How to Use Audio Move in OBS for Dynamic Panning

Adjusting your audio pan dynamically in OBS Studio creates an immersive listening experience for your audience, especially when video elements shift positions across different scenes. This guide provides a straightforward, step-by-step walkthrough on how to use the “Move Value” filter (part of the popular Move Transition plugin package) to automatically and smoothly glide your audio sources from left to right when transitioning between OBS scenes.

Prerequisites

To use this feature, you must have the Move Transition plugin by Exeldro installed in OBS Studio. This plugin adds the necessary “Move Value” filters required to manipulate audio properties like volume and balance during scene transitions.

Step 1: Ensure Your Audio Source is Stereo

For panning to work, your audio source must support stereo output. 1. Locate your audio source in the Audio Mixer dock. 2. Click the three dots (cogwheel) next to the source and select Advanced Audio Properties. 3. Ensure the Mono checkbox is unchecked for the audio source you want to pan.

Step 2: Add the Move Value Filter to Your Scene

Rather than adding the filter to the audio source itself, you will add it to the specific scenes where you want the panning action to trigger.

  1. Go to the Scenes dock and select the scene where you want the audio to pan (e.g., a scene where a guest speaker is positioned on the left side of the screen).
  2. Right-click the scene name and select Filters.
  3. Click the + (plus) icon in the bottom-left of the Filters window and select Move Value.
  4. Name the filter something descriptive, such as “Pan Left”.

Step 3: Configure the Panning Settings

With the “Pan Left” filter selected in the scene’s filter window, configure the settings to target your audio source’s balance:

  1. Filter Type: Set this to Source.
  2. Source: Select your target audio source (e.g., “Guest Microphone”).
  3. Setting: Scroll through the dropdown menu and select balance (this controls the left/right panning).
  4. Value: Set the desired pan position.
    • -1.00 pans the audio completely to the Left.
    • 1.00 pans the audio completely to the Right.
    • 0.00 centers the audio.
  5. Transition: Choose your preferred easing curve (e.g., Ease In Out) to make the transition sound natural.
  6. Duration: Set how long the pan transition should take in milliseconds (e.g., 500ms for a swift transition, or 1500ms for a slow glide).

Step 4: Set Up the Opposite Scene

To make the audio dynamic, you need to set up the corresponding panning behavior on your other scenes.

  1. Select your second scene (e.g., where the guest is on the right side of the screen).
  2. Right-click the scene, select Filters, and add a new Move Value filter named “Pan Right”.
  3. Set the target Source to the same audio source.
  4. Set the Setting to balance.
  5. Set the Value to 1.00 (Full Right) or 0.00 (Center, if returning them to the middle).
  6. Match the transition duration to keep your production consistent.

Step 5: Test Your Setup

Transition back and forth between your configured scenes in OBS. You will see the balance slider for your audio source in the Advanced Audio Properties window glide automatically between the left and right channels, matching your scene changes in real-time.