OBS Audio Input Capture not working with Allen and & SQ5

[zioncamrose]

Hi,
I'm new to OBS. We have Allen & Heat SQ5 mixer and running OBS version 29. I connected the SQ5 mixer via USB cable. I'm able to see the Device when I add Audio Input capture. However, it doesn't pick the audio from microphone connected to the mixer.

I've also tried installing the obs-asio driver 3.1.1, I see the ASIO Input capture appearing. When I tried to add as a source, no device is listed in the Devices drop down box. I don't know what else to do

Will appreciate any help to get this resolved.

Thanks

Zion

 

[AaronD]

Native USB audio from a digital mixing console is often multitrack. OBS HATES multitrack! Do you have a setting in the console to make the USB connection stereo, and then route your desired signal to it?

The way that OBS hates multitrack is that it can't pick out individual channels. It's hard-coded with no option, to take the entire device as a single surround source, and downmix it to whatever OBS is set for.

If you're streaming in stereo, for example, it'll take the first 8 channels as 7.1 with the standard channel assignments for that, downmix those assumed functions to stereo (which is completely wrong for what you're doing), and THEN give you that mess to try and do something with. So the 3 stereo pairs - front, middle, back - are mixed together at different levels, the front-center channel goes to both, and the subwoofer is just dropped.

If what you actually have is not a 7.1 game, but a live band with a couple of singers, each of which also plays an instrument with some of them stereo, and a full kit of drum mics, plus the stereo mix from the board that you actually want, all on the same multichannel device, then OBS is going to make a royal mess of that!

---

The solution is to, somehow, present OBS with a device that *only* has what you want on it. Because it *will* take the *entire* device! Period.

In your case, I think that's to use the console's settings to make it a stereo USB interface, not multitrack (you might need to reboot the board to take effect), and then use the console's settings to send your finished mix to that stereo interface.

 

[zioncamrose]

Hi Aaron, thanks for the response. Yes you're right, it's for a church setting with multiple microphones, drum, piano.

I've attached a screen from the SQ5 mixer here. We did configure it to use the USB interface and set it as Stereo. OBS is able to detect the mixer as I'm able to add it as an audio input source. The problem is that OBS doesn't seem to pick up the audio input. If you notice in one of the screen shots, when I speak to the Microphone, signal is detected on the LR on the mixer but in OBS, it doesn't seem to pick up the input.

Some people suggested installing the obs-asio driver which I did but there's no device showing up in the device list. Not sure what else to do

 

[zioncamrose]

Quick update. I uninstalled OBS version 29 and the obs-asio 3.1.1 driver. I then installed OBS version 26 and the obs-asio 2.1.0 and both the Audio Input Capture and ASIO Input capture now show the channels from the mixer in OBS. However, still not capturing input from the mixer, not sure why. I tried testing the microphone from sound properties, not working - see screen shot

 

[AaronD]

I don't have an answer for that, unfortunately.

...signal is detected on the LR on the mixer but in OBS...

LR is going to be a different problem, once you actually get something. The PA output is not suitable for anything else, because that's *not* the room sound! Things that come off the stage directly will be way down in that mix, and things that the room doesn't respond to very well will be way up.

Use an auxiliary mix instead, preferably post-fade so it tracks the live adjustments with an offset. Tweak that offset to make the stream sound good, while the house mix just does what it normally does.

And compress that aux master HARD! This is what translates from a sensible live level to what your audience expects. Really-soft-knee limit (high Ratio) if you can, with the Threshold set to "ride the knee", and Makeup Gain equal to the Threshold. Instant Attack, Release by ear. As that signal leaves the board, it'll be the hottest you have, and that's exactly where you want it. Slam that meter! The limiter keeps it from going over, and the soft knee makes it sound less like a "brick-wall" and more like...simply well-behaved.

Quick update. I uninstalled OBS version 29 and the obs-asio 3.1.1 driver. I then installed OBS version 26 and the obs-asio 2.1.0 and both the Audio Input Capture and ASIO Input capture now show the channels from the mixer in OBS. However, still not capturing input from the mixer, not sure why. I tried testing the microphone from sound properties, not working - see screen shot

Ooo! I like the menu option to choose a channel! Did the ASIO driver do that? Or did OBS itself finally gain that feature?

 

[zioncamrose]

Yes, the ASIO driver allows you to select a channel not OBS Audio Input Capture.

 

[AaronD]

I was hoping someone else would see this before it got buried in the flood of threads that the Windows sub-forum tends to have. It appears that everything is right, but OBS just isn't picking it up for some reason. I don't know why, without messing with it in person.

I've made that exact connection with a Behringer XR18 and X32, and both of those "just work" - with the caveat of downmixing everything into an unusable mess, so you have to set up the console to not send anything to the computer at all, that you don't want OBS to have. Our current church rig has an X32, but the USB card is tied up with the sound guy's multitrack, so I've got an aux out running to a USB line-in for that one.

Amazon.com

Same technique applies there:

• Use a post-fade auxiliary bus to make it different from the house mix, but still follow the live tweaks.
• Squash the mix master, and use the makeup gain to put it *exactly* at full-scale as OBS sees it from the USB line-in, without ever going over because the bus limiter stops it. I have the final output fader at full-scale as well, and turn the makeup gain down by that much, just to be sure that it really does *never* exceed that level...but it's always right up next to it.
  • If you want to do it by the math, that particular line-in uses the consumer standard of -10dBV nominal, whereas the console uses the pro standard of +4dBu. If you do the math on that, knowing the different reference levels for each, you end up with the consumer full-scale sitting at -11dBFS on the pro scale.
    So if you set up the bus compressor with the Knee all the way soft and the Ratio all the way up, and the Threshold to dance all over the knee itself, then Threshold + Makeup Gain + Master Fader should add up to -11dB. Maybe -12dB just for a non-infinite Ratio or non-zero Attack time.
    When that -11 or -12 leaving the board, goes through the 11dB difference in standards, it becomes 0 or -1, which is exactly where you want it for broadcast.