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To use OBS separate audio tracks for recording, enable multiple recording tracks in Advanced Output Mode, then assign your microphone and game or desktop audio sources through Advanced Audio Properties. These settings are described as of October 2026.
Keep a combined playback track alongside the isolated sources. The OBS guide’s arrangement sends all audio sources to a shared track while also assigning sources to separate recording tracks. That gives you a combined version for ordinary playback and separate audio for editing stream highlights.
The important distinction is between assigning sources and enabling recording tracks. Advanced Audio Properties controls where each source goes; the Output settings control which tracks OBS records. Check both parts rather than stopping after the source assignments.
As of October 2026, use Advanced Output Mode to enable multiple recording audio tracks. In the Settings → Output window, enable the tracks you want included in the recording.
Think about the intended recording before changing the assignments: you want a combined playback track, an isolated microphone track, and an isolated game or desktop audio track. This follows the guide’s approach of keeping a shared mix while separating sources for editing.
Do not treat the enabled recording tracks as a substitute for source routing. The guide separately instructs you to assign audio sources to tracks and enable the tracks you want to record. Your recording setup should reflect the same arrangement in both places.
As of October 2026, open Advanced Audio Properties using the gear icon at the bottom left of the Audio Mixer dock. You can also access this window from the Edit menu. This is where the guide directs you to assign audio sources to recording tracks.
For the microphone and game or desktop audio sources, follow this routing pattern as of October 2026. The goal is to preserve a shared listening mix without putting every source into every isolated track.
Review the assignments by source, not just by track. For the microphone, check its shared and isolated destinations. Then repeat that review for the game or desktop audio source. This checks the same shared-plus-separate arrangement described in the guide.
Separate recording tracks serve the editing workflow, while a mixed audio track presents the sources together for listening. Keeping isolated recording audio is therefore a different goal from sending the live audience a combined audio mix.
For highlights, the useful distinction is between the combined version and the individual sources you intend to work with in an editor. The OBS guide specifically describes multiple-track recording as useful when editing after recording.
Ordinary video players play only one audio track at a time. They do not automatically combine the isolated microphone and game audio tracks during playback. This is why the guide recommends a shared track containing all sources when you are not processing every video through an editor before publishing.
If ordinary playback does not include every intended source, check the combined-track assignment rather than treating that playback alone as a complete test of the separate tracks. The player’s playback limitation makes the shared mix important.
Make a short test recording before recording a gaming session, then confirm that the intended sources appear on their assigned tracks. Review the separate tracks in your editing workflow, rather than relying only on ordinary video-player playback.
For more gaming information, explore our mobile games category and our informational top-up guides hub.
Why does my video player not play all the separate audio together?
Standard video players play only one audio track at a time. Keep a combined playback track containing all intended sources for ordinary viewing.
Where do I assign the microphone to a separate track?
As of October 2026, use Advanced Audio Properties, accessible through the Audio Mixer gear icon or the Edit menu. Enable the intended recording tracks in Settings → Output as well.
Should I keep a combined track if I also record isolated audio?
The OBS guide’s example keeps all sources on a shared playback track alongside the separate sources. This supports ordinary playback while retaining separate audio for editing.
