Capture Specific App Audio in OBS Studio

Yes, you can capture audio from a specific application in OBS Studio without capturing your entire desktop audio. This article provides a quick, step-by-step guide on how to use OBS Studio’s built-in “Application Audio Capture” feature to isolate sound from individual programs like Discord, web browsers, or specific games, ensuring your stream or recording only hears what you want them to hear.

How to Isolate Application Audio in OBS Studio

Historically, capturing individual application audio required third-party virtual audio cables. However, modern versions of OBS Studio (version 28 and newer) have this feature built directly into the software.

Follow these steps to set it up:

1. Open OBS Studio and navigate to the Sources dock at the bottom of the screen.
2. Click the + (Add) icon at the bottom of the Sources dock.
3. Select Application Audio Capture from the list.
4. Give the source a clear name (e.g., “Game Audio” or “Spotify”) and click OK.
5. In the Properties window that appears, click the Window dropdown menu.
6. Select the active application you want to capture audio from.
7. Leave the “Window Match Priority” at its default setting, then click OK.

The selected application’s audio will now appear as an individual volume slider in your Audio Mixer dock, allowing you to control, mute, or apply filters to it independently.

Important: Disable Global Desktop Audio

To prevent hearing the application audio twice (once from the specific capture and once from your master desktop audio), you should disable or mute your global desktop audio:

1. Go to Settings in the bottom right corner of OBS.
2. Click on the Audio tab.
3. Under the Global Audio Devices section, locate Desktop Audio and set it to Disabled.
4. Click Apply and then OK.

By disabling global desktop audio and adding only the specific applications you want to capture, you gain complete control over your stream’s audio mix while keeping system sounds, Discord notifications, and background music private.