How to Fix OBS Microphone Cutting Out with Discord

This article provides a straightforward guide to resolving the conflict where your microphone audio cuts out in OBS Studio whenever Discord voice chat is active. This issue is typically caused by Windows audio settings, sample rate mismatches, or resource conflicts between the two applications. By following the troubleshooting steps below, you will configure your system to allow both OBS Studio and Discord to access your microphone simultaneously without interruption.

Disable Exclusive Mode in Windows

The most common cause of this conflict is a Windows feature called “Exclusive Mode,” which allows a single application (like Discord) to take total control of your microphone, blocking OBS from capturing it.

  1. Press the Windows Key + R, type mmsys.cpl in the run dialog, and press Enter to open the Sound Control Panel.
  2. Navigate to the Recording tab.
  3. Right-click your active microphone and select Properties.
  4. Go to the Advanced tab.
  5. In the Exclusive Mode section, uncheck “Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device” (this will automatically uncheck “Give exclusive mode applications priority”).
  6. Click Apply, then OK.

Match Sample Rates Across All Devices

If Discord and OBS Studio are trying to use your microphone at different sample rates (such as 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz), the audio driver may drop the stream for one of the programs.

  1. In the same Advanced tab of your Microphone Properties (from the step above), look at the Default Format dropdown. Note the sample rate (e.g., 44100 Hz or 48000 Hz).
  2. Open OBS Studio.
  3. Go to Settings > Audio.
  4. Under the General section, locate Sample Rate and set it to match the sample rate of your microphone in Windows.
  5. Click Apply and OK, then restart OBS.

Run Both Programs as Administrator

When one application has higher system privileges than the other, it can monopolize hardware resources like your microphone. Running both programs as an administrator ensures equal access.

  1. Right-click the Discord shortcut and select Properties.
  2. Go to the Compatibility tab.
  3. Check the box for “Run this program as an administrator”, then click Apply.
  4. Repeat these exact steps for the OBS Studio shortcut.

Turn Off Discord Voice Processing

Discord features advanced voice processing technologies that can conflict with OBS, especially if you are using virtual audio cables or audio routing software.

  1. Open Discord and click the gear icon (User Settings) in the bottom-left corner.
  2. Select Voice & Video from the left sidebar.
  3. Scroll down to the Voice Processing section.
  4. Toggle off Echo Cancellation and Automatic Gain Control.
  5. Set Noise Suppression to None.

Change Discord’s Audio Subsystem

If the cutting out persists, Discord’s default audio subsystem may be conflicting with your hardware drivers.

  1. In Discord, go to User Settings > Voice & Video.
  2. Scroll down to the Audio Subsystem dropdown menu.
  3. Change the setting from Standard to Legacy.
  4. Relaunch Discord for the changes to take effect.