In OBS Studio, assign each audio source to the tracks you want in Edit → Advanced Audio Properties (or open Advanced Audio Properties from the Audio Mixer’s gear menu), then enable those tracks under Settings → Output. Keep a complete mix on track 1 if you want the recording to play normally in a standard video player. A local multitrack recording and a platform’s saved VOD audio are separate routing jobs; setting up one does not automatically configure the other.
Before you route anything: make sure the sources are separate
OBS can put distinct audio sources on different tracks, but it cannot undo a mix that has already happened upstream. If game sound and music arrive together through one desktop-audio or console-capture source, assigning that source to several tracks duplicates the combined sound; it does not recover the original components.
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Check the Audio Mixer while each sound plays. If the microphone, game audio, chat, and music appear as distinct sources, you can assign them independently. If two sounds share one source, look for a separate application-capture option, a game setting such as Streamer Mode or separate music volume, or a routing arrangement that exposes each sound separately. Elgato notes that console capture can deliver one combined signal, which prevents splitting in-game music from effects after capture (Elgato’s Twitch VOD track guide).
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1. Open Advanced Audio Properties
In OBS Studio, open Edit → Advanced Audio Properties, or use the gear menu in the Audio Mixer and choose Advanced Audio Properties. OBS’s guide documents both access routes (OBS Multiple Audio Track Recording Guide).
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2. Assign each source to tracks
In the track checkboxes, select the tracks on which each source should appear. A practical layout is to put every source on track 1 for a complete playback mix, then use tracks 2–6 for isolated sources or alternate groupings. For example, assign the microphone to track 2, game sound to track 3, chat to track 4, and music to track 5, while leaving all four selected for track 1.
Choose a layout that suits the edit you expect to make. A source can be included on more than one track, so the full mix and isolated tracks can coexist in the same recording.
3. Enable those tracks for recording
Open Settings → Output and enable the audio tracks you assigned for recording. Track membership in Advanced Audio Properties determines what each track contains; the Output setting determines which tracks OBS writes to the recording. OBS’s guide covers both settings and recommends a complete mix on track 1 for ordinary playback (OBS Multiple Audio Track Recording Guide).
4. Make a short test and inspect it in your editor
Record a short sample with each source active in turn. Import it into the editing application you plan to use and confirm that the expected tracks appear and contain the right sounds. Keep track 1 as the full mix if the file must play without first being mixed in an editor: standard video players generally play one audio track at a time, not all isolated tracks together.
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Do not assume every editor or video container will display tracks in the same way. Confirm import behavior in your own editing application before relying on the setup for a long stream.
Keep a different mix in a Twitch VOD
OBS’s Twitch VOD feature routes a separate audio feed to the saved VOD. OBS documents track 1 as the live feed and track 2 as the VOD feed by default; tracks 3–6 can remain available for editing separation. This is distinct from the local multitrack recording setup above (OBS Twitch VOD Track Guide).
Configure the VOD feed
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Connect your Twitch account in OBS under Settings → Stream.
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Enable the Twitch VOD track in Settings → Output. The exact control shown may depend on whether OBS is using Simple or Advanced output mode.
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Open Advanced Audio Properties and choose which sources belong in the live feed and which belong in the VOD feed. A common arrangement is to send microphone, game, and chat to both, while sending music to the live track only.
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Use a monitoring device OBS does not capture—Elgato recommends headphones—to avoid sending monitored audio back into the mix.
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Make a test broadcast or recording, then check the saved VOD at a point where each source is audible. Confirm that the intended source is present or omitted before relying on the routing.
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Keeping music out of a VOD is a routing choice, not permission to transmit or publish a recording. The setup does not establish whether you have rights to use any particular music.
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Elgato describes creating music as a separate source, for example with Application Audio Capture or a virtual audio device, rather than folding it into Desktop Audio. Its guide also identifies Wave Link as one possible way to route a dedicated music-free mix; suitability and current feature availability may vary (Elgato’s guide).
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Other platform recording options
Twitch’s Local Recording help result describes an option to record system audio, microphone, and stream-only audio on up to four selected tracks, and recommends MKV to reduce corruption risk if a recording crashes. The Twitch help page’s current interface and availability should be checked in your account before depending on those details (Twitch Local Recording).
The OBS documentation cited here establishes Twitch-specific VOD handling; it does not establish equivalent routing behavior for other live platforms. Check the current platform and software documentation for the destination you use.
Common problems and fixes
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The editor shows only one useful track: confirm that the intended tracks were enabled in Settings → Output before recording, then verify the source checkboxes in Advanced Audio Properties.
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Two sounds remain fused together: they are likely entering OBS through one combined source. Separate them before capture if the application or hardware allows it; track assignment cannot split an already-combined signal.
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The file sounds incomplete in a normal player: the player may be playing only one track. Put a complete mix on track 1, or mix the isolated tracks in your editor.
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Music is still audible in the VOD: verify that music is a distinct source and is not included in the VOD track, then inspect a newly saved VOD. A test is essential because the result depends on the actual routing.
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Audio is doubled or echoed: check whether monitoring is routed to a device OBS also captures. Select headphones or another monitoring device outside OBS’s captured inputs, then test again.
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