Question / Help How do I run my guitar into OBS

[mothraphobia]

Hello, I'm a twitch streamer planning on grabbing a new mixer and mic instead of using my usb mic. My question is, will I be able to run my guitar through the same mixer as the mic? I'm confused because it seems that OBS only grabs two audio feeds, the mic and the default audio device. Will OBS recognize the mixer and take both my mic and guitar through the mic feed? If so, I'm assuming I could just mute the guitar on the mixer until I'm ready to use it. Am I going about this completely wrong? Help!

 

[FerretBomb]

Depends on the mixer, and how you connect it to your PC.

In my case, I can connect my guitar amp to a line-in on the mixer, set the mixer's USB interface device as my mic in OBS, and all output from the mixer will be rendered down to 2-channel stereo. Both my mic (connected to the mixer) and guitar will come in over the Mic channel in OBS, as I've pointed OBS to my mixer's USB interface as the mic device.

If you don't have a built-in USB interface, you can probably grab a Scarlett 2i2 to handle the conversion, or even just a dual 1/4" mono->stereo minijack cable and plug it into your onboard soundcard's line in port.

tl;dr: Yes, your mic and guitar will come into OBS on the Microphone channel, not the System channel.

 

[mothraphobia]

Thank you, that sounds just about how I'll be setting mine up exactly!

 

[FerretBomb]

One thing you may run into is not being able to hear the guitar (assuming electric) unless you're using the mixer's monitor, a split off output to a speaker, or something like that. Just bear that in mind, and test your amp to make sure it still outputs to speaker when the line-out is plugged in (if so equipped).

 

[mothraphobia]

As far as monitoring I was going to just have a set of headphones ready, plugged into the mixer. And as far as the guitar, I was planning on running it DI into the mixer (no amp) as the mixer has the capability to do this without a DI box on two of the inputs.

 

[FerretBomb]

Sounds like a plan on the headphones! I'm sure you know your hardware better than I do; I had to stick at least a preamp on mine due to passive signal levels being so low.