Question / Help OBS with Focusrite Clarett 4PRE-USB / Scarlett

Good day folks,

I'm new to the world of audio recording and streaming/broadcasting. Also please forgive me if this is not the right place to post this question or perhaps this has been answered already and I just missed it in my searching -=- if so please forgive me and just point me in the right direction.

(I am running MacOS Catalina -- wishing i hadn't upgraded so early now -- and am aware 24.0.3 vs 2 is not signed off yet so this could be an issue just not yet addressed in what would be the official release.)

I am experiencing the following issues with OBS-studio and have tried uninstalling / reinstalling several times.
1) When setting up the scenes the video doesn't always come through and I have to unplug the camera and replug it. This sometimes works and sometimes doesn't requiring me to attempt it again or even exit OBS and try again. I have turned the camera on/off which again, sometimes works and sometimes doesn't and also I had one time work where pushing the menu button on the camera pushed the video (of the menu) through to OBS and then pushing the menu on the camera again allowed the video through the lens to come through. (I have tried to add the video source as both a "video capture device" and the "blackmagic device" which appears separately under the add menu in OBS.)
2) I can get audio from my Focusrite Clarett 4PRE-USB to come through as a single feed/input. However, I have multiple mics and would each of these to be separate sources in OBS for convince of controlling gain levels and muting purposes. Currently I am not able to see the various channels/inputs form the Clarett in OBS but do see the device Clarett as a source and thus far have to adjust gain levels on the clarett as opposed to having control options in OBS.
3) I'd like a scene with Facecam only, Browswer only, as well as PIP of face & browser (or other media sources like an image or screen capture). I can get one scene to have PIP but I cannot get the video feed to show up for a facecam only scene. I think this is related to (1) above but am not sure. So basically I can get the video to show up from a camera in one scene but not the other (again though I have to do some reconnecting/restarting of the software/hardware to even get video in the first place).

Questions:
1) Whats up with the camera feed? Is this a user issue (i am a nube here) or is this a software bug somewhere?
2) Is it possible to have OBS use separate mics inputs from the same audio interface?
3) How do i get PIP to work properly?

What I am trying to do:
Record (not stream but eventually I will want to) videos for a podcast and youtube: 5-30 minute episodes. This will include scenes for a face cam, PIP of face with browser or other media, intro and outro (currently images but eventually will be prepackaged videos). Audio and Video of course. Currently the workflow would move the recording over to Final Cut Pro X, Apple Motion, and Logic Pro X (if needed) for editing but I am hoping I can get most everything done, if not everything, in OBS.

Hardware Setup:
Camera: Canon G7X-iii
Computer: 2018 15in MacBook Pro, 16 GB 2400 MHz DDR4, 2.6 GHz 6-Core Intel Core i7
Video Capture Device: Blackmagic UltaStudio Mini via a thunderbolt 2 - thunderbolt 3 adaptor from Mac
Audio Interface: Clarett 4PRE-USB -- I have a Scarlett 2i2 gen 3 and have not yet tried it but will tonight

Software running:
OBS Studio 24.0.3 vs 2 -- the catalina fix version
MacOS Catalina (10.15.1)
Focusrite Control 3.4.6
Safari
Scrivner 3
Final Cut Pro X -- not running while recording with OBS
Logic Pro X -- not running while recording with OBS
Apple Motion -- not running while recording with OBS

Notes:
I have tried OBS Studio 24.0.2 but could NOT get audio working at all but I did not try running via terminal as suggested in the catalina fix thread. I did install the iShowU Audio Capture app (following the associated links from the downloads page for OBS) but still no audio.
I am a nube to anything related to video/audio on computers.


Thank you for all the help! I am hoping this is a user issue and not a software thing.
~W~
 
Last edited:
one last thing: I have ensured OBS is given permissions for full disk access, input monitoring, screen recording, and microphones through the systems preferences security/privacy area.
 

Narcogen

Active Member
Re #2: OBS is a stereo or surround audio program. You need 3rd party software to work with multichannel audio devices. For this purpose I use LoopBack.

Re #3: From your description it sounds to me like you might be trying to add the same video device in different scenes with different settings (one resolution for full screen, one for PIP). Not sure, but if that is what you're trying, that will not work, and it would result in the behavior you describe (needing to plug/unplug camera repeatedly to get picture, etc).
 
Re #2: OBS is a stereo or surround audio program. You need 3rd party software to work with multichannel audio devices. For this purpose I use LoopBack.

Re #3: From your description it sounds to me like you might be trying to add the same video device in different scenes with different settings (one resolution for full screen, one for PIP). Not sure, but if that is what you're trying, that will not work, and it would result in the behavior you describe (needing to plug/unplug camera repeatedly to get picture, etc).

Thank you. Yes I was trying to use the same video source on multiple scenes so I'll have to pull my Sony RX100 iii out to have a PIP.

As for the multi-mic audio - thanks for that! I didn't know i would need an additional plugin. I'm assuming with LoopBack you mean by Rouge America?

https://rogueamoeba.com/loopback/buy.php

Thanks again!
 

Narcogen

Active Member
I believe so, yes, although I have not done so.

Any virtual device created by LB should be visible to any Mac application that can choose to send its output to a specific device instead of just using the default output.

LB can also assign hardware channels from multichannel devices and allow you to choose which channels to use, which OBS cannot do.
 
Guess that’s a whole other thread I’ve got some researching to do now. But at this stage, with mixers about the same as the full Rogue Amoeba package at 175$ ... would getting a mixer be a good step?
 

Narcogen

Active Member
You will have the same issue with a mixer if it presents more than a single stereo pair to the OS; OBS will in all likelihood only see a single stereo pair, you won't be able to choose which pair you'll get-- it SHOULD be 1&2 but if it isn't, you won't be able to control that. You would be able to use the mixer itself to control multiple inputs, but all OBS will see is one stereo channel.

LoopBack is $99. You don't, at least not for the purpose of addressing this issue, need the items in the bundle. Most of the functionality in those other items is available in other software, often for free. (Audacity, Ocenaudio, etc).

And if you did get an ASIO-compatible mixer, that'd be even more reason for not using MacOS for this function, and using the OBS-ASIO plugin and/or Voicemeeter on Windows... both of which are free.
 

Narcogen

Active Member
I don't use iShowU so I'm not sure. When that was first released, it was roughly equivalent to the functionality of SoundFlower-- bare bones virtual device. I have been told that later versions have included some of the functionality of LoopBack, including creating multiple arbitrary virtual devices, having those virtual devices include passthrough from hardware devices with per-channel routing.
 
You’ve been very helpful and graciously patient with me in this thread. Thank you!

I think I’ll play with iShowU a bit, see if I can get what I need from it and if not I’ll pop the 100$ for Loopback. Eventually I’ll need the mixMinus scenario — hopefully there will be demand enough eventually for two remotes guests or more.

In the meantime, after spending all night recording for my podcast, I think I’ve worked through most of the tech issues — my Sony RX100mkiii works great ... the canon g7x is requiring a little finess (posted a new thread for this - distorted vertical axis). I will need another hdmi micro cable to do the pip though considering I need two separate cameras feeds.

Thanks again.
 

Sam Lemann

New Member
Good to read your post I've just started on a similar journey - having all sorts of problems!
I'm on a Mac running Catalina and using a Clarett 4 pre and just wondering how you got on with iShowU.
I was hoping I could use all the channels on the focusrite - but maybe not so.
I'm hoping to stream from Logic Pro and other music apps as well but dont imagine that will be straight forward either.
Would be keen to hear if your had any joy!

Cheers Sam
 
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