If you want to edit a microphone, browser, game or chat sound separately after recording, route each source into its own Voicemeeter Banana mix and capture those mixes in OBS. Then assign the OBS sources to recording tracks and enable those tracks in Output settings; routing in Banana alone does not create separate tracks.
This guide is for Windows with OBS and Voicemeeter Banana. Device names vary by installation, and there is no single bus map that fits every setup. Treat the example below as a starting point, then check the meters and record a short test before relying on it.
Decide which sources need separate tracks
Start with the edit you expect to make, not with the number of controls in the mixer. If you may need to lower a browser clip without changing speech, those are candidates for separate tracks. If you will publish the recording as-is, a usable combined mix matters more than a collection of isolated sources.
Write down the sources you actually use: perhaps a microphone, a music player and a browser. Add chat only if it is a separate source you need to adjust later. A source does not need its own track merely because it appears in a list; extra tracks make sense when you have a real editing task for them.
A sample plan could be:
| Source | OBS source name | Banana route in this example | Recording tracks | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microphone | Mic - Banana B1 | B1 only | 1 and 2 | Keep speech isolated; include it in the general mix |
| Music player | Music - Banana B2 | B2 only | 1 and 3 | Adjust or replace music separately |
| Browser sound | Browser - Banana B1 | B1 only | 1 and 2 | This example groups browser sound with the microphone |
| Complete mix | Full mix - Banana | A chosen combined mix | 1 | Provide a track standard players can play |
This is only an example, not a universal map. It deliberately groups the microphone and browser on one route to illustrate a limitation: if both arrive at OBS as one captured mix, they cannot later be separated from each other. If you need to edit them independently, route each to a distinct virtual output and add a corresponding OBS capture source, or use a different capture method that preserves that distinction. Banana provides B1 and B2 virtual output buses, so a plan needing more independent mixes may require a different arrangement or capture approach.
The distinction between a source, a mix and a track is important. A source is an input such as a microphone. A bus combines everything assigned to it into a mix. An OBS source captures that mix, and recording-track checkboxes decide where that captured source is written. If two inputs share a bus, OBS receives their combined sound on that route, not two separately editable signals.
Keep a full mix on track 1 if the recording may be played in an ordinary video player or published without editing. OBS notes that standard video players play one audio track at a time in its multiple-track recording guide. Separate tracks are useful in an editor, but they do not automatically make a ready-to-publish mix.
Name sources in Voicemeeter and OBS
Before routing, give each strip and each OBS capture source a name that tells you what it represents. The exact Voicemeeter controls and device labels can differ between driver generations, but clear labels reduce the chance of routing the wrong signal when several meters are moving.
For instance, rename a hardware input used by a microphone to “Mic”, and virtual input strips used by applications to “Music player” or “Browser”. In OBS, use names such as “Mic - B1” and “Music - B2” for Audio Input Capture sources. Include the bus in the name where that helps you remember which mix the source captures.
Keep the names consistent across both applications. If a strip is called “Music player” in Banana but the corresponding OBS source says “Aux 2”, it is harder to identify whether the right signal is being captured. Avoid names such as “Input 1” unless you also keep a written map of the device behind it.
A simple source map can live beside your project notes:
| Name used in both apps | Actual device or application | Expected OBS meter |
|---|---|---|
| Mic | Your selected microphone input | Mic - B1 |
| Music player | The player’s Windows output or Banana virtual input | Music - B2 |
| Browser | Browser audio routed to Banana | Browser - B1, if deliberately grouped |
These are examples only. Your Windows playback device list might use a different label, or your microphone may be connected through an interface with its own name. Choose devices from the lists on your own machine rather than copying a label from a screenshot or someone else’s guide.
Route inputs to Banana buses
Voicemeeter Banana is a mixer with hardware and virtual input strips. Its strip controls can send each input to output buses, including the virtual B1 and B2 buses. The Banana product page and user manual describe its inputs and routing controls; consult the documentation for the labels and behaviour of the version installed on your PC.
