Audio input anomaly

[Haldoh]

Hi guys,

I have an issue that seems so inexplicable that I couldn't figure out in any way.
I want to stream a DJ set with OBS. The devices are linked like this:
-I get the signal from the Record output (RCAs) of the mixer (Allen & Heath Xone 92);
-the signal goes into my Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (2nd gen), in the input sockets;
-the audio interface is linked with my Macbook Air (M2) through USB port.

The OBS scene layout is this:
-an audio source, from which I should get the signal from the mixer, in which I set the Scarlett 2i2 as input device and also as the "mic/auxiliary audio" device in the audio settings;
-and a video source, with the camera as the video source;

The problem comes when I start playing some music from the mixer and what I get is a very garbled, distorted and altered signal as recorded product.
This is an example of what the audio output is like:

2025-09-10 21-25-57.mov

drive.google.com

First I thought the problem was caused by the damaged cables or ports used in the mixer or in the audio interface. But then I tried to see if I would've gotten the same result by recording the same music on Ableton and it didn't. The audio was perfect, which means the devices (mixer and audio interface) are ok, I guess. I found out that Apple devices don't have any driver update for the Scarlett 2i2 because they don't need them. So, by exclusion, I think the issue is given by OBS itself.
A thing I also noticed during my tests was that sometimes OBS crashed when changing and trying to save the audio settings. The app is updated to the latest version so I really don't know what to think anymore.

If anybody has any idea or experienced the same issues as mine, let me know.
Thank you!

 

[SSorestad]

I have the same issue. Behringer x32 to Scarlett 2i2 to Windows computer running OBS. I initially used the Scarlett 2i2 as a plug and play device, without drivers, but it would intermittently just stop working. After installing the drivers, it stopped cutting out, but the audio was horrible. Matching settings in the audio control panel and in OBS helped with voice coming off the mixer, but music sounds awful. Scarlett set to 2 channel, 16 bit, 48000 Hz, bitrate to 256. The audio was clear in an Audacity recording, so the issues seems to be an incompatibility between the Scarlett 2i2 and OBS.

 

[tby83]

I have similar issues with a Scarlett 4i4. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to try alterations of my setup. But when I was researching the problem I've noticed that the XLR-Inputs of the Scarlett (at least 2i2 and 4i4) cannot handle Line Level signals. You must use TRS instead (same combo inputs). Just wanted to leave that here, if someone else is running into it.

 

[SSorestad]

After some diagnostic assistance from Focusrite support, we determined that the Scarlett 2i2 was functioning as it should. That made me dig a little deeper in to possible OBS problems. I traced the problem to a "Noise suppression" audio filter in OBS. We have multiple people taking turns running our livestream each week, and at some point, that filter was turned on. After deleting the 'Noise suppression' filter, both the spoken voice and music from a device played through our soundboard sound clear in our stream.