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To keep game audio in an OBS recording that you plan to rerun, capture the game’s audio and include it on audio track 1. For a YouTube livestream archive, first determine whether the audio is missing from the live stream itself or only from the archive: OBS documents ways to capture game audio, but the official guidance cited here does not establish how YouTube handles audio tracks in archived streams. Twitch’s VOD Track setting is not a YouTube fix.
First identify which playback is missing audio
“VOD” can mean different outputs. A local OBS recording, a YouTube livestream archive, and a prerecorded video played as a rerun do not necessarily use the same audio path. Test the output where the problem occurs before changing settings.
- Live stream: Check whether viewers can hear the game while you are live. If not, troubleshoot OBS capture and mixer levels first.
- YouTube archive: If game audio was audible live but is absent from the archived stream, do not assume an OBS recording-track setting or Twitch VOD option controls YouTube’s archive. The YouTube encoder guidance confirms OBS can broadcast gameplay, but does not document archive audio-track selection.
- Local recording or prerecorded rerun: Check that the game audio is captured and included on the track used for playback. A standard video player generally plays only one audio track at a time.
Capture game audio in OBS
Use one of OBS’s built-in capture approaches first. The right choice depends on your OBS version, Windows version, and whether you want audio captured with the game image or through a separate source.
Option 1: Include audio in Game Capture or Window Capture
- In OBS Studio 30.1 or later, add or select the game’s Game Capture or Window Capture source.
- Open that source’s properties and enable Capture Audio (BETA).
- Start the game and check OBS’s audio mixer. Confirm its meter moves when game audio plays.
Option 2: Add Application Audio Capture
- In a scene, add an Application Audio Capture (BETA) source.
- Select the game’s window. OBS recommends matching by application type for most applications; matching by executable name can help when the window title changes.
- Play game audio and confirm the new source appears and meters in the OBS audio mixer.
OBS documents per-application audio capture for Windows 10 version 2004 or later and Windows 11. If you use this method and hear an echo, open Settings → Audio and disable the global Desktop Audio source. OBS gives that advice specifically for setups using Application Audio Capture; it is not a blanket instruction for every scene.
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Check the mixer before going live or recording
- Make sure the game’s audio meter responds while the game is producing sound.
- Check that the intended source is not muted and that its mixer fader is not turned down.
- If both application capture and Desktop Audio are capturing the same sound, remove the duplicate path or disable global Desktop Audio for the Application Audio Capture setup.
Put game audio on the track your rerun will play
For a local OBS recording intended to play directly in a standard video player, send all audio you need—including game audio—to track 1 and enable track 1 in the recording output settings.
- In the OBS audio mixer, open Advanced Audio Properties.
- On the game-audio source, select audio track 1. Select track 1 for any other sound that must be heard in the finished video.
- Open Settings → Output and make sure track 1 is enabled for recording.
- Record a short test, play it in the same player or workflow you will use for the rerun, and verify the game can be heard.
The OBS Project’s Multiple Audio Track Recording Guide, published July 14, 2023, warns that standard video players play one audio track at a time. It recommends putting all needed sources on track 1 if you will not process the file in an editor. Separate tracks can be useful for editing, but do not assume a player will mix them together automatically.
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Use a virtual cable only if normal capture fails
If the game does not work with Application Audio Capture, OBS documents a workaround using VB-CABLE to route the application’s audio into OBS.
- Route the game’s audio through VB-CABLE using the cable’s supported setup.
- In OBS, add an Audio Input Capture source and select the cable output.
- Check the OBS mixer, then record or stream a short test to confirm the routed game audio is present.
This is a conditional fallback for incompatible audio paths, not a requirement for every game. OBS’s Application Audio Capture Guide, published July 12, 2023, also notes the Desktop Audio setting to avoid echo when using application capture.
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Do not apply Twitch VOD Track settings to YouTube
OBS’s Twitch VOD Track Guide, published July 14, 2023, describes separate feeds for a live Twitch stream and its Twitch VOD. Its default arrangement uses track 1 for the live feed and track 2 for the VOD feed. That is Twitch-specific guidance; it does not establish a setting for YouTube archives or reruns. For YouTube, verify the actual stream and archive rather than treating Twitch’s VOD track as the remedy.
YouTube’s encoder setup guidance lists OBS as an encoder for broadcasting gameplay. It does not explain how YouTube selects audio tracks in an archived stream, so if audio is present live but missing only in the archive, the available documentation does not establish a specific OBS setting that fixes that archive behavior.
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Troubleshoot in this order
- No game audio in the live stream: Confirm the game source is captured, its mixer meter moves, and it is not muted or turned down. Try Application Audio Capture on a supported Windows version, or enable Capture Audio (BETA) on Game Capture or Window Capture in OBS Studio 30.1 or later.
- Echo or doubled game sound: Check for simultaneous capture through Application Audio Capture and global Desktop Audio. For the application-capture setup, disable Desktop Audio in Settings → Audio if it is duplicating the signal.
- Game audio absent from a local recording: Confirm the source is assigned to track 1 and that track 1 is enabled under Settings → Output. Test the file in the intended player.
- Separate tracks exist but playback is silent: The player may be playing only a different single track. Put all sounds needed for direct playback on track 1, or use an editor to mix the tracks.
- Application Audio Capture does not capture this game: Try OBS’s documented VB-CABLE routing fallback and capture the cable output with Audio Input Capture.
- Live audio works but YouTube archive audio does not: Twitch VOD Track settings are not evidence of a YouTube solution. The cited YouTube encoder page does not specify archive-track handling.
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