Streaming volume completely random

[Chikokishi]

Sometimes when i stream, the stream volume is so low that you cant hear anything with the speakers at full volume. But other times, the sound is gained up so loudly that footsteps are sound clipping and my speakers sound like they want to explode.

Im not changing any settings between sessions. What can i do to get control over this?

 

[AaronD]

Does OBS's meter show that difference too?

All I can think of is a loose connection from the mic itself. I've had those in pro audio rigs, and it's possible to turn it up enough to get something anyway. Then something wiggles enough to make a complete connection, and that high gain makes it the worst clipping you've ever heard! Then it wiggles again, and it's back to barely there. Re-flow the broken solder joint (that's usually what it is), and problem solved.

 

[Chikokishi]

Does OBS's meter show that difference too?

All I can think of is a loose connection from the mic itself. I've had those in pro audio rigs, and it's possible to turn it up enough to get something anyway. Then something wiggles enough to make a complete connection, and that high gain makes it the worst clipping you've ever heard! Then it wiggles again, and it's back to barely there. Re-flow the broken solder joint (that's usually what it is), and problem solved.

Yes. and its not my Mic, its the Game audio. For example, i streamed yesterday, and the game is gained so loud that you cant hardly comprehend whats being said. But today, i had to boost the volume to 2000%, and the game audio is still barely hearable.

Same game, same settings, same setup.

 

[AaronD]

So OBS is probably fine then. It's passing through what it's actually getting. How does it get from the game to OBS?

 

[Chikokishi]

So OBS is probably fine then. It's passing through what it's actually getting. How does it get from the game to OBS?

I set up game capture, specific window, chose game.

I have been using obs for about 2 years and this problem just started in the past couple weeks.

 

[AaronD]

I've heard of people having problems with the game audio capture or application audio capture. Good concept, but it just doesn't work a lot of the time. Don't know why.

It seems to work better to use a loopback instead. This one seems to be the most popular:

VB-Audio Virtual Apps

VB-Audio Virtual Cable and App's

vb-audio.com

Install that, and you have a new virtual speaker and a new virtual mic. Whatever you send to that "speaker" goes nowhere except to appear in that "mic", but they act like physical devices as far as anything else is concerned. So you go to the game settings and send it to that "speaker", and you set up an Input Capture in OBS that connects to that "mic".

Or, if you already have the game going to some speakers or headphones or whatever, then you don't have to install anything. Just use the Output Capture source in OBS, and connect it to the same device that the game is already going to. You'll also get everything else that goes to that device, but if it's only the game anyway, then it's fine.

If you need to separate things and route different things to different places, then you're back to installing something. If you tab over from the link above, you'll get these:

VB-Audio VoiceMeeter

VoiceMeeter Virtual Audio Device Mixer by V.Burel

vb-audio.com

VB-Audio VoiceMeeter Banana

VoiceMeeter Banana, the Advanced Virtual Audio Mixer by V.Burel

vb-audio.com

VB-Audio VoiceMeeter Potato

VoiceMeeter Potato, the Ultimate Virtual Audio Mixer for Windows

vb-audio.com

Those are three different sizes of virtual audio mixer, that include 1, 2, or 3 virtual inputs and outputs depending on which one you get, in addition to the physical devices that it can connect to. If you do that, then you can have an Input Capture in OBS connected to a virtual out of that mixer, connect the game to a virtual in of that mixer, and then use the mixer's routing buttons to send the game to wherever you need, both physical and virtual.

 

[Chikokishi]

hmm ill look into that. I dont know a whole lot about sources and the like.

