Record a complete mix and separate editable tracks in OBS
A multitrack recording can provide an immediately usable soundtrack and room for later editing. The important distinction is between assigning a source to a track and actually enabling that track for recording.
Design a small routing map
Start with the sources you need, such as microphone and application sound. Give each a descriptive name in your setup. For this example, track 1 contains both sources as a listening mix, track 2 contains only the microphone and track 3 contains only the application sound.
This is an example arrangement, not a requirement for every project. If the microphone is already present inside another captured source, routing both can duplicate it. Identify what each source really contains before assigning checkboxes. Monitoring what you hear while recording is also distinct from what is written to each output track.
Assign sources, then enable output tracks
OBS’s multiple-track guide opens Advanced Audio Properties from the Audio Mixer and assigns sources to recording tracks. Its example sends all sources to track 1 and uses additional tracks for separation. Then Settings > Output enables the tracks to record. Use a container and output configuration that support the arrangement.
For the two-source example, the microphone belongs on tracks 1 and 2; application sound belongs on tracks 1 and 3. Enable all three output tracks. Checking only track 1 in output produces the listening mix without the independent tracks you intended to edit.
- Identify microphone and application sources independently.
- Assign the complete mix and isolated sources in Advanced Audio Properties.
- Enable the intended tracks under Settings > Output.
- Record a short sequence with voice alone, app sound alone and both together.
Inspect the saved file in an editor
Import the test and locate its audio streams. Listen to each separately: the mix should contain both sources, the microphone track only your voice and the app track only the intended application sound. This test checks routing rather than relying on a moving mixer meter.
When editing with the isolated tracks, avoid also playing the complete mix unless you deliberately need it. Otherwise the same sound can be heard twice. Keep a written track map with the project so another editor does not mistake the mix for an unrelated source.
Create the delivery soundtrack deliberately
Ordinary playback often selects one audio track rather than summing your isolated sources. OBS’s guidance uses the complete first track for that reason, but you should still test the actual delivery player. An editing export should contain the intended final mix, not simply whichever track happens to play on your machine.
Repeat the check after changing devices, source types or profiles. A previous routing map does not establish what a newly added source contains. Arte Soft publishes Reel; these numbered-track assignments are OBS controls and are not a claim that Reel exposes the same routing matrix.
Why can I hear my voice but not the app in a player?
The player may be selecting an isolated track, or the source may not have been recorded. Inspect the file’s tracks in an editor before diagnosing the cause.
Should I play the complete mix and isolated tracks together while editing?
Usually choose one approach. Playing a mix alongside the same isolated sources duplicates audio unless that combination is intentional.
