A screen recording that sounds out of sync has either a fairly steady offset or drift that grows as the recording plays. Check both ends of the file before changing settings: a fixed offset may be adjustable in OBS, while growing drift calls for investigating the capture path and workload.
There is no one adjustment that repairs every recorder or operating system. The steps below focus on a repeatable OBS offset, a short-test method, and what Clipchamp’s documented timeline tools can do for a file you have already recorded.
First decide: offset or drift
Choose a moment where the picture and sound should line up clearly. A hand clap, a spoken word beginning with a sharp consonant, or a mouse click visible on screen can work. Compare that event near the start and later in the recording.
If the gap looks much the same in both places, the problem is consistent with a fixed offset. For example, if a click is already visible before its sound at the beginning and remains similarly separated later, the audio may simply need to move relative to the video. That observation does not identify the cause, but it gives you a useful direction for testing.
If the gap becomes more noticeable as the file plays, treat it as drift. A setting that shifts the whole audio track by one fixed amount may improve the beginning while leaving the end out of sync. Avoid trying a random delay value against the first few seconds alone.
The test is a practical comparison, not a formal standard. The sources cited here do not establish a universal acceptable delay, a standard test duration, or a correction value that works for every setup. Use a file long enough to include a beginning and a later event that you can compare.
Compare the beginning and the end
Use more than one recognisable event if possible. Make a short test recording with a visible clap or click near the start and another later on. If you are diagnosing an existing file, choose a clear event in the opening and one towards the end. Play or scrub the saved file, not just the live preview.
Write down what you observe in plain terms: “sound follows the click by about the same amount in both places” or “the later sound is further behind”. You do not need to convert the observation into an exact measurement before deciding which path to investigate. If the event is difficult to judge, use a louder, sharper sound or record another test with the event framed clearly.
Also separate monitoring delay from saved-file delay. You may hear an input late in headphones while the recorded result is aligned, or the reverse. Monitoring and the final recording are not interchangeable evidence. Check the exported or saved file in a player or editor, with monitoring out of the way if it distracts you.
This distinction helps avoid unnecessary changes. A steady gap in the saved file is a reasonable reason to test an offset. A gap that changes, or a problem present only in monitoring, points elsewhere. OBS community discussions include configuration-specific reports about sync behaviour, but they do not prove a single cause for all users. The guide to recording separate audio tracks in OBS may help you think through which source or track you are checking; it does not substitute for comparing the actual output.
Adjust a repeatable offset in OBS
For an OBS recording with a consistent offset, the relevant control is Sync Offset in Advanced Audio Properties. Focusrite’s OBS setup guidance identifies the field and describes its value in milliseconds. The right value depends on how audio and video are processed in your setup, so use a measured test rather than copying someone else’s setting.
Open Advanced Audio Properties and locate the affected audio source. Change its Sync Offset, then make a new short recording containing the same kind of visible event and sound. Check the saved file again. If the sound moves closer to the event, keep testing; if it moves further away, undo or adjust in the opposite direction. Make one change at a time so you can tell what affected the result.
Do not treat an offset value as a universal prescription. A value that works on one computer, capture device, microphone and recording configuration may not work on another. Nor should you assume a setting that makes the live preview seem right has corrected the saved recording. The output file is the thing you need to verify.
If the opening now aligns but a later event does not, stop increasing the offset. A fixed adjustment moves the relationship by a constant amount; it does not account for an error that accumulates across the recording. Return to the offset that gives the best consistent result, or remove the experimental change, and investigate drift separately.
Use a short test before changing more
A short test saves time and makes comparisons clearer than repeatedly recording a long session. Include a recognisable event near the beginning and another later in the same sample. Keep the scene and the audio sources as close as practical to the recording you want to fix. The point is not to imitate every detail, but to reproduce the parts of the setup that may affect sync.
After each adjustment, save a fresh sample with a distinct filename. Compare the same events in each version and note what changed. If the audio moves in the desired direction and remains aligned at both points, the adjustment may suit that setup. If the first event improves but the second worsens, you have evidence of drift rather than a single offset to correct.
Avoid changing several things at once, such as the source offset, audio device, frame rate and encoder configuration. If the next test improves, you will not know which change mattered; if it gets worse, undoing the set of changes is harder. Keep a simple record of the setting you changed and the result, and revert a change that has no clear benefit.
OBS’s help portal offers broader recording and configuration guidance, including starting points for basic settings. Those suggestions are useful for reviewing a recording setup, but they should not be presented as a guaranteed sync repair. If you use a different recorder, do not assume its menus match OBS: the evidence here does not establish equivalent steps for every application.
When the delay grows over time
Increasing drift suggests that a one-time offset is not the whole answer. Check what is capturing the picture and sound, which audio devices are involved, and whether the recording workload is difficult for the computer. A separate microphone and USB capture device, for example, may contribute timing from different parts of the setup. That is a lead to investigate, not proof that either device is defective.
