Audio playing during scene unexpectedly from plug-in headphones mic

[Killians]

Hello all,

Brand new user here trying to figure out this great software. I use the software for very simple functionality. I have meetings with clients all day and created a "waiting room" scene which is visible when they enter the Google Meet session. The only sources are my logo for display and a simple audio file for a music background. I have disabled all other sources in setting so I can add them one at a time to each scene.

My other scene includes my webcam (no signal used for this just mentioned it because its listed as an audio source) and internal mic audio.

The only audio I want audible in the WAITING ROOM scene is the background music. I don't want anything to be heard from my mic and I thought I had that set up. I was told by a client today they could hear other audio in the room before I changed the scene over.

Does anybody know how I could restrict this? I'm not sure if the same thing would happen if I had the headphones unplugged (laptop mic may still play?)

Thanks for any guidance.

 

[koala]

To make a mic local to some scene, you can remove the mic from Settings->Audio (set the mic to disabled), then add an "Audio Input Capture" source to this scene and configure the mic there instead. Add this source to all scenes where you want the mic with the "add existing" option.

 

[Killians]

To make a mic local to some scene, you can remove the mic from Settings->Audio (set the mic to disabled), then add an "Audio Input Capture" source to this scene and configure the mic there instead. Add this source to all scenes where you want the mic with the "add existing" option.

Thanks for the reply Koala. I have all audio inputs disabled in settings. I want the mic to NOT be active in the scene, not active. It is active when no such input is listed for that scene.

 

[koala]

Add the Audio Input Capture source to every scene where you want the mic, and leave it out in every scene where you don't want it. If the mic is listed in the OBS audio mixer, although you didn't add it as source, it is still listed in Settings->Audio, even if you think you removed it. Check again.

 

[Killians]

Add the Audio Input Capture source to every scene where you want the mic, and leave it out in every scene where you don't want it. If the mic is listed in the OBS audio mixer, although you didn't add it as source, it is still listed in Settings->Audio, even if you think you removed it. Check again.

Sorry if I may not be getting this, but here are pics of my setting with all audio source disabled and a pic of the scene where I have not added the "internal mic" source. It is added to the other two scenes so it is active there. Is the plug in mic overriding these settings when plugged into the jack?

 

[Killians]

My mic wasn't muted on Google Meet when this happened so possibly that's why it was heard? I think I figured OBS would override the browsers settings, but maybe not.

 

[koala]

The OBS configuration is ok from OBS' point of view, but I assume I know why it isn't working as expected. You're probably using the OBS virtual cam to connect your video to your meeting software. The virtual cam plugin doesn't deliver the output audio of OBS - it's video only. You probably configured some other audio source in your meeting software, probably your mic directly. This is an audio path external to OBS you cannot control from within OBS.

There is a possible workaround. Install some virtual audio device like vb-audio cable: https://www.vb-audio.com/Cable/index.htm
Configure this device as monitoring device in OBS: Settings->Audio->Advanced->Monitoring device and configure this device as audio device in your meeting software instead of your mic.
Now in the advanced audio properties of OBS (Edit->Advanced Audio Properties) set "Audio Monitoring" for every audio source to "Monitor only" or "Monitor and output". This way, these sources are played back on the virtual audio device as well. The audio sources listing in Advanced Audio Properties is dependent on the scene, if you added individual audio sources. So activate every scene and check the advanced audio properties for each.
This way, you're "misusing" the monitoring feature of OBS for mixing an audio output separate from the stream/recording facility.
The only issue is, it's difficult to monitor this device. You cannot be sure what's actually being sent to the meeting software. You need a second meeting client to hear what audio is actually being send by you.

 

[Killians]

The OBS configuration is ok from OBS' point of view, but I assume I know why it isn't working as expected. You're probably using the OBS virtual cam to connect your video to your meeting software. The virtual cam plugin doesn't deliver the output audio of OBS - it's video only. You probably configured some other audio source in your meeting software, probably your mic directly. This is an audio path external to OBS you cannot control from within OBS.

There is a possible workaround. Install some virtual audio device like vb-audio cable: https://www.vb-audio.com/Cable/index.htm
Configure this device as monitoring device in OBS: Settings->Audio->Advanced->Monitoring device and configure this device as audio device in your meeting software instead of your mic.
Now in the advanced audio properties of OBS (Edit->Advanced Audio Properties) set "Audio Monitoring" for every audio source to "Monitor only" or "Monitor and output". This way, these sources are played back on the virtual audio device as well. The audio sources listing in Advanced Audio Properties is dependent on the scene, if you added individual audio sources. So activate every scene and check the advanced audio properties for each.
This way, you're "misusing" the monitoring feature of OBS for mixing an audio output separate from the stream/recording facility.
The only issue is, it's difficult to monitor this device. You cannot be sure what's actually being sent to the meeting software. You need a second meeting client to hear what audio is actually being send by you.

Thank you. That makes a lot of sense.