For the sample plan, send the microphone strip to B1 and the music-player strip to B2. If browser audio needs its own editable track, do not send it to a bus already carrying the microphone; instead, decide on a distinct route and confirm OBS can capture it independently. B1 and B2 are separate virtual outputs, but the number of available routes does not mean every setup needs to use all of them.
On each strip, use its bus controls to enable only the routes in your plan. A send to a physical A bus is for monitoring or another physical output as configured on your system; it is not a substitute for selecting the virtual output that OBS will capture. If you enable several routes, you may hear the same signal through multiple paths, so add routes intentionally and listen for duplication.
The key rule is that every input sent to the same bus is combined into that bus’s mix. If the microphone and browser both go to B1, an OBS source capturing B1 receives a mixture. Adjusting the microphone strip before the bus can alter its level in the mix, but it does not create a separate recorded microphone track. Keep inputs on separate buses when you need OBS to receive them as distinct sources.
Set application playback to the appropriate Voicemeeter virtual input when the application offers a device selector, or use the relevant Windows sound settings where appropriate. Do not assume that changing the Windows default automatically routes every application: some programs retain their own selected output device. Play a little audio and watch the strip meter to confirm that the signal reaches the strip you intended.
If you want both an isolated source and a complete mix, plan how the complete mix reaches OBS without making an accidental feedback loop. For example, you might capture isolated B1 and B2 sources, then use OBS’s mixer to build a track-1 mix from them. This keeps track 1 available while the other tracks hold the separate captures. Check the monitor and desktop-audio settings carefully: capturing a sound once through Banana and again through global Desktop Audio can create a doubled signal or echo.
Select OBS audio devices
In OBS, add an Audio Input Capture source for each virtual output you need. Select the device corresponding to B1 for a B1 route and the one corresponding to B2 for a B2 route. Depending on the installed driver and generation, Windows and OBS may show names such as “Voicemeeter Output” or “Voicemeeter AUX Output”, but do not assume those exact names. Check the device list on your system and use the manual if the labels are unclear.
Give each capture source a meaningful name, then speak or play audio through the intended input. The relevant OBS mixer meter should respond. If the B1 meter moves when you speak into the microphone, but the B2 meter stays still, that is consistent with the sample plan. If both move, inspect your strip bus controls and any duplicate capture sources before proceeding.
Avoid capturing the same signal through both a Voicemeeter output and OBS’s global Desktop Audio unless you specifically want both paths. In OBS settings, global desktop devices can be disabled when they would duplicate a source already captured through Banana. This is particularly useful while diagnosing echo: mute one route at a time and observe which meter and sound remain.
Banana is not required for every Windows setup. OBS Application Audio Capture can capture selected applications directly on Windows 10 version 2004 or later and Windows 11, as described in the OBS Application Audio Capture guide. That may be simpler if the applications you need are supported and you do not need Banana’s central routing. OBS notes that some application audio may not work with this method; its documented fallback is to route the application through a virtual cable and add the cable output as an Audio Input Capture source.
| Method | Useful when | Main consideration |
|---|---|---|
| Banana virtual buses | You want one mixer to route hardware and application inputs into distinct outputs | You must plan which inputs share each bus; shared inputs become one mix |
| OBS Application Audio Capture | You want to capture supported applications directly on Windows 10 version 2004 or later, or Windows 11 | Some applications may be incompatible with this capture method |
| OBS with a virtual cable | Direct application capture does not capture a particular app properly | Adds a routing step; select and test the cable device carefully |
If you use Application Audio Capture for a program, disable global Desktop Audio if it would also capture that same program and duplicate it. Keep the scope Windows-specific: this article’s instructions concern OBS and Voicemeeter in a Windows setup, not other operating systems or applications.
Assign sources to recording tracks
Once each OBS capture source has its own name and meter, assign it to tracks. In the OBS Audio Mixer, open Advanced Audio Properties from the gear menu or the Edit menu. Each source has track checkboxes. Tick the boxes according to your plan; for example, put a complete mix on track 1, the B1 capture on track 2, and the B2 capture on track 3.
