Random high frequency spikes in one channel for stereo recordings

[Heixier]

Someone also made a post about this last year but didn't get any replies, so I'm making a new post since I still have the same problem.

Strange High Pitched Noise in my OBS Recordings

Hello! I've run into an audio issue where this weird high-pitched noise starts happening randomly on one side of my headphones when going through my OBS recordings. I've tested it on a different computer and with a different listening device to double-check if it was a headphone problem or not...

obsproject.com

The high pitched noise is a very loud, short beep (actually two: one in the audible ~19k range and another in the inaudible ~22k range according to Davinci Resolve's frequency analyzer). It sounds exactly like what you hear in the video the other OP linked (around 1:03).


The sound only happens in stereo, or more specifically only on channel 2 (which is usually the right channel). It happens very sporadically with no discernible pattern.

Changing to mono (i.e. only using channel 1) bypasses the problematic channel 2 (basically the equivalent of disabling it which also works) and serves as a temporary workaround.

But, like the other OP stated, being stuck with only one channel is hardly a satisfying solution, especially when most games are designed for stereo output.

Unchecking "use device timestamps" did not fix the problem, I'm not sure what other steps I can try. As far as I can tell from the log, everything seems to be matched up with no errors so I'm really not sure how to proceed.

This is my log file: https://obsproject.com/logs/CTwSnMTv-lwOBwTH

 

[Heixier]

I still need help with this, any ideas?

 

[Heixier]

Update: I eventually just reinstalled Windows completely and the issue was solved. I suspect it was the MOTU M2 drivers (physically disconnecting the device didn't fix the problem, which threw off a lot of troubleshooting steps), but I don't want to potentially spend hours reinstalling Windows and all my applications again just to risk testing it.

It could have been anything else (who knows?), but if anyone else is having this issue and desperate to solve it, consider a complete Windows reinstall, it's what finally worked for me after struggling with bad recordings for over a week.

It even fixed Shadowplay's audio desync in video editors like Resolve, which shouldn't even be possible given that it uses variable frame rate, but it did. Perhaps it was actually a problem with the GPU drivers? But, I'm just happy that everything is working properly now.

 

[Heixier]

Update: I eventually just reinstalled Windows completely and the issue was solved. I suspect it was the MOTU M2 drivers (physically disconnecting the device didn't fix the problem, which threw off a lot of troubleshooting steps), but I don't want to potentially spend hours reinstalling Windows and all my applications again just to risk testing it.

It could have been anything else (who knows?), but if anyone else is having this issue and desperate to solve it, consider a complete Windows reinstall, it's what finally worked for me after struggling with bad recordings for over a week.

It even fixed Shadowplay's audio desync in video editors like Resolve, which shouldn't even be possible given that it uses variable frame rate, but it did. Perhaps it was actually a problem with the GPU drivers? But, I'm just happy that everything is working properly now.

Sorry about the quad post, but I'm adding another update because the problem resurfaced:

I think I have finally narrowed it down not to the MOTU M2's drivers but either my M2 itself or my motherboard, more specifically their internal clock. I disconnected the M2 again and checked recordings with only a USB mic after spending a few days trying to troubleshoot using various software methods. After about 1h of footage with no noticeable errors, I believe I've narrowed down the problem.

I usually record with 2 audio tracks: computer audio and microphone audio from the external audio interface (M2).

Here are some of the problems I've encountered:

1. High frequency spikes in OBS recordings (as per the original post)
2. Audio dropouts in OBS (while troubleshooting with virtual audio cables and device timestamps)
3. Audio dropouts in Nvidia Shadowplay
4. Recording audio separately using Audacity/Reaper resulted in files with no audible errors but different lengths, causing drift over time.

Audio dropouts being a few ms of missing audio after 10-20 minutes or so, creating a harsh sound effect especially in the middle of dialogue. You'll notice a small gap in the waveform.

This is despite all devices being set to 48000Hz in software, as the problem is with the actual sample rate of each device (motherboard and audio interface) being different. I'm using a Z390 Aorus Ultra, but it's possible I got a bad unit.

If you have a similar problem, I recommend trying (4) first to see if the problem you have is with desync.

I do not know whether it is the motherboard or the audio interface that's deviating from 48000Hz (possibly both), nor do I know how to sync them together though I am aware there are methods. Using the M2's built-in loopback did not resolve the problem for me, nor did routing it through Voicemeeter Banana (iirc this method led to audio dropouts in place of high frequency spikes).

My solution
In the end, I unplugged the M2 and switched to a USB microphone so I only had to deal with one clock (motherboard) in the recording chain. I don't believe this is a widespread problem, as my previous computer (different motherboard) had no issues with the M2 (it could be that they coincidentally deviated from 48000Hz in the same way, so I can't decisively conclude that it's my current motherboard yet).

There are other ways to fix this such as use of word clocks and master clocks to sync everything, but they will take more work to understand compared to just plugging in a USB microphone instead or replacing the motherboard/audio interface.