How to Separate Audio Tracks in OBS Recording

How to Separate Audio Tracks in OBS Recording

If you record a video with your microphone, your desktop audio, and your Discord chat all compressed into a single audio track, you are setting yourself up for a post-production nightmare. If your game was too loud, or a notification chimed in the background, you cannot turn those sounds down in an editor without also turning down your own voice.

By setting up multiple audio tracks in OBS Studio, you can separate every single sound source into its own dedicated layer. When you drop your final video file into an editor like Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve, your microphone, game audio, and browser sounds will appear as separate, independently adjustable audio tracks.

Here is the step-by-step guide to separating your audio tracks in OBS.

Step 1: Enable Multiple Tracks in Your Output Settings

Before you can route your audio, you must tell OBS to actually generate a video file that contains multiple audio layers.

1. Switch to Advanced Output Mode: Unlock the professional settings. Open OBS and go to Settings > Output. At the very top of the window, change the Output Mode dropdown from Simple to Advanced.

2. Check the Track Boxes: Select your audio layers. Click on the Recording tab. Look for the section labeled Audio Track. You will see checkboxes numbered 1 through 6. Check the boxes for how many separate tracks you want to create (e.g., check boxes 1 through 4).

3. Use a Multi-Track Video Format: Avoid standard MP4. Still in the Recording tab, ensure your Recording Format is set to MKV. Standard MP4 files are highly prone to corruption if OBS crashes, and MKV handles multi-track audio perfectly. Click Apply and OK.

Step 2: Route Your Audio in the Matrix

Now that OBS is generating a multi-track file, you have to assign which sound goes to which track.

1. Look at the Audio Mixer dock at the bottom of the main OBS interface.
2. Click the gear icon next to any of your audio sources and select Advanced Audio Properties.
3. Look at the right side of the window. You will see a grid of checkboxes (Tracks 1-6) for every single audio source.

By default, every single source has all six boxes checked. This means every sound is being blended onto every track, defeating the purpose of separating them. You must uncheck the boxes to isolate them.

Here is the industry-standard way to route your tracks:

Why keep everything on Track 1?

If you ever live stream, streaming platforms like Twitch or YouTube only listen to Track 1. By keeping all your audio checked on Track 1, your live viewers hear everything perfectly mixed.

However, when you drag your recorded video file into your editor, you can simply mute or delete Track 1 and use your perfectly isolated Tracks 2, 3, and 4 to create the perfect mix.

Ditch the Post-Production Nightmare: Meet Cubix Capture

Separating audio tracks in OBS is mandatory if you are a YouTuber or a complex live streamer who plans to spend hours in a timeline editor meticulously balancing audio levels. But what if you aren't an editor?

If you are a product manager documenting workflows, an educator creating a software tutorial, or a sales rep sending a demo, you should not be dealing with MKV files and multi-track audio routing matrices. You need a platform that handles the organization, formatting, and delivery automatically.

This is where Cubix Capture offers a fundamentally different approach to screen recording for businesses and professionals.

Cubix Capture acts as a unified presentation studio and enterprise-grade asset manager. Here is how it replaces the tedious OBS workflow:

• Intelligent Audio & Visual Polish: You do not need to configure complex audio matrices. Cubix Capture captures your microphone and system audio simultaneously out of the box, perfectly synced. It also automatically applies smooth cursor effects and cinematic auto-zooms to your clicks so you never have to edit the video manually.
• Two-Way Audio & Video Collaboration: OBS is a one-way broadcasting tool. Cubix Capture introduces robust Two-Way Audio & Video functionality. This turns isolated recordings into interactive environments where the presenter and participants can see and hear each other, making it ideal for team reviews.
• Enterprise SSL Security & APIs: Cubix Capture is built for the corporate ecosystem. It uses SSL Security to ensure your recordings and sensitive data are encrypted over the internet. Furthermore, it features a robust API that allows you to integrate the software directly with your company's existing systems and databases.
• Native Video Call Recording: Trying to record a Zoom or Microsoft Teams meeting in OBS often leads to missing audio if you haven't routed virtual cables properly. Cubix Capture features native Video Call Recording, allowing you to record and log meetings effortlessly.

If you are building a complex gaming VOD that requires intense post-production audio mixing, configure your OBS multi-track matrix using the steps above. But if you want a tool that automatically balances your audio, applies cinematic zooms, and integrates with your corporate database securely, Cubix Capture provides the professional foundation your team needs.