Starting a stream is easy, whichever platform you prefer to use. Whether you choose YouTube, Twitch, or Facebook, the process of setting up a stream is almost identical.
However, there’s a big difference between starting a stream and becoming a competent streamer. Becoming a streamer means optimizing your entire setup to ensure you deliver the highest quality content possible for your followers.
One task you’ll need to complete is to mute your Discord audio. Before doing that, we’ll need to set up OBS (Open Broadcaster Software).
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Installing OBS
To install OBS, you first need to download it. You also need to select your operating system, and we recommend downloading the installer instead of a .zip or via BitTorrent.
Start the setup, follow the steps, and you should be done in less than five minutes.
Once installed, open the application, and it will display a prompt to set up OBS for you. Select Optimize for streaming, recording is secondary.
Press next and, on the following screen, select your original resolution (1920×1080) and ideally 60 frames per second (this will depend on your internet bandwidth). Press next again, and this is where you will need to connect to your preferred platform.
For this, you’ll need your stream key. For Twitch, we have written a detailed guide on how to retrieve it.
Creating A Virtual Audio Device For Discord
Muting Discord on OBS might not be as effortless as you would hope. OBS solely detects hardware audio devices and does not detect sources from programs/windows/applications. This means your only choice is to mute your headphones or speakers entirely.
Fortunately, there is a solution to the problem! You need to create a virtual audio device, which can be achieved with the help of a third-party program.
In this example, we’ll use VB-Audio’s Voicemeeter.
Download the installation file, either the .zip or .exe, start the setup, press Install, and then reboot your system.
After the reboot, open Voicemeeter. You might find the user interface slightly overwhelming but don’t worry; it is actually quite simple to use. You will only need to make use of a few options.
Look at the top right of the program and click on A1 or A2; either one is fine. This will open a drop-down menu. On this menu, you need to find and select your main output device, such as your headphones, speakers, etc.
Once you select the device, Voicemeeter will automatically create a virtual input device. In fact, it will create two devices, and you’ll need to use both of them.
First, we need to adjust some Windows settings. Go to Control Panel – Hardware and Sound – Manage Devices. Under the Playback tab, look for Voicemeeter Input, right-click it, and select Set As Default Device. If you followed these steps, audio should now come through your headphones/speakers.
Windows and Voicemeeter are now set up, so it’s time to prepare Discord. First, go to Discord – User Settings – Voice & Video. For Output Device, select Voicemeeter Aux Input. By doing this, you have successfully separated your audio into multiple (virtual) devices, allowing you to mute Discord on OBS.
To check that this has worked, go into Voicemeeter again, and check that A1 under Voicemeeter AUX is enabled. By enabling A1, you will be routing Discord’s audio through your headphones.
Let’s head back to OBS!
In OBS, select a scene, click the + icon under Sources and choose Audio Output Capture. You’ll need to create a new source, which you should probably name “Discord.” Press OK and under device, select Voicemeeter Aux input.
We’re nearly done!
You’ve now isolated and added the audio coming from Discord. All that is left is to mute it. With this new source selected in OBS, drag the volume bar and bring it to zero. Alternatively, you can simply click on the speaker icon to mute it.
That’s all!
Now, when you start streaming, your viewers will not be able to hear your teammates on Discord. This process might seem more complicated than it should be, but you won’t encounter any issues if you follow this guide properly.
