Ran OBS for a Zoom using a Mackie mixer for the first time tonight and had issues with low volume. Any setup tips?

[skinnydan]

We've been running a series of events with a presenter via zoom and I needed a more flexible option to run room sound as well as for Zoom. So bought a Mackie mixer (proFx 10) which showed up barely on time so I didn't get a chance to test before tonight's event.

Added the driver, found the proFx as an audio source but I got a lot of complaints the sound was low. OBS meters were showing the sound was way low but I didn't want to mess with it mid event and risk blowing out the room audio.

So to my question - now that I'll have some time to test properly, any suggestions for where to start diagnosing the low volume coming out of the mixer into Zoom? Everything on the Mackie software said I was all the way up on volume but I still struggled to make it audible for remote viewers.

 

[konsolenritter]

Hi, welcome aboard!

Now you've learned - never without tests before... ;D
Regarding your issue: The mackie has a metering. Does it show normal levels (RMS around zero mark, peaks and transients over this, but not in the red)? That would be an optimal point to start with. If your RMS level averages far below, the following tips may help you a bit.

At first you should try to raise the levels in the mackie mixer. If you fear to overshoot your local p.a. (if there is one) then turn the p.a. down accordingly. The mixer should deliver good level (at least to keep the signal-to-noise ratio high).
I don't know the mackie software in between, but it should be capable to pass-through the levels.

If that doesn't help or you can't push the levels on the analog stage, then:
Sound volume entering OBS too low is not the worst case you may have. ;) You can have a gain into the filter chain of your profx channel (all to be found in the obs-audio mixer). If you experience extremely raisen hum and buzz then, you would definitely have an issue with your cabling (audio side, not usb).

It is okay to have the peaks dipping in the red in OBS, but it shouldn't overshoot -2 dB really.

If the average level is still too low then really, push the gain by 3 or 4 dB more and do additionally the following: You may have a compressor stage and a final limiter to -1 or -2 dB insert into the filter chain (behind the gain) to reach for good overall level while preventing from overshoot. So the rule of thumb of order is: gain -> compressor -> limiter. Start with compression ratio of 1.5:1 till 2:1 for music. For solely speech you may go up to 4:1 or even more, but prevent to raise too much noise at the same time.

Hope that helps a bit.