Static While Streaming/Disc Full

[CalvaryBC]

Good evening,

Our church has been streaming its services with OBS for several years. We recently changed computers and have ran into a few issues.

When we stream to Facebook and YouTube, our audio contains a lot of electrical static; however, this only occurs WHILE streaming. The audio sounds fine while previewing. We have checked our mixer, sound card, cable, and have also updated our computer. We also updated OBS, and have tried two different GPUs (Internal and External). We also made sure that all Global Audio Devices were disabled. Nothing seems to work. Even when we record on separate software, we have the same problem. Again, this ONLY happens WHILE streaming. When we are not streaming, everything sounds great.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[Lawrence_SoCal]

Even when we record on separate software, we have the same problem. Again, this ONLY happens WHILE streaming. When we are not streaming, everything sounds great.

Sorry, which is it? When you Record you have same audio problem, or no, you do NOT have an audio problem when Recording only?
OR, is this a case of Record using somethign else, OBS Studio NOT running, and audio is fine, and Record and/or Stream with OBS Studio has issue?

And have you Recorded using something else (ex Windows Recorder) and then checked Recording (both on same PC and a separate one, in case issue is on audio playback side)

Is that an analog interface connection from mixer to PC? Assuming yes (ie not Dante or USB), My first guess, the new computers' audio interface is 'different' than old computer, so may need a different gain setting
OR
Your new computer most likely has a different audio chipset/driver, (like my business class PC that has Realtek audio interface and we get a driver prompt when plugging in analog audio cable as to the nature of connected audio device (headphones, headset, line-in, etc). That audio 'device' selection by the driver can definitely impact matters (especially Line-In vs the others)
meaning... it depends on your exact new computer, and exactly which audio port in use (in my there is a clear difference between analog connection on back vs front panel)

New PC is sing Ethernet connected, not WiFi, right? if WiFi, start by switching to Ethernet (and disable WiFi), then test again

Regarding potential GPU noise... are you Recording and Streaming with same settings (I don't, I locally Record at a much higher quality than we stream. For testing, if different encoder settings, then GPU usage for Record vs Stream is different... just something to be aware of when troubleshooting)

IF audio issue is ONLY when OBS Studio running, have you double-checked any/all Audio filters/effects (presumably for testing/troubleshooting purposes, remove ALL OBS Studio Audio filters),

 

[CalvaryBC]

Good evening. I apologize for any confusion.

The electrical noise occurs ONLY when we are streaming and/or recording. When I say ‘recording’ I mean in OBS Studio. However when we are streaming and/or recording in OBS, the same noise occurs when we record on OTHER software through the same input. The problem is caused by starting a stream and/or recording in OBS.

Our input is digital. Our audio is coming from a Behringer Live Card with is part of a Beheinger X32 digital mixer. The card connects to our computer via a USB 1.0 to USB 2.0 connection. The computer uses a Live Card driver which is designed for Behringer devices.

Our computer is a gaming PC, so we have both an integrated and external GPU. We have tried using both.

To answer your question, we do stream and record (in OBS) with the same encoder settings.

We appreciate it very much!

Thank you!

 

[CalvaryBC]

I am attaching a video to better explain the problem. There have been a few updates to the issue.

I was incorrect when I said that we had tried two different GPUs. We are only using one, which is a dedicated GPU for gaming. It is an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060. Our internal GPU is disabled.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

Any suggestions appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Lawrence_SoCal]

Hmmm....
Good that you are using a digital audio (USB) connection (that eliminates a whole host of potential troubleshooting).

My next thought is that it is the PC itself. 'Noisy' USB environments are not uncommon. You hear audio folks (sound engineers, musicians, etc) mention getting dedicated sound cards to work around cheap audio on most PCs.

However, if with OBS Studio NOT running at all, you can record audio that sounds good via same USB audio input, that would tend to indicate audio hardware & driver performance not an issue. Just thinking along scientific method of eliminating variables
- you do have the possibility of a CPU load issue where PC is okay when OBS Studio load is NOT running (Streaming/Recording shouldn't make much of an issue... most of computationally demanding workload is in enabling Preview Screen (2X workload of in Studio Mode ... ie 2 Preview Windows/renders)... not outputting that composited result via Stream/or local Recording
meaning basic hardware resource (CPU, GPU, RAM, Disk & network I/O, etc) utilization monitoring is called for
- You could also be having an issue with any of OBS Studio's native Audio filters/effects or similar plugins
I'd be inclined to create a clean Scene Collection, with NO filters/effects (audio or Video) and check Audio recording
be sure to check Recording both on OBS Studio PC and another PC

