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What you are separating—and where
Voicemeeter Banana routes audio; OBS decides which captured sources are written to which recording tracks. These are separate steps. Banana provides hardware and virtual input strips and five buses, including physical A buses and virtual B1/B2 outputs. OBS can capture those virtual outputs as audio sources. See the Voicemeeter Banana product page and the Banana user manual for the current product and manual details.
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Plan the result before routing. For example, you might want a finished mix on track 1, microphone on track 2, game audio on track 3, and browser or chat audio on track 4. The exact arrangement is up to you; name sources clearly in both applications so you can identify them later.
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1. Choose which sources need independent control
List the audio sources you expect to adjust separately in your editor. A source that does not need independent editing can remain in a shared mix. Choose a distinct Banana output mix for every source you want OBS to capture independently.
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2. Select the source’s bus in Banana
In Banana, locate each source on its hardware or virtual input strip and use that strip’s bus controls to send it to the intended output. The virtual B1 and B2 buses are available as outputs to other applications. Device labels depend on the installed driver generation; check the names shown in your own Windows and OBS device lists rather than assuming every installation uses identical wording.
Do not route two sources that must stay separate into the same bus: Banana combines inputs sent to one bus into a single mix. After they are mixed together, OBS cannot record them as independent sources through that bus.
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3. Confirm the output names available to OBS
Banana’s virtual outputs correspond to B1 and B2. In OBS, these may appear as Voicemeeter Output for B1 and Voicemeeter AUX Output for B2, but labels can vary. Use the names actually present in the device list. The Banana manual documents the virtual outputs and routing controls; consult it if you need to check a control’s behavior.
Add the Banana outputs as OBS sources
- In OBS, use the Sources panel’s add button and select Audio Input Capture.
- Create a source for the first intended Banana virtual output, then select the matching device from the Device list.
- Repeat for another distinct output if your routing plan uses one. Give each OBS source a meaningful name such as “Mic,” “Game,” or “Browser.”
- Watch the Audio Mixer while audio plays. Confirm that each source’s meter responds to the intended signal and not to another source you wanted isolated.
A bus is a mix, not an individual input. If the meters show multiple signals on one OBS source, revisit the Banana strip routing and assign those sources to different outputs where possible.
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Assign OBS sources to recording tracks
Choose track membership
- In OBS, open Advanced Audio Properties from the Audio Mixer gear icon or through the Edit menu.
- For each captured source, tick the recording-track boxes you want it to appear on. A practical layout is to put the complete mix on track 1 and the isolated sources on separate additional tracks.
- Close the properties window when you have finished assigning tracks.
Enable those tracks for recording
- Open Settings → Output.
- In the recording settings, enable every track you selected in Advanced Audio Properties.
- Apply the settings and make a short recording to verify the result in the editor you plan to use.
Track assignment and track enablement are both necessary: selecting a track for a source does not by itself ensure OBS records that track. OBS’s Multiple Audio Track Recording Guide, published July 14, 2023, explains the track workflow and notes that standard video players generally play only one audio track at a time. A complete mix on track 1 helps preserve straightforward playback compatibility; separate tracks are chiefly useful when you will edit the recording.
Alternative: capture supported apps directly in OBS
If your goal is to isolate application audio and you do not need Banana’s central mixer routing, OBS Application Audio Capture may be enough. OBS documents support for this feature on Windows 10 version 2004 or later and Windows 11. The Application Audio Capture Guide, published July 12, 2023, describes selecting applications directly and notes that some application audio may not work with this method.
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When direct application capture is unsuitable, OBS’s documented fallback is to route the application through a virtual cable and add the cable output as an Audio Input Capture source. Follow OBS’s device-selection guidance for that route. If you use application capture, disable global Desktop Audio when it would capture the same signal again and create duplication or echo.
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| Approach | Best fit | Main consideration |
|---|---|---|
| Voicemeeter Banana virtual buses | A central mixer routing physical and virtual inputs to separate application outputs | Flexible routing requires deliberate source-to-bus mapping. |
| OBS Application Audio Capture | Direct capture of supported applications on Windows 10 version 2004+ or Windows 11 | Simpler for compatible apps, but OBS notes that some applications may not work. |
| OBS with a virtual cable fallback | An application OBS Application Audio Capture does not capture properly | Adds a virtual routing step; select the cable output as an OBS Audio Input Capture device. |
Troubleshooting audio-track separation
An OBS meter does not move
- Check that the source is playing and that Banana’s relevant input strip receives it.
- Confirm the strip is routed to the bus you selected and that OBS’s Audio Input Capture source uses the corresponding device.
- Check the device names in Windows and OBS; driver generations can expose different labels.
Two sources appear together on one track
- They may both be routed to the same Banana bus, which mixes them.
- Give each independently editable source a distinct output mix, then capture each matching output in OBS.
- Review Advanced Audio Properties to ensure the sources are assigned to the intended tracks.
A track is missing from the recording
- Check both the source’s track boxes in Advanced Audio Properties and the enabled recording tracks under Settings → Output.
- Make another brief recording and inspect it in the intended editor; do not rely only on OBS’s live meters to verify track layout.
The recording plays only one audio stream
That behavior is expected in many standard video players, which play one audio track at a time. Use an editor that can select and mix multiple audio tracks. For easier playback before editing, retain a complete mix on track 1.
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Application Audio Capture misses an app or causes echo
OBS documents that some applications may be incompatible with direct application capture. Try routing that application through a virtual cable and capturing the cable output instead. If Desktop Audio is also capturing the same sound, disable that global capture to prevent duplication.
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