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OBS Streaming Guide: How to Record Game Audio Only and No Microphone

Introduction

When streaming gameplay on platforms like Twitch or YouTube, you may want to capture just the game audio without picking up background noise from your microphone or computer. This allows viewers to experience crisp, clean game sound without distractions.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through how to configure Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) to record game audio only, with no microphone input.

Prerequisites

Before we get started, make sure you have the following:

  • OBS installed on your Windows PC
  • The game you want to stream/record installed
  • A basic understanding of how to add sources and scenes in OBS

If you need help setting up OBS, check out their quick start guide.

Step 1: Add Game Capture Source in OBS

The first thing we need to do is add a Game Capture source in OBS that will capture just the game’s audio and video.

Here are the steps:

  1. In OBS, click the + button in the Sources section
  2. Select “Game Capture”
  3. Select the game executable file from the drop down list
  4. Select your preferred capture mode (I recommend “Capture specific window”)
  5. Click OK

You should now see the game output in the OBS preview.

Step 2: Disable Desktop Audio Capture

By default, OBS captures all audio playing on your Windows desktop. We need to disable this so that only the game audio gets captured.

  1. Right click on “Desktop Audio” in the Mixer section
  2. Uncheck “Use device audio”

Desktop audio is now disabled.

Step 3: Add Filters to Game Capture Source

Now we’ll add some filters to the Game Capture source to isolate the audio:

  1. Right click on your Game Capture source
  2. Hover over Filters and click the + button
  3. Add a Noise Suppression filter (recommended settings: -30dB)
  4. Add a Gain filter and boost the volume as needed (I recommend around +3dB)

Step 4: Disable Microphone Inputs

The final step is to disable any microphone inputs in OBS so that only our filtered game audio gets captured.

  1. Expand the Mixer section in OBS
  2. For each microphone input, right click and select Disable

You should now see only the Game Capture source active in the Mixer.

Step 5: Record/Stream Game Audio Only!

We’re now ready to record crisp, clean game audio only, without any microphone input.

Simply start your recording or streaming as normal in OBS. You may want to enable the “Preview Stream” feature to double check that only game audio is getting captured before going live.

Some additional tips:

  • Use noise cancellation headphones to avoid background noise
  • Enable push-to-talk in-game if communicating with others
  • Add background music via Media Sources in OBS

And that’s it! With these steps you can isolate pure game audio in OBS Studio for your streams and recordings.

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