My Business class tower PC with an i7-10700K has an iGPU and a GTX 1660 Super. which is fine/plenty for 1080p. I had no need to disable iGPU in BIOS/OS. In my case, I'm using a single DisplayPort output on PC (into a DP MST monitor, daisy-chaining 2nd DP monitor... at end of 50ft fiber DP cable (also using Active USB cable for keyboard and mouse over same distance) ... PC up in choir loft, PC in sound closet downstairs)

Don't forget to pinned post in the forum regarding posting OBS Studio log from problem session (link in my .sig)

 

[CalvaryBC]

Good afternoon. I apologize for the delayed response.

We did wonder if the issue had something to do with the sound card. I know that oftentimes, people will use an external audio interface, which bypasses the sound card in the computer, as you mentioned. We did try an analog to digital connection via a Behringer U-Control UCA222 audio interface (which is very basic). This setup did work, but I am not sure how feasible this would be long term, and if another audio interface would work with our Behringer X32 Live card.

We have been closely tracking our CPU usage, and there is nothing to indicate that it is being overloaded. We have also checked to make sure that there are no audio filters being used on our audio input capture.

We did setup a new profile and scene, and we got the same result. We also tested the setup (with the Live card) on another computer, which is configured to the same OBS settings. The audio sounded fine.

At the moment, we are streaming at 720p (SD), but would like to stream at 1080p, if we can resolve this issue. Our camera setup is just a simple USB connection. We used to run it to our primary monitor, but after we got the new computer, we started running directly to one of the computer's USB 2.0 ports. Two of our monitors use display, and the one we use for screen mirroring uses VGA, which is then converted to display.

At this point, we are beginning to think that the issue has to do with our GPU (Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060). We are not sure.

I have attached our most recent OBS log file for further review.

We greatly appreciate the help! Thank you!

 

[Lawrence_SoCal]

You have mismatched audio sampling rates... best to fix that (at Operating System level)- use same sampling rates for all OBS Studio audio sources (I recommend disabling any Audio Sources at Global (main settings) Level anything you won't be using).

Along those lines, I don't like seeing this (but that may be my ignorance, and can be safely ignored... ???)

17:11:28.488: [win-wasapi: 'Audio Input Capture'] update settings:​

17:11:28.488: device id: {0.0.1.00000000}.{1e6a6569-8d97-46de-856a-a9a32f4deb0f}​

17:11:28.488: use device timing: 1​

17:11:28.489: [WASAPISource::TryInitialize]:[IN 1-2 (BEHRINGER X-LIVE)] Failed to activate client context: 88890004​

17:11:28.489: WASAPI: Device '{0.0.1.00000000}.{1e6a6569-8d97-46de-856a-a9a32f4deb0f}' failed to start (source: Audio Input Capture)​

17:11:28.489: USB Camera: data.GetDevice failed​

17:11:28.489: USB Camera: Video configuration failed​

Again, if Audio exists on USB camera, and not using, then disable (I prefer to do so at Operating System level, but it depends)

That log is NOT complete, from a Recording and/or Streaming session (which adds a bunch of important details)

 

[CalvaryBC]

Good afternoon,

All audio devices have been disabled under the global audio settings.

We went to Nvidia's website (the company that produced our GPU) and tried their recommended settings for OBS. We have tried several different bitrates, filters, and base/output resolutions.

Strangely, if we raise the bitrate under "Encoder Settings", the problem seems to be fixed. We are almost maxing out our internet upload bandwidth (10 mbps), but this seems to help the issue. It really does not matter what the number is, so long as we raise it. 9000 seemed to work very well. The electrical noise is present briefly when the stream is first started, but it quickly resolves when we reach maximum bandwidth (around 9000 for instance). What's more, we get the same result whether we are using the Nvidia GPU or not (software x264).

Generally, not only do we stream to Facebook, we also "record" to YouTube with the "output to URL feature" under advanced output settings. When we attempt to stream to Facebook and record to YouTube, our frames begin to drop; however, if we split the bitrate in half (i.e. 9000 to 4500), the stream is steady, even though we are not using maximum bandwidth.

The use of this graphics card is somewhat new to us because our old computer simply used an integrated GPU. It did not have a dedicated graphics processor. Interestingly, that old computer never hiccupped.

I apologize that the log I posted was not complete. We have really not ran a complete stream since this issue began. I will try to post an updated log tomorrow.

