Separate Game, Discord and Microphone Audio in OBS
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Create separate sources for the microphone, game and Discord, then assign each to its own recording track. Also send all three to track 1 so a normal playback has the complete programme.
You can build this around an existing USB microphone or a suitable interface input. If you are still choosing equipment, compare the USB microphone options or use the interface loopback decision guide to establish whether an interface adds something you need.
Give every sound one named source
Use names you will recognise in a busy scene: Mic, Game and Discord. Decide which source owns each sound before adding another capture route.
For this Windows 11 setup, add Audio Input Capture for the microphone and Application Audio Capture for Discord, then choose the actual device or window in each source. OBS’s application audio guide also covers the Capture Audio option in Game or Window Capture. Choose that or a separate Application Audio Capture source for the game.
For this per-application setup, disable global Desktop Audio in Settings → Audio to avoid also capturing the combined desktop. Keep the microphone in one place too: a dedicated Mic source or the configured Mic/Aux input.
Separate sources you can balance.
A complete mix for normal listening.
Individual sources for editing.
Check each source before assigning tracks
Make a sound in one source at a time. Speak with the game quiet, then stop speaking and play the game, then ask the other person on Discord to speak. Follow the corresponding mixer meter for each.
A meter moving on Game while Discord is speaking suggests a mixed or duplicate route. Fix that before recording a long session. This check is easier with the three source names visible than with several devices all called Default.
For a Focusrite interface, start with its OBS setup guide. A single voice carried in a stereo input pair can need the Mono setting; preserve stereo for the game and other stereo programme material. Additional interface inputs can need Windows channel exposure before they appear in a normal app.
Use this recording-track map
| Source | Track 1: full mix | Track 2: mic | Track 3: game | Track 4: Discord |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mic | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Game | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Discord | Yes | No | No | Yes |
Open Advanced Audio Properties from the Audio Mixer and make the source assignments. In Settings → Output, switch Output Mode to Advanced, open Recording and enable tracks 1–4. Choose a recording format that supports multiple audio tracks, such as MKV. Both parts matter: a source assigned to track 4 will still be missing from the file if track 4 is not recorded.
Use the complete programme mix for the live audience. In the recording editor, choose either track 1 or the individual tracks for the final mix. Playing all of them together would add the same sounds twice.
The track numbers here are a worked example. Keep the map with your project so an editor can identify the isolated voice and game tracks without guessing.
Check the file in an editor as well as a player
OBS’s multiple-track recording guide notes that standard video players normally play one audio track at a time. Hearing the full programme from track 1 is useful, but it does not prove that tracks 2–4 were recorded.
Open the test file in an editor that exposes the recorded audio tracks. Solo the mic track: it should contain your voice. Then check Game and Discord independently. Speak, trigger a recognisable game sound and have the other person say a different phrase so the test is easy to follow.
If a track is silent, check the recording-track selection and its source assignment. If it contains several unwanted sounds, return to capture routing. Changing the track checkbox cannot separate sounds that were already mixed into one input.
Fix doubled audio at the source
If a voice or game sounds doubled, mute one suspected duplicate source and make another short recording. Common combinations to inspect are game capture audio plus a separate capture of the same game, Desktop Audio plus per-app sources, and the microphone added both globally and as a scene source.
With interface loopback, also check whether the voice is already part of that mix before adding it separately. If the headphones have an echo but the file is clean, inspect the monitoring paths rather than altering a working recording mix.
A noisy room is a separate problem. The microphone background-noise guide covers position, gain and processing after the signal routing is correct.
Recheck the map when the scene changes
Save a short reference recording after adding another application, changing interface inputs or replacing a scene. A music source, browser video or additional guest needs a deliberate place in the programme and editing tracks.
If you only record your voice and the game, omit the Discord source and track 4. When a lesson or performance needs several physical sources, the audio-interface guide helps count the microphone and instrument inputs before buying.
Some applications have capture exceptions, including separate in-game voice paths. If a sound is missing despite a moving application meter, use the compatibility section of OBS’s application capture documentation for that application rather than adding every available desktop source.