see it, as processing plugins in the DAW, not OBS:
  • Noise Suppressor. If you're only talking, not singing or playing music, this will help a LOT. Noise gates don't really.
    • As an audio engineer myself, I only use a gate when I want to kill a *small* amount of electronic noise on an analog cable run. Small enough to not notice at all, under the intended sound. I *don't* use it for room noise, guitar amps, other instruments, etc., because the noise is still there when the gate opens and the sudden "cut-in" of noise is far more noticeable than the noise itself.
  • Compressor. This is most of what converts the "live" mentality that you use for the mic preamp, into the "distribution" mentality that you use for broadcast.
    • For live work, including a broadcast mic, you don't know what's coming, and so you need to leave some headroom to account for that. Don't let the raw meter go all the way up to full-scale, because it'll clip way too easily and that sounds terrible.
    • For distribution, you should have everything tamed by then, and know *exactly* what's coming, so you can turn it all the way up to *exactly* full-scale without risking that, to overcome the shortcomings in the distribution medium: vinyl, cassette tape, radio, internet stream, lousy speakers, etc. The listeners expect that because that's what everyone else does already.
  • Limiter. This is a "safety net", just to make good and sure you never exceed full-scale.
The Noise Suppressor should be first, so it's not trying to chase a varying noise floor after a compressor, and the Limiter last, but whatever you do in between is up to you.

I set my Compressor with a really high ratio (limiter) and a really soft knee, and then "ride the knee" so that I'm rarely actually limiting but still compressing a fair amount. This automatically changes the sound based on the input level, from soft and transparent to loud and squashed, without the output changing all that much. It still does change some, but that amount of variance I think is okay for what I'm doing. YMMV. And I still have a separate hard-knee limiter at the end, as another copy of the same compressor with different settings.

Again, that's all in the DAW, and OBS is just a dumb passthrough.
 
A

Ambientdave

Member
Thank you
Yes I have nothing in OBS apart from Reastream, my music is mostly ambient.I have my voice being recorded into OBS the audio is ok now
But I have no sound (music)captured from Studio One 6 into OBS at the minute,I have checked my settings in Windows 10 nothing changed~
Reastream is on the output of Studio One,no fx on that.My voice via my audio interface,is picked up via Reastream,a s the meters are active. Both sides,but no actual music I play
I dont understand why this has failed.Been working fine up till the other day when I went to record a tutorials for my channel when the audio issues started
Be great if someone could remote access and take a look for me,but will keep checking
Here is my latest log file

 
A

Ambientdave

Member
Just tested the restream setup but with FL Studio 21. all works OK!, My music,I create and my voice is being recorded into OBS!
Playback is good too
so ,I have a gut feeling there is something wrong in Studio One 6 somewhere.Going to do more investigations,when I am off work.
I am gradually narrowing the issue down
 
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Ambientdave

Member
OK,.No expert here,but have I h taken screenshots of all the settings/audio routings up in OBS
And created a new clean sheet so to speak in Studio One 6.2 .just an audio channel and a instance of Reastream on the main out of Studio One,no compressor or such
Its all very odd,but on reflect I might have to roll back the update of Studio One 6,too
Glad I got FL Studio 21 to use!
 
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