We appreciate the help! Thank you!

 

[CalvaryBC]

Good evening,

I have attached a log from a complete stream, which ran this morning. The bitrate was set to 4500 under "encoder settings".

We only streamed to Facebook for the first five minutes, and during this time the electrical noise/camera issue was present. About five minutes into the stream, we began recording to YouTube through the "record to URL" function. After this, the issue stopped.

Also, we tried replacing our graphics card, and the issue is still present; however, the stream that ran this morning used the original graphics card that came with the computer.

Again, we greatly appreciate the help. Thank you!

 

[Lawrence_SoCal]

Side comment... CDN (content delivery networks) like Facebook and YouTube HIGHLY compress video. yes, storage is 'free' , BUT that Recording will not be anywhere near the quality of what you could save locally. IF you plan to ever use video for marketing, or Wedding/Baptism, etc and give to someone, I always go with higher quality local recording (we stream at 7000 kbps, but record at around 3X that)... a 4TB HDD is cheap for archiving Service Recordings... note, I record to SSD, then move to HDD for archiving.. I'll start pruning HDD when it gets near full (which we are still years away from)
if you really don't have space locally and are ok with lower video quality on YouTube, I'd still be inclined to Record locally, then upload after the service, using the available upload bandwidth to improve bitrate (video quality) for primary livestream channel

Why for a church service are you using 60 fps? what do you need slow motion for? presuming no need for 60 fps, you'll get better video quality using existing bitrate at 1/2 the frame rate

Seems odd to me that you are getting this
12:03:00.142: Output 'adv_stream': Number of lagged frames due to rendering lag/stalls: 158 (0.1%)
Our GTX 1660 Super has 0 Rendering lag...

As for the audio... not sure, and I suspect it would take a deeper dive into the nVidia settings at Operating System level (and outside my expertise)

 

[CalvaryBC]

Good evening,

The issue we are dealing with is not necessarily an audio/video quality issue. I apologize for any confusion.

Our problem seems to be a compatibility issue between our computer and OBS.

I know I have probably posed this issue as strictly an audio issue, but video is affected as well.

We we attempt to stream, our audio pops, and our video glitches, as shown in the video I posted this past week. The quality of the video is not low. It simply flickers from time to time. After testing multiple computers and setups (as specified previously), we have determined that the issue has to do with OBS and our GPU (as mentioned above).

We have discovered that the only OBS setting that affects this issue is the bitrate which is specified under encoder settings. It seems that the quality of the stream increases when we up our GPU usage. For example, our maximum internet upload speed is 10mbps. If we set the encoder to a bitrate of 4000, the issue persists; however, if we set the the bitrate to 9000 (closer to maxing out), the stream sounds great. The popping and glitching appears momentarily, but goes away quickly as the bandwidth increases. This was all determined while observing our GPU and ethernet use. As the GPU usage increases, the quality of the stream increases as well.

Here is the catch: When we 'stream' to Facebook and 'record' to YouTube (through the record to URL feature under advanced output settings), we begin dropping frames if the bitrate is set to a high number. If we split the bitrate in half (i.e. 9000 to 4500), we are able to stream to both platforms without a problem.

Again, the ONLY setting that is making a difference for us is the bitrate. We have tried filters for our Output/Base Resolution, have switched back and forth between the Nvidia GPU and software (x264), and have also adjusted numerous other settings in OBS and on our Nvidia graphics card. We also switched to an AMD graphics card (just for testing), and changed the buffer settings on our Behringer X Live driver (which is how we output audio from our Behringer X32 mixer). We get the same result. Bitrate is the only setting that makes any difference.

Strangely, we never ran into any of these issues on our old PC. We were not even using a dedicated graphics card.

We do not think that the issue has to do with Facebook or YouTube, simply because we used the same setup on our old PC and never had an issue.

As far as the pls, we have had it set to 60 for awhile. We changed to 60 on the old computer, because we were having issues with our YouTube stream health. This is a separate issue.

We appreciate all of the help! Thank you!

 

[Lawrence_SoCal]

My side comment about 'Recording to YouTube' was due to limited time available yesterday, not a misunderstanding of the overall issue.. though your clarification does help

The issue we are dealing with is not necessarily an audio/video quality issue. I apologize for any confusion.
Our problem seems to be a compatibility issue between our computer and OBS.

Beware how you phrase things, as they have technical implications.
And I suspect your issue is noticeable with OBS Studio usage, but is likely you'd have same issue with other similar software... I'm suspecting a hardware issue (possibly an electronic noise interference from GPU to motherboard?)

