My audio has become a mess

[RachelThorn]

I've been using OBS for a year and half, and while I used to have constant audio problems, for the past few months everything was fine. Until today. I don't know what happened, but my audio disappeared from my stream today, and everything I've done since seems to have made things worse.

I am using Mac OS 12.0.1 on a 018 Mac Mini. I have Black Hole installed. I am using a Kmise USB microphone. I have two monitors, each with built in speaker. I have basic plug-in earphones.

I stream lectures using PowerPoint or Keynote, and often need to play videos, usually with the presentation software, but occasionally from QuickTime Player.

I want my earphones/headphones only to play desktop audio, including (obviously) people's voices when using Zoom.

Just a few minutes ago, my microphone sound was appearing in the Desktop Audio bar in the OBS Audio Mixer. So since I also have the microphone as an audio source, there's an annoying echo. But I don't know if that's just because the mic audio is being output to the earphones, which, as I say, I do not want.

Incidentally, I also have a Rode pin mic that started making an awful noise last week, which is why I am now using the Kmise USB mic. I have no idea what happened to the Rode mic.

Finally, I hear a constant yet slightly irregular clicking in my earphones. The interval is less than a second. I have no idea what is causing this.

I have so many scenes set up, and am feeling a bit overwhelmed at the prospect of going through each and fixing the audio. Not to mention, I have no idea where to begin fixing the audio.

I think I just need a really basic walkthrough on setting up sound from scratch, using Black Hole.

 

[RachelThorn]

I managed to at least make it usable by removing every audio input (and output) from the scenes I use most, then in Preferences-> Audio-> Global Audio Devices setting Desktop Audio to BlackHole ch and setting Mic/Auxiliary Audio to my mic (USB Pnp Audio Device). Unfortunately I couldn't monitor desktop audio with this set up, because my own voice own would echo in my ears and I couldn't concentrate on what I had to say. What I did instead was record a short piece and check the audio before recording the actual lecture. I'm still looking for a solution to excluding the mic from the monitoring.