OBS user discussions mention possible leads such as mismatched audio refresh rates, system workload and independent clocks in physical devices. These are community troubleshooting suggestions, not a definitive diagnosis for every recording. Inspect the settings relevant to your own devices and change one thing at a time. Do not buy a new microphone, capture card or interface on the assumption that replacement will cure drift.
Workload is worth checking because recording combines several tasks. OBS’s system requirements page explains that CPU demands vary with factors including encoder, resolution, frame rate and scene complexity. It also cautions that meeting minimum compatibility requirements does not guarantee that a computer can handle a particular workload. A system that opens the software successfully may still struggle with the exact recording configuration you selected.
If you suspect that load is involved, try a simpler recording configuration and compare a saved test. The aim is to see whether the sync behaviour changes when the workload changes, not to assume that lower settings will always fix it. OBS’s Auto-Configuration Wizard or a simpler output configuration can be starting points for reviewing basic settings, but test the resulting file before deciding that the problem is solved.
An audio interface might be worth considering only in a specific situation: you have multiple physical audio sources and have reason to suspect their independent timing is part of the problem. It is not a correction for an already-recorded fixed offset, and no cited material establishes it as a guaranteed cure for drift. Identify the source of the mismatch first, and compare a test before spending money.
What Clipchamp can and cannot address
If the recording already exists as a Clipchamp project, Microsoft documents detaching audio and editing the separate audio asset on the timeline. Its support material explains how to make a screen recording and how to work with audio or music in a video. You can use those timeline operations to move, split or trim a detached track where the project makes the audio available separately.
That is a manual editing route for a file whose audio can be worked on independently. It is not evidence that Clipchamp automatically detects and repairs sync, and it does not explain why the original recording went out of sync. After moving audio, check both an event near the beginning and a later event. If a track aligns at one point but not another, a single move may not be enough; editing the track in pieces can require careful listening and checking.
Microsoft’s instructions for making a screen recording and adding audio or music describe relevant recording and timeline workflows. Follow the current instructions for the version you use, and verify the exported result. Do not assume that controls documented for Clipchamp apply to another editor or to the original recorder.
For a fixed offset, timeline editing may be practical if the sound is available separately and you can confirm the correction. For drift, you may need to inspect and adjust more than one part of the audio, or return to the capture setup and record again. Decide based on the time and importance of the recording rather than expecting an automatic repair feature that has not been established.
Retest before editing the full recording
Before you change a long recording or edit a full project, repeat the test on a representative sample. Check at least two events separated in time. If OBS is the source, test any Sync Offset change in a saved file. If you are editing in Clipchamp, export a short section and check its alignment rather than trusting the timeline display alone.
A useful result is not merely “the start sounds better”. You want to know whether the later event remains aligned too. If both ends are consistently out by about the same amount, continue testing a fixed offset or a manual whole-track move. If the gap grows, investigate the devices, settings and workload, or consider whether recording again is more reliable than trying to repair the entire file.
Keep the untouched original until you have checked the corrected export. That gives you a way back if an edit shifts the wrong track, trims an event, or improves one part while making another worse. If the file matters, check several clear events and listen through transitions where speech, music or system sounds begin and end.
The same discipline applies to a live workflow that uses a prerecorded file. Fixing sync in a screen recording is a different job from keeping a continuous broadcast running. If your broader concern is an always-on channel, the checks for an old-laptop YouTube playlist setup and the troubleshooting guide for a YouTube stream that keeps stopping address separate operational problems; neither is a substitute for checking audio against video in the file itself.
Choose the remedy by symptom: adjust a repeatable capture-time offset for a steady gap, investigate the capture path for growing drift, or manually edit a separate audio track when the file and project support it. If you cannot reproduce or verify the result, avoid calling the recording fixed.
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FAQ
How can I tell whether audio delay is fixed or getting worse?
Compare a clear sound and visible event near the start with another later in the saved recording. If the gap stays roughly the same, it is consistent with a fixed offset; if it grows, treat it as drift. Check the file itself rather than relying only on headphone monitoring.
What OBS Sync Offset should I use?
There is no universal value established for every computer and recording setup. Adjust Sync Offset in Advanced Audio Properties, make a short recording, and compare the saved result against a visible event. Keep a change only if it improves the recording at more than one point.
Will moving audio in Clipchamp automatically fix sync?
Microsoft documents detaching and editing audio on a timeline, which can let you realign a separate track manually. That is not evidence of automatic synchronization repair. Check the export near the beginning and later in the recording.
Should I replace my microphone or capture card to fix drift?
Not without evidence that a particular device or its timing is involved. Separate devices and workload are possible troubleshooting leads, but replacement is not a guaranteed remedy. Identify what changes the result in a short test before buying equipment.