This is where OBS decides which captured source is written to which recording track. Banana routing does not make the track assignments for you. If you capture B1 and B2 but tick the same track for both, OBS combines them on that track in the recording. They may also remain on their individual tracks if you tick those as well.
Then open Settings → Output and make sure the recording tracks you intend to use are enabled. Track boxes in Advanced Audio Properties and enabled tracks in Output are separate settings: both need to agree. OBS’s recording guide explains the track setup, including the value of keeping a common mix on track 1.
Think through what happens when the file is opened outside an editor. Standard video players commonly play only one audio track at a time, so track 1 should contain a complete, balanced mix if ordinary playback compatibility matters. A file with only isolated speech on track 2 and music on track 3 may sound incomplete in a player that selects track 1 by default.
If the final video will be edited, confirm that the editor displays the expected tracks and that the recording format preserves them. Do not assume that a multitrack recording is automatically compatible with every player or editing workflow. The practical benefit is control in post-production, balanced against the need to create and check a usable mix.
Record a short routing test
Make a short test recording before a long session. Speak into the microphone, play the music source, and trigger browser audio one at a time, leaving brief gaps between them. This makes it easier to hear which source appears on which track rather than relying solely on meters.
Open the test in the editor you plan to use and inspect the track layout. Listen to each track on its own: the microphone track should not contain music if you intended them to be separate. Then listen to track 1 on its own and check that it contains the full mix you expect. If you grouped sources by design, confirm that the grouped track contains both and that this is acceptable for editing.
A quick test catches several common mistakes: the wrong virtual output selected, a strip sent to the wrong bus, an OBS source assigned to an unintended track, or a recording track not enabled in Output. It also reveals whether the player opens the track you expect. A meter moving in OBS is not sufficient evidence that the final file has the right arrangement.
For an always-on channel, distinguish the OBS recording workflow from the audio path used for a live broadcast. Track assignment described here concerns the recording file; it does not by itself prove that a live stream carries the intended mix. If you are checking OBS audio more broadly, the audio settings checklist for missing media-source sound is a useful separate troubleshooting reference. For a long recording archive, consider the practical effects of retaining every session in a YouTube radio livestream archive.
If you plan to run a continuous recorded loop rather than edit a local recording, first establish the programme mix you want viewers to hear. The multitrack file is an editing asset, not a replacement for checking the finished output. For a different workflow involving repeated recorded material, see running a YouTube live loop of school performances.
When the work depends on a source being present through the night, the local Windows routing chain also depends on the PC and applications continuing to run. StreamNeo removes the need to leave your computer running for a pre-recorded 24/7 YouTube broadcast, but it is not a tool for this OBS multitrack recording setup.
Before committing, compare the operating options on the pricing page. When the file and channel are ready, start free — 24-hour trial, no card.
FAQ
Why do two sources appear together on one OBS track?
They may be routed into the same Banana bus, which combines them into one mix before OBS captures it. Route them to distinct outputs and add separate OBS capture sources if you need independent tracks; then confirm the individual track boxes in Advanced Audio Properties.
Why is a track missing from the recording?
Check both the source’s track assignment in Advanced Audio Properties and whether that track is enabled under Settings → Output. Also confirm that the intended OBS capture meter responds and that you are inspecting the correct track in your editor.
Why does the recording sound incomplete in a video player?
The player may be playing only one audio track, while the full mix is on another track or the recording contains only isolated sources. Keep a complete mix on track 1 when broad playback compatibility matters, then use the short test file to verify how your player handles it.
Do I always need Voicemeeter Banana?
No. OBS Application Audio Capture can be sufficient for supported applications on Windows 10 version 2004 or later and Windows 11. If an application is not captured correctly, OBS documents a virtual-cable fallback; choose the route that works for your sources and verify it with a test recording.