The Tool Desk
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Choose the route that matches where your finished mix is made
Start with the finished podcast mix, not a particular cable or interface model. Your signal path should preserve two distinct channels from the mix through the computer and OBS to YouTube Live.
- Mix made on external equipment: Route the mixer or interface’s stereo left and right output to a stereo-capable computer input.
- Mix made in a DAW or other computer software: Use an interface’s loopback feature if available to send the computer audio to OBS. The exact setup depends on the interface, driver and operating system.
- No loopback available: A second interface is a possible fallback in the Windows Studio One and OBS workflow documented by PreSonus; it is not a universal requirement.
If your current mixer or interface already provides the needed stereo input or loopback route, you may not need additional hardware.
Route a mixer’s stereo output into OBS
- Identify the mixer’s stereo output. Find its left and right outputs and a stereo-capable input on the computer or audio interface. Connect both sides using the appropriate inputs and cables for your equipment; there is no single cable scheme that fits every setup.
- Select the device carrying the mix in OBS. Add the actual computer input or interface device receiving the mixer output as an audio source. For a DAW-produced mix, select the loopback stream instead.
- Play the finished mix and watch the OBS meters. In a stereo meter, the first meter is left and the second is right. A stereo source should show signal on both sides when the mix contains audio there. If only the first meter moves, the source may be reaching OBS on the left only. The OBS Audio Mixer Guide explains the meter order and notes that OBS Studio defaults to Stereo audio.
- Check the source’s channel assignment and stream output layout. Keep the program mix stereo; do not rely on OBS’s default alone. Verify the assigned channels and stereo output in your configuration.
Keep a mono microphone centered without flattening the mix
A mono microphone intended to sound centered and a stereo podcast mix are different sources. A mono mic should be routed to both left and right output channels. Focusrite describes assigning channel 1 to both output channels for this kind of mono-to-center routing in its Focusrite interface and OBS setup guide.
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Do not apply that mono duplication approach to the whole stereo program mix: copying one channel to both sides or collapsing the mix to mono discards its left-right distinction. Check each source’s assignment separately.
Set the audio format for YouTube’s ingest protocol
YouTube’s general live encoder settings guidance recommends a 44.1 kHz sample rate for stereo live audio and recommends RTMPS. Match your settings to the ingest protocol you are using rather than combining recommendations from different modes.
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For HLS ingest specifically, YouTube’s HLS setup guidance recommends 44.1 kHz and 128 Kbps for stereo audio. The bitrate recommendation here is HLS-specific; do not treat it as a universal setting for every YouTube ingest protocol.
YouTube’s live ingestion guidance supports mono, stereo and 5.1 channel layouts. Other channel configurations may convert unreliably to stereo, so use a standard stereo output for a stereo podcast.
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Test both channels before the public stream
- Play a known stereo section of the finished mix and confirm both OBS meters respond as expected.
- Start a private or unlisted test stream and listen on headphones, checking left and right separately.
- Check that a mono microphone intended to be centered is audible in both ears, while the program mix retains its left-right differences.
- Verify the result in the test playback before switching to a public stream.
OBS metering shows what reaches OBS; it does not independently prove how every downstream playback device will reproduce the audio.
Why does the live stream audio come out of only the left speaker?
If only the first OBS meter moves, the source may be mapped to the left channel without a corresponding right-channel signal. Check that the selected device carries both sides of the mix, that the left and right connections are present, and that the source’s channel assignment and output layout are stereo. If both OBS meters show the expected signal, use the private or unlisted test to check the downstream stream rather than assuming the meters alone guarantee playback on every device.
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Do you need an audio interface with loopback?
Loopback can help when the finished audio is produced inside the computer and needs to reach OBS. For an external mixer, a USB audio interface with stereo line inputs is a reasonable category to consider if the computer has no suitable stereo input. A second interface may be an option for the particular PreSonus Windows Studio One workflow, but neither that guide nor the Focusrite setup establishes one model as necessary or compatible with every system.
Before buying anything, check:
- Whether you need stereo line inputs for an external mix, loopback for computer audio, or both.
- Compatibility with your operating system and drivers.
- The input and output count required by your existing mixer, interface and routing.
- Whether your current equipment already provides the needed path into OBS.
Or let it run in the cloud
For a prerecorded podcast or other uploaded video that you want to keep live on YouTube, StreamNeo is a separate option: upload the video, add your YouTube stream key, and go live. It loops uploaded videos from the cloud; it does not send a live camera feed. That is not a replacement for routing a live stereo mix through OBS.
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- It automatically recovers if YouTube drops the stream.
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The monthly option is $9.99 per month. See StreamNeo for details, or start your free first day.
Quick Recap
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