For continuous playlist audio in OBS, use a compressor only if the music has loudness swings that are distracting, and put a limiter last to control peaks. There is no universal playlist preset: tune against your own tracks, then listen to a test capture before relying on the setup.
A compressor and limiter solve different problems. Compression reduces levels above a threshold; limiting acts as a peak ceiling. Neither makes every song equally loud, and neither guarantees that clipping or loudness variation will disappear. The useful starting point is a separate playlist source, restrained adjustments and a check of the audio you will actually broadcast.
Route the playlist as its own source
Start by identifying which OBS source carries the playlist. If music arrives through a dedicated media source, apply its filters there. That keeps changes scoped to the playlist rather than changing every sound captured by a combined desktop-audio source. OBS explains that filters can be attached to sources and scenes in its Filters Guide.
This distinction matters when a channel also has alerts, a microphone, browser audio or system sounds. A compressor intended to smooth music can change those other sounds if they share the same processed source. Conversely, a limiter on the playlist alone will not control peaks from an alert routed elsewhere. Check the Audio Mixer while the playlist plays, and confirm which meter responds before adding filters.
If your current setup captures all computer audio together, decide whether that is deliberate. For a simple stream with no other sound, one combined source may be adequate. If you need independent control, route the playlist separately where your playback arrangement allows it. The trade-off is a little more setup and the need to check for accidental duplicate capture, in exchange for being able to adjust music without affecting unrelated audio.
A source-level filter is not a substitute for setting a sensible source level. First listen to the file itself at a comfortable level and watch OBS's meters during both quiet and loud passages. Avoid raising gain merely to make a meter look busier: extra level consumes headroom and can make peaks harder to manage later.
For the wider task of building a playlist broadcast, the guide to streaming a playlist to YouTube Live using OBS covers the surrounding workflow. Here, keep the focus on the signal path: find the music source, know what else shares it, and make processing changes only where they are meant to apply.
Decide whether compression is needed
Compression is useful when the difference between quieter and louder parts is large enough to disrupt listening. That could be a playlist assembled from recordings with noticeably different levels, or one track with an occasional loud section. It is not automatically useful simply because the channel runs continuously.
OBS describes a compressor as reducing audio above a threshold according to a ratio. Below that threshold, the compressor does not apply gain reduction. As a simple illustration, OBS says a signal 6 dB above threshold with a 2:1 ratio becomes 3 dB above threshold. This reduces the excess; it does not determine that the resulting level is right for your stream.
Listen before processing. A few differences between tracks may be acceptable, especially for a station where the music is intended to retain its dynamics. If one quiet passage is followed by a much louder track and the change is uncomfortable, compression may help reduce the contrast. If the material is already consistent and sounds natural, adding compression can bring little benefit while adding another setting to maintain.
Compression also is not the same as normalisation. It responds to levels crossing its threshold, but it does not automatically make songs share the same perceived loudness. A compressor can reduce peaks above threshold, while its output gain can raise the processed signal afterwards. That output gain may use up the headroom you had just created, so do not add it without listening for the result and checking the meter.
A limiter has a different role: it catches peaks at a ceiling. That can be useful even when you do not want to smooth the playlist with compression, but a peak ceiling does not fix a track that sounds much louder than the next one. Think in terms of the problem you hear rather than a rule that both filters must always be enabled.
If the playlist is part of a scheduled or rotating station, track selection and order can also affect perceived changes. The practical discussion of scheduling tracks for a 24/7 lo-fi radio station is relevant when the main challenge is the material and its sequence, rather than a filter setting.
Set compressor behaviour to the audio
OBS exposes threshold, ratio, attack, release and output gain. Treat them as controls to audition, not as a ready-made playlist recipe. The OBS Compressor Filter documentation explains that threshold is where compression begins, while ratio determines how much the signal above that point is reduced.
Threshold and ratio work together. A higher threshold means fewer passages cross into compression; a lower threshold means more of the playlist may be affected. A more forceful ratio reduces above-threshold levels more strongly. Make small changes and replay the same loud and quiet passages, so you can hear whether the change addresses the swing without making the music sound unnaturally constrained.
Attack determines how quickly the compressor reaches full gain reduction after the audio crosses threshold. Release determines how quickly it returns to zero gain reduction after levels fall back below threshold. Those timings affect the response to the actual musical material. A setting that catches a short peak may behave differently from one that is active through a sustained loud passage. There is no value in copying milliseconds from a different use case if the result does not sound right on your tracks.
Output gain raises the signal after compression. It can be tempting to use it to restore apparent loudness, but doing so may bring peaks closer to the limiter or the output ceiling. Adjust it only after considering the complete filter chain and listening to the processed output. If the source already has a suitable level, leaving additional gain alone is often the simpler choice.
OBS lists default compressor values of 10:1 ratio, -18 dB threshold, 6 ms attack, 60 ms release and 0 dB output gain. Those are the software defaults, not a validated preset for continuous playlist music. The combination may produce a stronger effect than you want, depending on the source; test rather than assuming that a displayed default is a recommendation.
Do not copy OBS's sidechain example into a playlist compressor unless you actually want voice-over ducking. That separate setup is intended to lower music or game sound beneath a microphone, using the microphone as a sidechain source. OBS publishes values for that distinct task, including a 32:1 ratio and -36 dB threshold, but those figures answer a different question from controlling a playlist on its own. If there is no voice to make room for, a sidechain is not required for ordinary playlist control.
