Separate tracks are useful only if your editing workflow can use them. Build a short test before recording a long session.
Plan the mix
OBS’s guide recommends a combined first track when ordinary playback matters, with separate sources assigned to other tracks for editing. A normal player generally plays one selected audio track at a time rather than mixing all recorded tracks. That distinction can explain why a recording appears to be missing a microphone even when a separate track exists.
Assign and enable the tracks
Open Advanced Audio Properties from the Audio Mixer or the Edit menu. Assign the intended sources to the mixed track and their separate tracks, then enable the tracks you want recorded in the Output settings. Follow the current OBS guide if labels differ in your version. Avoid changing several unrelated output settings while learning this one feature.
Inspect a short clip
Our suggested test is twenty seconds with a spoken count and a recognizable non-sensitive sound. Play the mixed result, then import it into your intended editor and check the separate tracks. Keep the original recording while experimenting with export. We have not verified your device inputs, recording container or editing application, so do not assume the long session is ready until that small end-to-end test succeeds.
Go straight to the people who make it.
OBS multiple audio track guideSource check: 2026-09-29. General guidance; follow your device’s current instructions.