Live Stream Audio Very Quiet

[HELL0DAN]

For some reason our live stream audio is significantly lower than other videos on YouTube and I cannot figure out how to turn it up. I am an audio engineer but I am new to OBS so from working with other digital audio workstations I know that the average working level you want your audio before clipping is -18db and I have all my meters hitting that regularly and I am still ending up with a very quiet stream on the YouTube side. I have tried boosting gain both before OBS on my audio interface and in OBS in the advanced audio mixer but when I do it only red-lines and clips the audio causing audio-distortion. Any help is welcome.

I am a Production Director at a church in Dallas, Texas and during the COVID-19 pandemic we have relied heavily on live streaming for our Sunday services.

 

[twindux]

I've noticed that as well. If i keep my levels as you're "supposed to"...that is, bumping into the yellow zone on the VU meters, but not going into the red...we get complaints that the sound levels are too low.

This last weekend, I said to heck with it and blasted into the red area using the OBS mixer and it brought up the volume without distortion. That is ALL in OBS, though. I've had problems with our house feed distorting/clipping BEFORE it gets into OBS even when the VU is well down in the yellow zone. SO I'm lea ing the house input lower, but doing all my gain/level boosting in OBS and it *seems* to be working better.

 

[theostone]

Any other options here? I am seeing the same thing. If I keep the levels where they should be, people are complaining that they cannot hear the livestream. If I bump the levels using a gain filter or increasing the percentage level of the input, it goes red and distorts everything. Using Rode Caster Pro II for mix into OBS - if that matters. Even replaying the livestream on youtube the audio levels are stupid quiet compared to other videos. Not sure how to bump the output level from OBS to the livestream feed. Input levels seem to be spot on; OBS output is way too low.