Mic randomly cutting out in OBS studio

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retrodrewau

New Member
Hello,

I have an issue where my microphone is cutting out during twitch streams. It happens randomly (approx. once every 2-3 hours, if it happens at all), and is usually accompanied by a short "glitch" or "hiccup" in the stream. I usually don't realize that the mic has cut out, and am usually notified by someone in chat that I appear muted. The mic still has power, it just stops functioning (like it't muted). If I unplug the mic and plug it back in to the USB port, or disable and re-enable the mic in "manage sound settings," it will start capturing audio again. It appears that the mic is also not capturing audio outside of the application after this hiccup.

I originally thought it was an issue with my Blue Yeti microphone, but encountered the same issue using my backup microphone (a Plantronics C710M headset).

I'm also not sure if this is somehow an issue with my PC, and I'm somehow just overloading it. Here's my setup/specs when I stream:

2019 Dell G3 laptop (3590) with one 3.1 usb port (which I'm plugging an elgato HD60 S capture card into) and two 2.0 usb ports (one fot eh mic and one for a logitech C922 webcam.

Intel core i7-9750h
16g memory
512 gb ssd
GeForce gtx 1660ti
6gb graphics

I'm attaching the log file. Something that pops up in my log each time this happens is the following section about my mic being invalidated:

22:29:17.289: Device 'Headset Microphone (Plantronics C710-M)' invalidated. Retrying
22:29:20.290: [WASAPISource::TryInitialize]:[Headset Microphone (Plantronics C710-M)] Failed to activate client context: 88890004
22:29:29.306: WASAPI: Device 'Headset Microphone (Plantronics C710-M)' [16000 Hz] initialized

I am aware that my sample rate does not match up (16hz for the mic, 48 in OBS). I can't seem to set the sample rate in OBS to match the mic, and I'm not sure if that's the issue. I noted that my Yeti cut out when the sample rate didn't match up, but I can't recall if it cut out after I set the sample rate in both the Yeti and OBS to 48.

I would appreciate any help that can be provided. I have been all over reddit and forums, and have not come across anyone that appears to have my specific issue. I am at my wit's end on what can be causing this.

Thank you!
 

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R

retrodrewau

New Member
Also, as a follow-up, I have turned off audio exclusivity for both the Yeti mic and the Plantronics mic. My GPU drivers are also up-to-date.
 
carlmmii

carlmmii

Active Member
It sounds as if your mic is being disconnected from windows and reconnected, and OBS is dropping it when this happens. Do you have the actual mic selected in your OBS audio settings, or is it set to "Default"?

Dropped mic connection to windows means one of 3 things
- power delivery
- bandwidth limit
- physical issue (either with bad connection or degraded components)

Considering this is a low power device, power delivery is unlikely. I can't speak to the physical situation, but laptop usb port longevity is definitely something to consider, just due to how often they are connected/disconnected.

Bandwidth is definitely a possibility considering you're using a C922. I would try lowering the resolution to 1280x720 and see if the issue persists.
 
R

retrodrewau

New Member
Thanks so much for the quick reply. I do have the actual mic selected in OBS, as opposed to "default."

I think it is unlikely due to faulty USB port, as the laptop is only 6 months old. I have also alternated the ports between the webcam and microphone, and have not lost the webcam.

I will try lowering the camera resolution to see if that helps. Is there a way to see if I'm pushing up to the bandwidth of the laptop? Would it also be better to just use the webcam built into my laptop instead of plugging one in?
 
K

kdwinton

New Member
Is there any good resolution to this? I see a few other posts talking about the same thing, and it's happening to me, too.
 
G

glenvista

New Member
I'm having precisely the same issue. The sound drops spontaneously. I can restore the sound by selecting properties for the mic and switching between either the USB microphone and default or visa-versa. Sometimes removing the USB microphone and re-inserting it also helps. It's extremely annoying because it can happen at any time and if the operator does not notice it, the audience loses all sound for a significant period.
 
Cellidor

Cellidor

New Member
For those still encountering this issue, I found a solution that may work for you.

Go to your settings and check to see if your streaming output is set to Hardware (NVENC) or Software (x264).
Mine was set to Hardware, and the problem ceased happening when I switched the streaming encoder to Software instead.

My hypothesis is that depending on your computer's GPU, playing any game that either taxes the GPU, or both the CPU/GPU together enough will cause a hiccup with how OBS recieves mic inputs. Either way, switching it so the encoder works purely off the CPU worked for me and might for you.
 
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yan365

New Member
I am having the same issues. Pulling the USB from mic or changing the default/mic input setting also resets its all. But this isn't really a solution.
 
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