Seeking audio solutions!

[kevjbar]

Hey everyone, I'm new to OBS and this thread but confident someone here can help.
I'm moving my church's service from the Facebook Live app on my phone to stream to Facebook Live via OBS. I've ran into 2 main audio problems during testing.

1. I'm up in a booth and the phone (using OBS Ninja) is down by the altar, I want to use the phone's mic to capture audio but I keep getting this loud obnoxious sound coming through my computer's speakers. I thought perhaps a loop was being created. We also have a video coming from the same computer I'm running OBS on so I'm unsure if that creates a problem (trying to record input while outputting sound). The output from the computer goes through a soundboard to speakers in the sanctuary.

2. I currently have 2 scenes, first being the altar where the phone is the video/audio device. The second scene is a display capture of the Powerpoint presentation. Issue here is it doesn't have an audio source; so the speaker is heard in one scene but if I switch to the Powerpoint the audio is gone until I switch scenes. I'm not sure if I'm just unable to use the phone as an audio source for that scene.

Using OBS on Windows 10 on a Dell Inspiron desktop. Excuse the lengthy post, just attempting to give as much info as possible. Thanks in advance.

 

[devin130]

1. Sounds like a feedback or volume issue, there may be a redundant audio source that you need to mute to resolve the issue there or a level you need to turn down. Can you send a screenshot of your OBS setup? As a rule of thumb if you can keep the audio sources in a scene limited to 1-3 I recommend this (e.g. 1 from your mixer, one from OBS.ninja, mute your PC audio). Then try to keep your audio sources the same across your scenes this way fixing audio for one scene fixes the others (you can copy and paste sources with CTRL+C and CTRL+V.

2. I haven't used OBS ninja in awhile but if I recall correctly, your phone can capture both audio and video, this means if you want the audio from the phone in your second scene you will want to add that input source (even though you don't want the image) to your 2nd scene, just remove or hide the video if you don't want to show it.

 

[Lawrence_SoCal]

Not sure you meant Display Capture or Windows Capture for PowerPoint. Personally, we use a Windowed Slide Show (not full screen) for our Service Bulletin, then it takes up about 1/3 of landscape screen, with rest for video (which I vary the width depending on scene/content as we use pre-recorded content for Readings, Hymns, etc)
I get you OBS.ninja setup, BUT... can you connect your OBS PC to your Sanctuary sound system... You'll get orders of magnitude better audio that way... and audio is more important than video

In OBS, you could mute the OBS.ninja source and if you are still getting audio, you know you have another source. Is OBS's Desktop Audio enabled? [personally I disabled it and ONLY use specifically called for Audio input per scene]
How are you capturing video? same OBS ninja? if not, then I strongly recommend against OBS.ninja for just audio capture [wrong tool for the audio only capture in same area.. much simpler, higher audio quality, more reliable options].

 

[kevjbar]

The board at the church does have a jack for audio output I could use. So on the computer would I use the speaker jack for audio out and the mic jack for audio in? Currently OBS ninja is capturing audio AND video but the ideal situation would be to use it for just video.

 

[Lawrence_SoCal]

Using OBS Ninja for audio and video would probably be easier in terms of keeping in audio and video in sync (minor extra step to manually sync, if need be, on your own when you use separate processing paths). Easy videos on how to do sync within a couple of minutes... easy peasy. But with OBS.ninja you are limited to mic quality on smartphone.
And at some point, before long, you are going to have in-person worship and probably live stream as well... so you are prepping for eventuality to use house sound system so you can pick up other mics (assuming you have them for musicians/singer/cantor, etc)
As for PC's audio jacks.... it depends ;^) my PC has audio jack front and back... both are TRRS so can be input or output, and is software configurable... but in general, yes Audio Out from sound board to Audio in on PC.
Now whether you do Audio connection via analog or digital depends on sound panel options, and cable routing considerations. My Sound Panel has USB out, which I will use shortly. I have been using Analog out for last 9+ months. I'll move PC into sound closet, USB connect it, and run long KVM cables to place I'll be sitting (up in choir loft with pipe organ, no isolated room practical with our Sanctuary layout, so I'll use headphones). The benefit of going digital with our sound panel, is my being able to run a DAW on the PC, and individually mix each mic, and easily create a streaming audio mix (which often is slightly different from in-room mix). Using same mix for in-person attendees (ie nice room speakers) vs streamed (usually mobile devices after YouTube/Facebook a/v re-encoding) .... not good. It isn't hard to create 2 separate mixes (assuming sound panel has various outputs and ability to control independently or you go the digital route), just something to be prepared for.
or are you already hybrid service (in-person and live stream/remote viewers)? we haven't had indoor in-person service since mid March

So, for timeliness, feel free to use OBS.ninja for both Audio and Video capture now, I just don't recommend stopping there

 

[devin130]

The board at the church does have a jack for audio output I could use. So on the computer would I use the speaker jack for audio out and the mic jack for audio in? Currently OBS ninja is capturing audio AND video but the ideal situation would be to use it for just video.

I agree with Lawrence, if you can get audio from the board, do it. Yes use the mic jack, in the future you might want to get an audio interface though as the mic input to your pc will be a bit noisy (something you can filter out in the short term in OBS btw, Audio Source >> Filters + >> Noise Suppression, if its really bad, sometimes a little expansion will help too).

Something Lawrence pointed out though, expect that there will be a delay in the audio vs. the image your get from OBS ninja, in your audio mixer, click the gear icon beside any source >> Advanced Audio Properties >> the Sync offset is what you use to adjust/delay the audio to match the video, make sure to do this for every scene OR delete all your audio sources from each scene, do it once on one scene and copy paste to all scenes, either works.

 

[Lawrence_SoCal]

For edification (I hope I get this right), the typical issue is that audio processes much easier (therefore faster) so typically audio gets ahead of video. Hence the typical Sync offset which is a delay to the audio signal (to get it back in alignment/sync with the video signal). When the audio is combined with video before reaching the streaming computer (ex plugging sound panel into camera mic input port... not recommended for lots of reasons, just using as example, then audio signal would be processed along with video signal (same processing path) so would more likely be and stay in sync. again, not recommending, just using example to clarify how/why sync issue comes into being)