Have you checked motherboard BIOS settings? no overclocking or similar? BIOS update? BIOS power settings?

Have you tested with fewer monitors plugged in?
And I'm suspicious of how helpful these settings are

10:50:08.236: video settings reset:​

....​

10:50:08.236: downscale filter: Lanczos​

10:50:08.236: fps: 60/1​

10:50:08.236: format: NV12​

10:50:08.236: YUV mode: Rec. 601/Partial​

I'm not running 30.1.2, so not sure, but Lanczos was not default previously... and it has implications... maybe a good idea.. maybe not??
And did you change the YUV mode, or is that the default?

I know I have probably posed this issue as strictly an audio issue, but video is affected as well.

We we attempt to stream, our audio pops, and our video glitches, as shown in the video I posted this past week. The quality of the video is not low. It simply flickers from time to time. After testing multiple computers and setups (as specified previously), we have determined that the issue has to do with OBS and our GPU (as mentioned above).

We have discovered that the only OBS setting that affects this issue is the bitrate which is specified under encoder settings. It seems that the quality of the stream increases when we up our GPU usage. For example, our maximum internet upload speed is 10mbps. If we set the encoder to a bitrate of 4000, the issue persists; however, if we set the the bitrate to 9000 (closer to maxing out), the stream sounds great. The popping and glitching appears momentarily, but goes away quickly as the bandwidth increases. This was all determined while observing our GPU and ethernet use. As the GPU usage increases, the quality of the stream increases as well.

Here is the catch: When we 'stream' to Facebook and 'record' to YouTube (through the record to URL feature under advanced output settings), we begin dropping frames if the bitrate is set to a high number. If we split the bitrate in half (i.e. 9000 to 4500), we are able to stream to both platforms without a problem.

If upload bandwidth is 10mbps, then dropping frames would be expected on the stream due to contention
Again, I get that issue appears to be noise related to GPU... but could be motherboard (poor shielding somewhere).
just curious - Have you tested streaming to Facebook at 8000 kpbs or whatever, AND Recording locally ? ... this keeps GPU busy, but without overwhelming upload bandwidth

Again, the ONLY setting that is making a difference for us is the bitrate. We have tried filters for our Output/Base Resolution, have switched back and forth between the Nvidia GPU and software (x264), and have also adjusted numerous other settings in OBS and on our Nvidia graphics card. We also switched to an AMD graphics card (just for testing), and changed the buffer settings on our Behringer X Live driver (which is how we output audio from our Behringer X32 mixer). We get the same result. Bitrate is the only setting that makes any difference.

Have you tried/tested that 3060 in a different PC and duplicated the noise issue? if yes, I'd RMA the card
Have you tried/tested a physically different nVidia GPU in new PC? sounds like you did, right?
Earlier you mentioned replacing the 3060 (swapping out for other GPU) and the issue persisted... indicating not an issue specific to the physical 3060 ? [though as noted earlier, possibly a noise issue between GPU and motherboard (or something on it) ]

We do not think that the issue has to do with Facebook or YouTube, simply because we used the same setup on our old PC and never had an issue.

I'm not suggesting your streaming destination setup is an issue. I simply meant to point out a downside to 'archiving to YouTube' depending on planned use of that video

As far as the pls, we have had it set to 60 for awhile. We changed to 60 on the old computer, because we were having issues with our YouTube stream health. This is a separate issue.

unrelated to your static issue, I'd recommend testing streaming back at 30fps, to see if whatever the issue was has since been resolved

the short version is... this seems likely to be a hardware issue... and narrowing it down is likely to be tedious and recognizing that if you find a s/w settings workaround (vs a hardware swap), that future OS or other update may change the 'sweet' spot... or not... no way to know for sure in advance)

 

[Lawrence_SoCal]

unrelated... in looking through recent log, I thought about your comment regarding streaming at 1080p
- I see that you may need to replace at least one, if not more of your monitors
- and connecting over USB 2.0 for 1080p30 video isn't likely to be any good (not enough bandwidth without highly compressing video at camera?) Are you sure the cameras are only USB 2.0? or are they 3.x, and you should be plugging camera(s) into USB 3.x ports?
- in my case, for best text clarity from our Service Bulletin, I did NOT want to rescale that content while streaming at 1080p. So, I got a 1440p monitor so I could run Service Bulletin in a window (PPTx windowed slide show) sized for 1080 pixels tall