The Tool Desk
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First, identify how the playlist reaches OBS
The right control depends on whether OBS is playing local files, VLC is handling a playlist, or a browser is playing YouTube audio. Find the corresponding source in the Audio Mixer and meter that source—not a different desktop or microphone channel.
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| Playback path | What to check | Level-control implication |
|---|---|---|
| OBS Media Source | A local media file loaded as a Media Source. OBS lists MP3, AAC, OGG, and WAV among its supported audio formats. See the OBS Media Sources guide. | Adjust the file/player level if available, then the Media Source’s OBS fader and filters. |
| OBS VLC Video playlist | A playlist-capable VLC Video source. It offers loop and shuffle controls and requires VLC to be installed; the OBS guide specifies 64-bit VLC for 64-bit OBS. See OBS Media Sources. | Use the dedicated source’s mixer controls and filters; verify the loudest playlist item. |
| YouTube in a browser | Whether OBS captures the browser/application specifically or captures desktop audio. OBS documents audio, desktop, and application capture source categories in its Sources Guide. | Confirm the intended app or desktop signal is captured and monitored. Browser volume percentages do not translate predictably to OBS dBFS readings. |
A dedicated OBS source generally makes the route easier to isolate. A browser or desktop mix can include other sounds, so check the final combined audio rather than assuming the playlist is the only signal.
Find the clipping before changing settings
- Start playback at the loudest expected part of the playlist, including a loud song or transition—not just a quiet introduction.
- Watch the meter for the source OBS captures. The OBS Audio Mixer Guide marks red as close to clipping and describes the peak-hold indicator as showing the loudest level in the previous 20 seconds. See the Audio Mixer Guide.
- Listen to the source and to OBS monitoring, then record a normal test segment and listen to the resulting file. Check for distortion, abrupt jumps between tracks, and whether the audio remains audible.
Digital full scale is 0 dBFS. The signal reaching OBS’s recorded or streamed output must remain below it to avoid clipping distortion. OBS can process floating-point audio above 0 dBFS internally, so the fact that a source exists—or an intermediate value appears high—does not alone identify what reaches the final output. Check the output path and leave headroom rather than aiming for the red region. OBS’s technical explanation also lists a -20 dBFS alignment level and a -9 dBFS permitted maximum level as meter-design values; those are not universal targets for every program source. See Audio Mixer Technical Details.
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Reduce the level in the right order
- Lower the earliest controllable level. Reduce the media player, file source, or playback level before the signal reaches OBS, where that control is available.
- Adjust the OBS source fader. Lower the fader for the actual captured source while the loudest section plays. Recheck the meter and listen again.
- Check the combined mix. If other audio sources are active, test the actual recording or stream mix. Two individually safe sources can sum to an unsafe level.
- Record and listen back. A meter check is useful, but the test file reveals whether the sound is still distorted or the playlist has become too quiet.
Reduce gain rather than relying on a filter to repair an already-clipped original recording. OBS cannot reconstruct waveform detail that was clipped in the source file; use a clean source or master if one is available.
Add an OBS Limiter if peaks still need a ceiling
- In the Audio Mixer, open the captured source’s filter menu (or right-click the source and open its filters).
- Add the OBS Limiter and set its threshold below 0 dBFS to retain headroom.
- Move the Limiter to the last position in that source’s filter chain. The OBS Project’s Limiter documentation says: “When using a Limiter it should be the last filter in your chain.”
- Replay the loudest material and make another test recording. If the final meter or recording still clips, verify that the Limiter is on the correct captured source and check whether later processing or multiple-source summing is overloading the output.
The OBS Limiter documentation lists -6.00 dB threshold and 60 ms release as defaults (document published 2022-01-12). They are reference defaults, not settings guaranteed to suit every playlist. For more detail, see the OBS Filters Guide.
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Clipping and uneven song loudness are different problems
A Limiter caps peaks; it does not make separately mastered tracks equally loud. If one song sounds much louder than another, level-match or normalize the files in an audio editor before playback, then test the loudest peaks through OBS again. Compression can reduce dynamic peaks, but it also changes the dynamics; when used on a program mix, it can duck desktop or program audio as a microphone speaks. See the OBS Compressor Filter documentation. The reviewed OBS documentation does not establish a playlist-specific YouTube LUFS target, so there is no single official OBS LUFS number to apply here.
Troubleshoot by where the problem occurs
| Symptom or likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|
| The source is already distorted before OBS processing | Lower the player or file-source level and check the source signal. If the original file is clipped, use a clean source; OBS gain reduction cannot restore clipped waveform detail. |
| The captured source’s peaks approach full scale | Lower that source’s gain or fader. Add a Limiter on the correct source if needed, last in its filter chain. |
| The individual source looks safe, but the output clips | Check the combined mix and any later processing. Separate sources can sum to a higher level than either alone. |
| Some tracks are too loud while others are too quiet | Level-match the files separately. A Limiter limits peaks but does not equalize perceived loudness across playlist items. |
| The browser is audible, but OBS captures the wrong sound or level | Confirm whether OBS uses application/browser capture or desktop audio, then monitor the source that actually enters the recording or stream. |
| Only the saved test sounds distorted | Recheck the recorded output path and combined mix, not only the source meter. Look for overload after the source’s processing or from summed audio. |
Or let it run in the cloud
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