Lower game audio when you speak in OBS
Put a sidechain compressor on the game or music source, then use your microphone to trigger the volume reduction.
Add a Compressor to the game or music audio source, and select your microphone as its sidechain source. The filter belongs on the background sound, not on the microphone. OBS calls this ducking: another source triggers the volume reduction.
In this guide
OBS Studio on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Requires separately captured microphone and game/music audio; does not separate a recording where those sounds are already mixed together.
Confirm that the two sources are separate
Watch the Audio Mixer while speaking with the game silent, then while playing game sound without speaking. Identify which entry carries each signal. If one entry already contains both voice and game sound, this setup cannot independently turn down only the game within it.
If you use Desktop Audio, remember what else it captures. A filter on that source affects its other captured sounds too. To isolate one Windows application first, see record one app without desktop sounds.
Add the sidechain compressor
Open the background source's Filters; for an audio device, OBS's overview guide describes accessing Filters from the Audio Mixer settings control. Add Compressor and set Sidechain/Ducking Source to the microphone entry you identified.
The official compressor guide offers these starting values for ducking:
| Control | OBS starting value |
|---|---|
| Ratio | 32:1 |
| Threshold | -36 dB |
| Attack | 100 ms |
| Release | 600 ms |
| Output Gain | 0 dB |
These are a starting point, not a calibrated preset for your microphone. Threshold determines when the trigger is strong enough; attack and release govern how quickly reduction starts and relaxes. Leave output gain at zero while judging the effect so a loudness increase does not confuse the comparison.
Listen to a local recording before going live
Record normal speech, a quiet phrase, a pause, and another phrase over representative game sound. Listen to the saved file, not just the meter. You want the first words to remain understandable and the background to return smoothly during the pause.
| What you hear | What to inspect first |
|---|---|
| Voice gets quieter instead of the game | Confirm which source owns the compressor. |
| Game never drops | Confirm the selected sidechain source receives your voice, then assess its level against the threshold. |
| Game stays low through silence | Look for noise or other sound in the microphone signal. |
| Background fades too abruptly or lingers | Adjust attack or release one at a time and record another sample. |
Make one change per sample and keep the previous values written down. If the effect is worse, disable the added filter to compare the original mix rather than piling on more filters. Ducking does not repair a missing microphone track or clipped source audio.
For unexpected behavior with two separate sources, use the support forum linked from OBS's overview guide. Include the source names and filter values, with personal device names redacted. If quiet speech is missing entirely, use the microphone-filter guide.
Sources
Based on official documentation; not independently tested. Sources checked Oct 1, 2026. How we review guides
Something out of date? Let us know.
Related fixes
Record one app in OBS without capturing the rest of Windows
Capture a chosen application, remove the broad desktop-audio path, and test that unwanted sounds stay out of the recording.
OBS cannot find a Mac window to capture
Check screen-recording permission, the capture method, and the window filters before rebuilding your scene.
Choose the scene OBS Virtual Camera sends to a meeting
OBS Virtual Camera can send Program, Preview, a fixed scene, or one source. Choose the feed you want before enabling your camera in a call.