How to Separate Discord and Game Audio in OBS

Keeping your Discord voice chat separate from your game audio in OBS Studio is essential for creators who want independent control over their stream’s sound levels. This guide will show you how to use OBS Studio’s built-in Application Audio Capture feature to easily isolate your Discord audio from your gameplay sound without needing complex third-party virtual audio cables.

Step 1: Disable Global Desktop Audio

To prevent OBS from capturing all of your computer’s sound on a single track, you must first disable the default global desktop audio.

  1. Open OBS Studio.
  2. Click on Settings in the bottom-right corner (or go to File > Settings).
  3. Select the Audio tab from the left sidebar.
  4. Under the Global Audio Devices section, locate Desktop Audio and set it to Disabled.
  5. Click Apply and then OK.

Step 2: Capture Your Game Audio Individually

Now you will add your game as an individual audio source.

  1. Open the game you want to play.
  2. In OBS, go to the Sources dock and click the + (Add) icon.
  3. Select Application Audio Capture.
  4. Name the source “Game Audio” and click OK.
  5. In the properties window, change the Mode to Capture specific window.
  6. In the Window dropdown menu, select your game’s executable file.
  7. Click OK.

Step 3: Capture Your Discord Audio Individually

Next, you will repeat the process specifically for Discord.

  1. Ensure the Discord application is open and running.
  2. In the OBS Sources dock, click the + (Add) icon again.
  3. Select Application Audio Capture.
  4. Name this source “Discord Audio” and click OK.
  5. Change the Mode to Capture specific window.
  6. In the Window dropdown menu, select Discord.exe.
  7. Click OK.

Step 4: Adjust and Manage Your Audio Levels

With both sources separated, they will now appear as independent sliders in your Audio Mixer dock.

You can now adjust the volume of your friends in Discord without affecting your game volume, or mute your Discord chat entirely for your stream while still hearing them in your headset. To manage which tracks these sources are recorded to (for example, keeping Discord out of your Twitch VODs), right-click anywhere in the Audio Mixer, select Advanced Audio Properties, and configure your track routing checkboxes accordingly.