macOS Screen Capture audio stops after ~10 minutes of recording

J

jazmynechoi

New Member
I'm using OBS Studio 32.2.2 on macOS Tahoe 26.5.1 on a 2019 Intel MacBook Pro.

I'm recording a Zoom presentation using a macOS Screen Capture source. The screen capture audio initially works normally, and I can see the audio meter moving in OBS.

After approximately 10 minutes of recording, the macOS Screen Capture audio meter stops moving and the recording no longer captures the presentation audio. OBS itself continues recording video.

If I disconnect and reconnect my headphones, the macOS Screen Capture audio immediately begins working again. This same sequence happened repeatedly about 5 times.

This happens with both:
  • Apple AirPods
  • Wired headphones connected to the Mac
I can still hear the presentation through my headphones when the issue occurs; it is specifically OBS that appears to stop receiving/capturing the audio.

In the OBS Audio Mixer, the active audio is coming from the macOS Screen Capture source. The other sources (iSound Capture and Mic/Aux) are not being used for the presentation audio.

I've reproduced the issue multiple times.

System:
  • OBS Studio 32.2.2
  • macOS Tahoe 26.5.1
  • MacBook Pro 16-inch, 2019
  • Intel Core i9
  • 32 GB RAM
  • AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 8 GB

During at least one occurrence, the Mac was under high CPU/thermal load, with OBS using substantial CPU and kernel_task elevated. I'm not sure whether this is related.


Please let me know what logs or additional information would be useful for diagnosing the audio capture dropout.
 
I performed another test and was able to reproduce the audio dropout repeatedly during one recording session.

This time, I tested both the MacBook’s built-in speakers and headphones. When the macOS Screen Capture audio stopped, changing the audio-output connection—such as plugging in my headphones—caused the Screen Capture audio to begin working again. However, the restored audio only lasted approximately 1 minute 30 seconds to 3 minutes 30 seconds before dropping out again.

I repeated this process approximately four or five times during the same recording. I also tested the behavior while using the MacBook speakers rather than only headphones, so the problem does not appear to be limited to one particular pair of headphones.

The OBS video recording continued normally when the audio stopped. The failure was visible in OBS because the audio meter for the macOS Screen Capture source stopped moving. Changing the audio-output connection temporarily restored activity in that meter.

Log from the complete test session:

This seems to suggest that changing or reconnecting the Mac’s audio output temporarily resets the Screen Capture audio connection, but it fails again shortly afterward. Please let me know if there are any additional settings, timestamps, or diagnostics I should collect.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top