Place the limiter last as a peak ceiling
Put the limiter after the compressor and any other gain or dynamics filters on the same source. A later filter can raise or otherwise alter the signal after an earlier limiter has acted, which defeats the idea of having the limiter set the final ceiling. OBS's Limiter Filter page explicitly says the limiter should be last in the filter chain.
The limiter is a peak-control stage, not a loudness-matching stage. OBS describes it as a compressor with a very fast attack and a high ratio, intended to prevent a signal peaking above 0 dB. The threshold sets the ceiling at which it acts; release governs how it returns after reducing a peak. If a track is consistently louder than another without producing a peak that reaches the limiter, the limiter will not correct that difference.
OBS documents a default limiter threshold of -6 dB and release of 60 ms. These are defaults, not proof that the values suit every playlist, source level or delivery chain. Choose a ceiling with room for the rest of your audio path, and verify the result on loud passages. The right threshold is tied to what you hear and measure in the full setup, not to a claim that one number guarantees clean sound everywhere.
A limiter can also sound unnatural if it is asked to work too often or too heavily. Listen for flattened transients, pumping or distortion during the loudest sections. If those appear, check source level and compressor behaviour as well as the limiter threshold; simply lowering the ceiling further may make the sound less natural rather than solve the underlying mismatch.
Keep the order easy to inspect. For a straightforward playlist chain, make any intentional level adjustments first, use compression only if the variation calls for it, and place the limiter last. If you change the order or add another filter later, recheck the ceiling with a new capture because the signal reaching the limiter may have changed.
Do not mistake defaults for a preset
A default is a starting state in software, not an editorial recommendation for every job. OBS's compressor defaults are documented values; its sidechain guidance addresses music under speech; and the limiter default is a threshold and release that OBS supplies when the filter is added. None of those facts establishes a best setting for continuous playlist audio.
This is important because music is not one uniform source. A devotional recording, a lofi mix and a quiet ambience loop can have different dynamics and different acceptable peaks. Even tracks in one playlist can vary in mastering and arrangement. A value that seems unobtrusive on one file may overwork another, so judge the actual programme rather than the category label.
Separate three questions when reviewing the chain: Is a loudness swing distracting? Are there peaks that need a ceiling? Is the processed result still natural at normal listening levels? Compression may address the first, limiting may address the second, and neither guarantees a positive answer to the third. It is acceptable to use only a limiter, only a compressor, or neither, depending on what you hear and the stream's needs.
This approach is different from seeking a single “best OBS setting”. A preset without the source level, tracks and listening context leaves out the conditions that determine its effect. When your goal is a continuously playing programme rather than operating a local computer overnight, StreamNeo can take an uploaded video and keep its YouTube broadcast running with your computer switched off, so the practical concern of leaving a playback machine on is removed; the audio still needs to be prepared and checked before you upload it.
Listen and test-capture the playlist
Use a repeatable listening check. Choose representative quiet and loud sections, a transition between tracks, and any passage you already know can become intense. Listen first with filters bypassed if practical, then enable one change at a time. That makes it easier to tell whether the compressor reduced an unwanted swing or whether the limiter merely caught a peak.
Watch the source and output meters while those sections play, but do not use meter movement as the sole measure of quality. A meter can show that level is changing; it cannot tell you whether a soft passage is musically appropriate or whether a mix feels harsh. Check at a normal playback level, then at a quieter level if possible, because small changes between tracks may become more apparent when listening quietly.
Record a short test capture that includes the loudest passage and a transition. Play it back rather than judging only what you hear live in the room. A capture lets you check what OBS actually recorded and can reveal level changes or distortion you missed while watching meters. This is a practical check, not a guarantee that every later song will behave the same way.
For a playlist that runs for hours, make sure the sample is representative of the range of material, not merely the first track. If you replace files, reorder tracks or alter source gain, repeat the check. A change to the programme can make yesterday's judgement less relevant, especially when a new track has a different level or much sharper peaks.
If the test sounds too constrained, reduce the amount of compression or revisit the threshold and ratio. If it sounds clear but occasional peaks are a concern, review the limiter and the preceding gain stages. If track-to-track loudness still varies, do not expect the limiter to equalise it; decide whether that variation is acceptable or address the source material and playlist order.
For broader planning around a recorded-video channel, the article on regional music scheduling for a 24/7 YouTube radio stream can help you consider the programme as well as the technical path. The same principle applies: a well-ordered playlist and a tested signal chain are separate parts of a dependable broadcast.
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FAQ
Should I use both a compressor and a limiter on playlist audio?
Only if each has a job. Compression can reduce distracting variation above its threshold; the limiter can control peaks after the other filters. If the playlist already sounds consistent and its peaks are managed, adding both may not improve it.
Why must the limiter come last?
A filter after the limiter can change the signal level after the ceiling has acted. Putting the limiter last makes it the final peak-control stage in that source's filter chain, as OBS recommends. Recheck the chain if you add or reorder filters.
Are OBS's default values the best settings for music?
No. The documented values are software defaults, not a tested preset for continuous playlist audio. Tune against representative quiet and loud passages, then listen to a test capture.
Does a limiter make every song equally loud?
No. It catches peaks above its threshold; it does not match the perceived loudness of whole tracks. If levels differ noticeably from song to song, review the source material and playlist as well as the processing.