Can OBS Adjust The Volume? Read This First (Solved)

One key ingredient to a decent video recording or streaming is ensuring volume levels are at the proper levels.

That means nothing is too loud, and each sound source has its proper place in the mix. If you’re using OBS for recording or broadcast, one of the notable features of the software is the ability to manage sound sources.

Can OBS adjust the volume of your recording?  

Here’s What you Need to Know About Adjusting Volume Levels in OBS:

OBS has a virtual mixer that allows you to set the volume of your audio sources so that they are consistent with each other. It also helps users ensure that each audio track is heard correctly without overpowering others.

How Do you Adjust the Volume BEFORE a Recording? 

OBS features a mixer that allows you to monitor and blend sound sources to your stream.

Using the mixer’s meters, or the light that moves back and forth during a stream, make sure that the volume level plays around the green or yellow light and does not hit the red.

Hitting the red part means that the sound is clipping and will not be pleasurable to your viewers or listeners.

As a rule of thumb, remember the acronym GIRATS: Get it right at the Source. That means the audio level should be at the optimal level from where it starts.

When you’re setting the levels of your microphone, the first thing you need to adjust is the input level from the Source, the microphone itself. If you are using a USB microphone or a microphone plugged into an audio interface or external soundcard, you will find input level controls on them.

Adjust the volume level to the highest level while avoiding the red light on the OBS mixer. Once you get to the optimal level, you can move to the following sound sources.

You can also adjust the stories in your computer’s sound settings for those using microphones that don’t have built-in volume controls. Make sure that your microphone is set as the default input source.

If you have other participants joining you in the recording, you should also have them do the same for their microphone.

Check Other Sources:

If you’re streaming content from an app, such as a media player or video game, adjust the volume level on the app based on the meter reading on OBS.

You may also want to keep these volume levels lower than your microphone levels unless you plan to talk when playing audio from these sources.

If you have Zoom or Discord linked to your OBS session, don’t forget to adjust them.

If the volume from your audio sources (e.g., microphone, apps) is at maximum and the levels are still not ideal, adjust the volume sliders on the OBS mixer, but try keeping them at below -5dB.

Also read our article on that explains about Can OBS Stream To Multiple Platforms?

Can you Adjust the Volume During a Recording?

If you think something is too loud while recording or streaming on OBS, you have the option to fix it while in progress.

How Does the OBS Sound Mixer Work?

The OBS sound mixer allows you to control individual audio outputs into your recording or live stream.

It acts as a virtual mixer that helps you achieve the right amount of levels.

The OBS sound mixer feature five components:

1. Volume Level
2. Volume Meter
3. Fader
4. Mute
5. Options

The layout does not differ from an audio mixer.

The Volume level displays how many decibels or percent the sound currently is. Meanwhile, the Volume Meter are the colored bars that light up to notify you how hot the signal going through is.

The Fader is what you adjust to set the decibel levels to avoid any distortion in the signal.

The Mute allows you to disconnect a call without touching the Fader, and the Options Menu gives you added settings for the track.

How Do I Make Sure the Sound Quality and Levels are Optimized? 

As a rule of thumb, the sound levels of all people speaking should be at equal levels.

Remember that people have different speaking volumes, so setting the volume level at similar levels is not enough.

Before starting a broadcast or recording, it’s essential to do a soundcheck so that everyone can adjust their sound levels. If the microphone input is not sufficient, that’s when you change on the end of the OBS mixer.

Once you get your microphone levels at the right spot, it’s time to adjust your media volume.

Again you play it by ear, but as a rule of thumb, keep media volume lower than the speakers’ microphones, unless you won’t play them while the speakers talk.

How Do I Mute an Audio Source in OBS? 

The mixer in OBS features a mute switch that allows you to cut the sound without changing volume settings.

Can You Use an External Controller to Adjust Volume Levels? 

You can use macro key controllers to adjust volume levels on OBS.

It’s worth noting that OBS also featured on its site an Android app that lets you use your smartphone as a controller for OBS.

What is the Best Way to Check the Sound Levels with OBS?

The best way to check sound levels is to do a run-through before recording with all the effects or plugins.

By turning on these effects, you can get an idea of how your recording will sound.

From here, you can tweak your levels or remove any effects that you might have that don’t contribute to the quality of your recording or broadcast.

Can you Adjust the Volume After Recording?

You can adjust the volume of each audio Source after recording, provided that the session is multitrack, with each audio recording having a track of its own.

If you recorded everything together in one track, you could only adjust the overall recording and not each audio Source.

Unfortunately, the only way to correct this is to re-record the whole session.

Final Thoughts

OBS provides you with ways to adjust volume levels during a broadcast or recording.

The nice thing about it is that you can test everything before starting and make adjustments as needed.

And while you can make adjustments during recording, it’s always better to test things out before proceeding with the actual recording or broadcast for consistencies.

Sources:

Understanding The Mixer

How to get PERFECT Audio Levels in OBS and Streamlabs OBS

Does OBS work on Mac