Question / Help OBS Studio Playback Audio Too Quiet

[XANA]

Hello everyone,

I just noticed the newer program OBS Studio when I had been using OBS Classic since a few months ago.

I have been using the OBS Classic audio playback for all those months with the Windows System volume set at 21 and everything is fine. I can plainly hear the video game audio with great clarity and everything. The only issue I have with OBS Classic is that scene stretching is not as precise and that was why I wanted to switch to OBS Studio.

Therefore, I finally gave Studio a try today and found everything to work great, even the scene stretching features are more intuitive and more powerful than previously. The only major problem I discovered was that I cannot properly hear the video game audio feedback with the Windows System volume set at my preferred setting (21).

When I am referring to playback (or feedback) audio, my intention is referring towards the OBS Studio preview functionality, for your information. I am not referring to making an actual recording, and instead just watching the preview functionality.

I can't properly play with any volume higher than 21, because it hurts my ears for anything higher. When I try OBS Classic at 21 system volume the game is just loud enough to be perfect for my ears.

When I try OBS Studio, it's like the whole audio output has changed - it's simply too quiet for any proper hearing and there does not seem to be any functionality to boost the output in OBS Studio (I tried the mixer settings but that only boosts the recording output and not the playback output that I would hear).

I was wondering if any features would be included in OBS Studio to boost the playback volume as opposed to the recording / stream output volume. All three of the mixer boost settings affect only the stream output and not that which would come to my headset.

 

[Trevor R]

I am noticing the same behavior. viewers on Twitch have to turn volume to max to hear me compared to other channels.

I will give OBS Classic a try and hope that I have better audio options there.

In the meantime, please advise on an audio boost feature in Studio.

 

[Adrian Schofield]

You can add a Gain Filter to most audio sources, click the cog next to the source in the mixer and choose filters, under the "Audio/Video filters" or just "Audio Filters" add a gain Filter and adjust the dB up a bit you'll have to experiment.

@XANA Try this on your Desktop Audio device in the mixer and see if it helps

 

[XANA]

You can add a Gain Filter to most audio sources, click the cog next to the source in the mixer and choose filters, under the "Audio/Video filters" or just "Audio Filters" add a gain Filter and adjust the dB up a bit you'll have to experiment.

@XANA Try this on your Desktop Audio device in the mixer and see if it helps

The Gain Filter did not fix the issue. The volume relayed to my headset remained at the quiet volume that was not enough for my purposes. I tried it as you specified but it only appeared to affect a recording when I decided to attempt one.

The preview option does not seem to take volume modifications into account (except of course raising the system volume which I cannot do because of what I had stated before).

 

[Adrian Schofield]

Can you explain what source audio you are struggling to hear? As you say you are previewing I am assuming that this is game audio from a capture device is that correct?

 

[XANA]

Can you explain what source audio you are struggling to hear? As you say you are previewing I am assuming that this is game audio from a capture device is that correct?

That's correct. I am using the same hardware as I was with OBS Classic, an Avermedia ExtremeCap U3 as the capture source. The source audio comes in at an acceptable volume with the classic version of OBS, but it is extremely quiet in the studio version.

The boost options do work when I do a recording and then play back the recording that I just made, but even then the modifications are not applied to the preview / feedback audio that comes to my headset. What I really need is for the boost to affect the feedback audio so that I know what it sounds like without having to make a recoding and play it back.

 

[Craig Baker]

yeah I had same issue, im going to try using the mixer to set the audio high (by %) even at 150% it was way too quiet so gonna try 1000%. I dont like having to crank the gain up cause then it picks up every little sound even with a good noisegate setting....like I dont want people to hear when I exhale through my nose or my keyboard clicks. desktop gain isnt a problem with that but mic gain is

 

[XANA]

I already tried setting the audio mixer options to different gain settings and the problem was that I couldn't identify exactly how the audio sounded with those changes afterwards. The reason for that was because the audio mixer isn't applied to feedback audio that comes in to a headset, not even the desktop gain option.

In order for me to actually find out what the audio mixer changes made the audio sound like, I had to make a recording and then play back the recording.
It wasn't possible to immediately hear the changes while in a recording or while using preview functionality because the feedback audio stayed the same and did not reflect the changes shown playing back a completed recording.

