Question / Help Multiple Audio Streams

[b4ux1t3]

Yes, yes, I know: Multi-input audio isn't a thing yet in the base build (or at least not the way most of us would like). That said, I was wondering if there is any way (other than using my system volume mixer, which is kinda lame) to control audio from different sources on the computer. For instance, turning down the volume of a music player and turning up the volume of the game.

As I mentioned, I am fully aware that I could just open up my volume mixer from my system tray and control the levels from there. However, until my second monitor comes in next week-ish, my screen real-estate is rather limited. I am literally using my phone as a second monitor, and it's not exactly easy to see the tiny little volume mixer on that tiny little screen.

So, basically, is there a plug-in or something that could give me even a very basic control of volume levels from specific applications? Even if it's just a beta plug-in for our wonderful beta OBS, I'd totally be interested in trying it out.

 

[Jack0r]

One could probably write a plugin that allows to change volume of sources that have their own volume sliders, as well as obs remote for example can control the volume sliders of OBS, but how the heck should OBS manage the volume of your programs? I am guessing you are playing the music and the game through one Audio device (your speakers or headset?) If this is the case, the audio is already mixed before OBS "hears" it. So theres no way it could change anything with that sound.

To help you with your problem, using paibox's directshow audio source plugin, you could add music seperately to obs with a combination of vac cables you could also hear this music yourself, or not, as you would like, but it seems a bit complicated if you get your new monitor in a few weeks anyway. You would still have to use either the audio sliders in windows or use the properties window in obs to change the volume.

So adding multiple audio streams is possible, but till now no-one has done a plugin to manage their audio volumes externally (to my knowledge).

 

[Kharay]

Am I the only one thinking -- How about using the volume controls of said individual pieces of software?

 

[backpedaling]

One could probably write a plugin that allows to change volume of sources that have their own volume sliders, as well as obs remote for example can control the volume sliders of OBS, but how the heck should OBS manage the volume of your programs? I am guessing you are playing the music and the game through one Audio device (your speakers or headset?) If this is the case, the audio is already mixed before OBS "hears" it. So theres no way it could change anything with that sound.

To help you with your problem, using paibox's directshow audio source plugin, you could add music seperately to obs with a combination of vac cables you could also hear this music yourself, or not, as you would like, but it seems a bit complicated if you get your new monitor in a few weeks anyway. You would still have to use either the audio sliders in windows or use the properties window in obs to change the volume.

So adding multiple audio streams is possible, but till now no-one has done a plugin to manage their audio volumes externally (to my knowledge).

u sound like u have so experience with this ^^?
now i m a complete idiot with stuff like this. would it be to hard to make obs only record ingame sound while i m playing and listining to music so that my recordings are just pure game sound and not mixed with the music i listen to?

 

[b4ux1t3]

Am I the only one thinking -- How about using the volume controls of said individual pieces of software?

That goes hand in hand with using the volume mixer built into Windows (and most operating systems). Yes, it is a viable option. That said, it's much simpler (and quicker) to be able to handle all of this from OBS itself. It doesn't require me to open up the program, find the volume control, and change it. It also doesn't require you to change how you hear the sound. Sure, the viewer doesn't need to hear your Skype notifications, but you probably do. Maybe you want to output music to OBS at a quieter volume than what you yourself re listening to it at. If you change the volume settings on your computer, that changes your ability to hear it as well.

Onto the other problem. this problem assumes that you don't care about hearing what you don't want your viewers to hear. Now, for programs like music apps, the volume is easily changeable. But what if, for instance, I'm running Skype with a friend who is commentating on what is going on in my stream, or even co-hosting it (Which I actually do fairly often). It's not quite as simple to open Skype, find the volume control for it, and turn it up/down on the fly. Other niche situations include you looking up a tutorial video for whatever you are doing to watch while your viewers are listening to music during an intermission or something. In the end, most of the reasons for this feature are about taste and professionalism. That said, streaming successfully is all about catering to your viewer's' tastes and being "professional" (not to be confused with "serious").

Basically, yes, there are ways to fiddle with the volume that exist already. However, DJ's have been using tools to control volume from multiple inputs in one place for YEARS, and for good reason: When you're running a real-time entertainment program, every second you waste fiddling with settings is another second you're likely to lose viewers/listeners.

But, thanks for giving me the chance to address that very valid piece of advice. While I did think of it and dismiss it before hand, it's always good to cover the bases.

 

[Jack0r]

u sound like u have so experience with this ^^?
now i m a complete idiot with stuff like this. would it be to hard to make obs only record ingame sound while i m playing and listining to music so that my recordings are just pure game sound and not mixed with the music i listen to?

The answer is pretty simple, use Virtual Audio Cable, or if you can, split your front and back audio ports and use the stereo mix. Both ways allow you to mix in different sources, or exclude them. So you can decide what you want OBS to hear.
A very nice speciality of adding an audio source with Paibox's plugin is also, that you can mute your desktop sound, but the music played through this plugin would keep on going.

As long as you have your Audio as different sources, you can do whatever you want already with OBS. The point that is still being missed by the topic author, is that windows mixes them before OBS even sees/hears or has a chance to touch them.
DJ's also can only mix different sources or change the volume of the whole output, maybe the high/mid/low parts can be tweaked, but you can not change the volume of a program that is in an already mixed source together with other sounds....
Thats like trying to get the flour out of the pie after baking it.

So the only volume sliders "missing" in obs are the ones hidden in the properties dialogs of Audio/Video/Video Device sources. At the moment you have to doubleclick a source to change the volume and you can deactivate the source to remove the sound.

 

[Kharay]

That said, it's much simpler (and quicker) to be able to handle all of this from OBS itself.

Simpler -- Possibly. Quicker -- No, because this functionality does not yet exist in OBS. So, it would have to be added to it or a plugin would have to be created for it. Which obviously is going to take time.

Secondly, numerous media players support global hotkeys and numerous games do support the option of adding a hotkey to their own volume control.

 

[Jack0r]

So, it would have to be added to it or a plugin would have to be created for it. Which obviously is going to take time.

A plugin to "extract flour out of a pie". You should definitely get a nobel price for that.

 

[Kharay]

a Nobel Prize for that.

There, fixed it for ya.

 

[b4ux1t3]

That said, it's much simpler (and quicker) to be able to handle all of this from OBS itself.

Simpler -- Possibly. Quicker -- No, because this functionality does not yet exist in OBS. So, it would have to be added to it or a plugin would have to be created for it. Which obviously is going to take time.

Secondly, numerous media players support global hotkeys and numerous games do support the option of adding a hotkey to their own volume control.

By quicker I mean that once it is implemented, it will be much quicker to just pull up OBS, change the levels, and get back to what you're doing.

As for the rest of the statement, please re-read what I wrote. I explained why altering the levels of individual programs isn't the best (or even a good) option.

 

[Kharay]

You're exaggerating my point. I am not trying to imply this functionality would be wasted on OBS. I agree it would be brilliant to have this kind of functionality in OBS. I am however just offering a possible partial workaround, nothing more, nothing less.

I think you will find that most if not all the people working on developing OBS agree this kind of functionality would be brilliant. It does however take time, it won't happen overnight and people are actually streaming as we speak and experiencing these challenges and partial workarounds would help such people. Maybe it won't do anything for you but you are hardly the sole streamer for whom OBS has been coded, now are you?... ;)