In OBS on Windows 10 version 2004 or later, or Windows 11, add the music player as an Application Audio Capture source, select its window, and balance it against your microphone in the Audio Mixer. If you stream on Twitch, OBS can also send music to the live mix while excluding it from the VOD mix. Neither setting grants music rights: use tracks licensed for the platforms and live, archived, and clipped uses you intend.
Capture a music player in OBS on Windows
- Open the OBS Sources dock, select +, and add Application Audio Capture. Give the source a clear name, such as “Background music.”
- Choose the window containing the music player. OBS recommends matching by application type in most cases. If a window title changes, as can happen with a browser or Spotify, matching by executable name can keep capture attached to the app.
- Play a track and check that the source’s meter moves in the Audio Mixer.
This documented Application Audio Capture workflow is for Windows 10 version 2004 or later and Windows 11. If you use macOS or Linux, consult the current OBS documentation for your operating system; these Windows steps do not establish the equivalent setup there. Newer OBS releases also describe enabling audio capture through a Window Capture or Game Capture source, so check the current OBS labels and documentation for your version.
If you use a dedicated application-audio source, avoid capturing that same sound a second time through global Desktop Audio. In OBS, open Settings → Audio and disable global Desktop Audio if it would duplicate the player audio. Duplicate capture can produce echo or an unnecessarily loud signal.
Balance music against speech
- Speak into your microphone while the music plays, then watch both meters in the Audio Mixer.
- Keep speech clear and lower the music until it sits behind the voice. OBS’s Audio Mixer guidance places background music and sound effects in the green meter zone and speech in the yellow zone; game or other content should sit lower. These are qualitative pointers, not universal numerical targets.
- Listen to the mix, not just the meters. Monitor the signal early in the audio path and again as it enters OBS. A meter reading alone cannot tell you how loud or distracting a sound will seem to viewers.
There is no single correct music level for every voice, microphone, genre, and stream. Adjust while speaking at your normal volume, and reduce the music further if words become difficult to understand.
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Keep music out of a Twitch VOD
OBS’s Twitch VOD Track feature can route audio differently for the live broadcast and its VOD. To use the documented workflow:
- Connect your Twitch account in OBS.
- In Settings → Output, enable the Twitch VOD Track option.
- Open Advanced Audio Properties from the Audio Mixer and assign sources to the appropriate tracks. The OBS example sends all sources to live track 1 and omits the Music source from VOD track 2.
This changes the VOD mix; it does not make it permissible to play a track during the live broadcast. It also does not automatically cover clips, highlights, or copies posted elsewhere. Check the license for every intended use.
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Choose music whose rights cover your stream
OBS routing controls where audio goes; they do not grant permission to use a song. YouTube says it scans livestreams for third-party content. A match may replace the stream with a placeholder, trigger a warning, interrupt or terminate the stream, and can be associated with a copyright strike. If you have licensed a track, YouTube advises asking the rights owner to add your channel to its Content ID allowlist; without allowlisting, a stream can still be interrupted. See YouTube’s guidance on copyright issues with live streams.
YouTube identifies public-domain music and music used with the copyright owner’s permission as safe bases for use. It points creators to the YouTube Audio Library and notes that Creator Music has catalog and program limitations that vary by region. A label such as “free,” or crediting the creator in your description, does not by itself make a track copyright-safe.
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Twitch likewise says creators are responsible for having rights to livestream or store copyrighted material, and a license for one context may not cover Twitch broadcasts or recorded video. Its DMCA and copyright guidance and Music Options page are starting points, not blanket approval for every track or use. Confirm current terms at the track and service level.
Verify these details for each track
- Uses: Does permission cover live broadcasts, VODs, clips, highlights, and later reposts?
- Platforms and territory: Which services and countries are covered?
- Monetization and attribution: Is monetization allowed, and are credit or revenue-sharing conditions required?
- Content ID handling: Must the channel be allowlisted, or is there a claim-release process?
- Duration and changes: How long does the license last, and what happens if a subscription ends or rights change?
- Records: Keep the track name, source, applicable license version, purchase or subscription record, and any required attribution.
These are questions to check in the specific license, not terms that are identical across catalogs. For platform-specific detail, consult YouTube’s music guidance and Twitch’s copyright guidance.
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Troubleshoot common audio problems
The music meter does not move
Confirm that the intended player window is selected and that audio is playing. If the window title changes, try matching by executable name rather than a changing window title. Check the source’s audio capture option if you are using Window Capture or Game Capture in a newer OBS version.
The music is doubled, echoing, or too loud
Check whether both Application Audio Capture and global Desktop Audio are capturing the same player. Disable the duplicate capture in Settings → Audio, then listen to the mix again and rebalance the music against speech.
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The music overwhelms the voice
Lower the music source while speaking at normal volume, then listen to the OBS mix. Use the meter zones as a guide rather than a fixed level target; intelligible speech matters more than matching a particular meter reading.
YouTube interrupts a stream despite a license
A license does not necessarily prevent automated Content ID matching. Ask the rights owner to allowlist your channel, and verify that the license covers the actual live use, territory, and platform. Do not assume a clean VOD mix resolves a live-stream match.
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