 

[InTheSpaghetti]

Hi I was having the same problem. I run the audio to my mixer and could hear the game fine, however viewers complained that the game was "muted" or barely audible. The fix for me was:

Right click the Speaker Icon in the system tray (Windows Sound Setting)
Left click Recording Devices
Choose the Communications tab
Select - Do nothing

I Instantly noticed it had an effect because I was watching a stream and as soon as I opened OBS Studio before this fix it drastically lowered the volume of the stream. After this fix the audio level stayed the same. So it seems that windows was treating OBS Studio using the Mic as a communications activity and was reducing the volume of other sounds by 80% (as that was the selection before I made the fix)

I hope this helps SeemsGood

 

[Twistedsaint]

Have the same problem as above , and after checking @InTheSpaghetti 's advice , i had it on "Do nothing" and it still does it. Viewers say i'm really low . And my dB is at 3.5 , dont wanna put it any higher cuz you can then hear every single thing in the back.


Edit : had to play with the DB more , got to 14.5 , and it sounds much better now but then i had to get more backround noise canceling and it works good. Thanks Spaghetti and everyone else.

 

[EBrito]

I already tried setting the audio mixer options to different gain settings and the problem was that I couldn't identify exactly how the audio sounded with those changes afterwards. The reason for that was because the audio mixer isn't applied to feedback audio that comes in to a headset, not even the desktop gain option.

In order for me to actually find out what the audio mixer changes made the audio sound like, I had to make a recording and then play back the recording.
It wasn't possible to immediately hear the changes while in a recording or while using preview functionality because the feedback audio stayed the same and did not reflect the changes shown playing back a completed recording.

XANA, OBS Studio does not have audio monitoring. Not yet implemented.

 

[CHAPS]

Hello,

I'm having the exact same issue with audio being very quiet.

I'm the Chaplain of a church and we're trying to start live-streaming our Sunday services onto Facebook Live. The audio from our wired/wireless/lapel mics and musical instruments sounds great coming out of the speakers at the church, and the audio sounds great in the headphones back in the control booth. But if you watch/listen to the actual live-stream on Facebook, it's barely audible. Even when volumes are turned all the way up. Which makes me think it's something to do with OBS. Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[EBrito]

@CHAPS use a gain filter
Click the MIC cogwheel

 

[CHAPS]

@CHAPS use a gain filter
Click the MIC cogwheel

@EBrito Already have that set up. Gain Filter is at -20db, which increases static/hum. So also have Noise Suppression Filter set at -30db.

 

[colwyn green]

Hi @XANA @InTheSpaghetti @CHAPS and @Twistedsaint. Don't know if this is still an issue, but I was experiencing the same problem and found a fix while troubleshooting it. Turns out every time OBS is opened, Windows gives it a default audio setting of like 11. You can do a couple of things to work around this: 1.) select a different program (WMP) that will hijack control of the audio source in Windows; or 2.) adjust the OBS program master volume in the Windows audio mixer in the Taskbar by the clock on the Desktop. Hope this helps!

 

[MidnightLadyCrow]

@InTheSpaghetti OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH! That helped =D

 

[Sam Hones]

Hello,

I'm having the exact same issue with audio being very quiet.

I'm the Chaplain of a church and we're trying to start live-streaming our Sunday services onto Facebook Live. The audio from our wired/wireless/lapel mics and musical instruments sounds great coming out of the speakers at the church, and the audio sounds great in the headphones back in the control booth. But if you watch/listen to the actual live-stream on Facebook, it's barely audible. Even when volumes are turned all the way up. Which makes me think it's something to do with OBS. Thoughts?

Thanks!

Hi, we are a church, too, streaming to youtube instead of visited church meeting bec of Coronavirus.
Setup: a mix out from yamaha LS9 into line in or mic input at pc. When mic/line in is just about right without clipping when watching the resulting stream in youtube the volume is too low. Is there, have you found a way to increase the volume for obs out separately. I'd appreciate any help,, please
I am not sure this is allowed, so apologise if i get this wrong, could you copy your reply to my email shones@blueyonder.co.uk too, please (trying to fix for next sunday

 

[fluyffyb]

Found a workaround.
Obs records the volume that you have windows set to.
So if you turn up the volume it will record at full volume.

can't believe this problem is going on 4 years now without getting fixed.

 

[JuzzyQLD]

We are using OBS to live stream a church service and have noticed that the audio is very quiet on the youtube stream, even though we are pushing the volume into OBS as hard as we can!! and the OBS input volume is set to max and the level show it almost peaking!!

Most audio on my home TV, the sound level is good at 20, the church live feed requires 40!

Anyone got any idea why? or any fixes?

 

[JuzzyQLD]

I should add that the audio for everything is entering OBS through the line in on the sound card.
Perhaps the recording volume in windows affects it as well?