Audio has terrible static

[Inuchi]

I could not find any info on this issue, if there is I apologize!

For a little while now I have started having issues with my OBS audio. Specifically, from time to time my audio gets awful static. It's only the audio sources from "Application Capture" function, so not my Microphone input or media sources, just the application audio (Game volume, Discord etc.). It disappears whenever I change my audio source (so discord - I change to a different app, then back to discord) but it seems to affect all the sources, not just discord. It comes back at random :( I don't have a clue what might it be.

https://clips.twitch.tv/BoldSlipperyLettuceDogFace-WR84iUsWNcPSEUMN -> An example of said static from one of my streams. It's barely hearable, but there's no static when I talk, just at the game audio.

 

[AaronD]

The App Audio Capture source still has bugs in it. Lots of threads here to that effect. Great idea, still needs work.

I don't expect it to be fixed soon either, as the devs are in the early stages of figuring out what to replace the *entire* OBS audio system with. The whole thing is pretty bad.

So until a new audio system comes, that completely changes everything anyway, I think we'll have to work around what exists now, with hardly any changes at all.

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Instead of the App Audio Capture, use a loopback driver for each separate set of controls that you want to have, or an additional sound card for each that is not necessarily wired to anything or even listenable if it is. Point the apps to those virtual or physical devices, and OBS picks up the virtual mic as a hardware input (Mic or Input Capture), or the "dummy" sound card as a physical output (Desktop or Output Capture).

This is a popular loopback for Windows:

VB-Audio Virtual Apps

VB-Audio Virtual Cable and App's

vb-audio.com

The top of the page has a single loopback, and there are two pairs farther down. You can install all of them if you really need 5 independent channels.

If you also want to hear them without using OBS's Monitor (which also has problems), you can use one of these:

VB-Audio VoiceMeeter Banana

VoiceMeeter Banana, the Advanced Virtual Audio Mixer by V.Burel

vb-audio.com

VB-Audio VoiceMeeter Potato

VoiceMeeter Potato, the Ultimate Virtual Audio Mixer for Windows

vb-audio.com

Two different sizes of the same thing: a virtual audio mixer that installs its own loopbacks in addition to the above. Except that *these* virtual speakers and mics connect to the mixer instead of directly to each other. Use the routing buttons to split the virtual inputs ("speakers" to the apps that you want to capture) to both the virtual outputs ("mics" to OBS) and to your physical device (to your speakers or headphones).