 

[koala]

There are many independent volume controls you might have changed without noticing:

1. ingame volume control. If you change some audio volume within the game settings, OBS is affected.
2. Windows app volume control. To reach under Windows 11: Windows 11 Settings→System→Sound→Volume mixer. You can adjust the volume of each app individually. For most games and apps with their own internal audio mixer, this and the previous setting are independent. For some apps this and the previous setting are the same, but only for a few such as media players. If you change your game volume here, OBS is affected.
3. Main windows audio control. This is the master control that affects the volume of the Windows default output, usually speakers, and affects all Windows audio sources at the same time. OBS is NOT affected(!). Even if you mute this, OBS is still receiving unchanged audio.
4. OBS volume control. Either the slider in the Audio Mixer dock or Volume in dB in advanced audio properties - they're the same thing. OBS is affected.

If you activated the built in monitoring feature of OBS to monitor some audio source (i. e. you set some source in Advanced Audio Properties->Audio Monitoring so something other than "Monitor off"), things will complicate even more, so don't do this while debugging your audio issues. Set all your sources to "Monitor off".

 

[Chikokishi]

Maybe explained in the previous post, But i was able to figure out that having OBS turned down in the sounds level menu actually effected how much OBS records. Itsa bit odd i think, but when i turned it up, the recording increased as well. Thank you everyone

 

[AaronD]

Maybe explained in the previous post, But i was able to figure out that having OBS turned down in the sounds level menu actually effected how much OBS records. Itsa bit odd i think, but when i turned it up, the recording increased as well. Thank you everyone

Yeah that's weird. But glad you figured it out!

In a PC, or in a digital patch cord that has the option, etc., I try to keep all of those level controls at 100% unless there's some specific reason not to. That's usually "no change", or 0dB, so that the samples that come out the other end are the same as what went in. Makes things easier to keep track of that way, if ALL of the processing is in one place and easy to see, including even "simple" level changes.

If there's a level control that is not a raw mic or final speaker, I'll make it 100%, always.
A mic gets managed like the top row of knobs on a professional mixing console, for the same reason.
A speaker is of course the volume that directly goes into the air.

So if the laptop is using the built-in speakers or headphones, then the final output is my only variable volume control. Everything else is 100%.
If I plug the headphone jack into a mixing console, then it becomes another intermediate control, and thus 100% like all the others. I'll use the console's controls instead.

Everything 100% unless there's a specific reason not to, and I remember which one it is because it breaks the rule and thus grates on me.

 

[Chikokishi]

Yeah that's weird. But glad you figured it out!

In a PC, or in a digital patch cord that has the option, etc., I try to keep all of those level controls at 100% unless there's some specific reason not to. That's usually "no change", or 0dB, so that the samples that come out the other end are the same as what went in. Makes things easier to keep track of that way, if ALL of the processing is in one place and easy to see, including even "simple" level changes.

If there's a level control that is not a raw mic or final speaker, I'll make it 100%, always.
A mic gets managed like the top row of knobs on a professional mixing console, for the same reason.
A speaker is of course the volume that directly goes into the air.

So if the laptop is using the built-in speakers or headphones, then the final output is my only variable volume control. Everything else is 100%.
If I plug the headphone jack into a mixing console, then it becomes another intermediate control, and thus 100% like all the others. I'll use the console's controls instead.

Everything 100% unless there's a specific reason not to, and I remember which one it is because it breaks the rule and thus grates on me.

I have everything maxed, and i use my headphones in-line volume to control the output. But sometimes when i turn it down and then back up, SOME of the thigns dont go back up. This is what happened i believe.... I was playing Overwatch sounds and i was checking the sliders. As i raised the OBS output slider, the game sounds appears on the volume meter in OBS.

 

[AaronD]

I have everything maxed, and i use my headphones in-line volume to control the output. But sometimes when i turn it down and then back up, SOME of the thigns dont go back up. This is what happened i believe.... I was playing Overwatch sounds and i was checking the sliders. As i raised the OBS output slider, the game sounds appears on the volume meter in OBS.

Soo... The physical control on your headphones actually controls a digital thing in Windows? Never seen that before, but I suppose it's possible. It would likely require USB or Bluetooth to do that, not the old-standard 1/8in / 3.5mm TRS.