Record Separate Audio Tracks to WAV in OBS

This article explains how to configure OBS Studio using its specialized “Custom Output (FFmpeg)” mode to record multiple, isolated audio sources into uncompressed WAV tracks. By following these steps, you can bypass default highly-compressed audio formats and capture pristine, multi-track audio files perfectly suited for professional post-production editing.

Step 1: Assign Audio Sources to Separate Tracks

Before configuring your output settings, you must assign your audio inputs (such as microphones, game audio, and voice chat) to individual tracks within OBS Studio.

  1. Open OBS Studio.
  2. In the Audio Mixer dock, click the gear icon next to any audio source and select Advanced Audio Properties.
  3. Locate the grid matrix on the right side of the window.
  4. Uncheck all boxes for your sources, and then assign each source to a single, unique track. For example:
    • Track 1: Microphone
    • Track 2: Desktop Audio / Game Sound
    • Track 3: Discord / VoIP Client
  5. Click Close.

Step 2: Enable Advanced Output Mode

To access the specialized recording options, you need to switch OBS from Simple to Advanced output settings.

  1. Go to Settings > Output.
  2. At the top of the window, change the Output Mode dropdown from “Simple” to Advanced.
  3. Click on the Recording tab.

Step 3: Configure Custom Output (FFmpeg)

This specialized mode allows you to bypass standard video container constraints and utilize the FFmpeg engine to write uncompressed WAV audio.

  1. In the Recording tab, change the Type dropdown to Custom Output (FFmpeg).
  2. Select Output to File under the “Header Type”.
  3. Click Browse to choose your destination folder.
  4. Set the Container Format to wav (or matroska if you are recording video alongside your multi-track audio).
  5. Check the boxes next to the audio tracks you want to record (e.g., Track 1, Track 2, and Track 3, corresponding to your setup in Step 1).
  6. Under Audio Encoder, select pcm_s16le (for 16-bit WAV) or pcm_s24le (for 24-bit WAV). These are the technical codecs for uncompressed, lossless WAV audio.
  7. Click Apply and then OK.

Step 4: Import and Edit

When you click Start Recording, OBS will write the specified audio tracks as independent, uncompressed PCM channels inside your output file. When you import this file into a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) or Video Editor (such as DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, or Audacity), the software will automatically split the container, displaying each recorded track as a separate, editable WAV audio layer.