Ultimate Audio Streaming Setup

I have been streaming on twitch for a few night and I have ran onto and handful off issue when it comes to have auto like Spotify play in the background especially when I do my code streams on Wednesday night, because I want to record the videos to edit them later, but things like Spotify make cleanly editing impossible.

The other MAJOR issues is when a stream my Xbox, I need to be connected to both for audio and chat, so I can talk on Discord or Xbox Live, and hear my computer and my Xbox audio.

After many hour of research I came up with a pretty okay solution with our needing to buy an expensive mixer device and it lets me us my Yeti mic for Xbox Chat.

Whats You need

Hardware

PC with Windows 10 (Alienware R7)Xbox OneMicrophone (ex. Blue Yeti)Elgato HD60(S)Wireless Headphones (Arctis 7)

Software

OBS (or SLOBS)Voicemeeter BananaVirtual Audio Cable (With the Extra Cables A & B — $5)Audio RouterSpotifyDiscordWindows 10 Xbox App

The Diagram

How To Set It All Up

Step 1: Download and in all Install all the applicationOBSVoicemeeter BananaVirtual Audio Cable (With the Extra Cables A & B — $5)Audio RouterSpotifyDiscord

Step 2: Set up Spotify, Discord, and OBS. This one you can handle on your own.

Step 3: Install all three Virtual Cable Drivers. Then, restart you computer so all 3 driver will work. If you open your playback devices (right click on volume and click playback) You should see, rather counter intuitively, Playback now has three CABLE Inputs and Recording has three CABLE Outputs.

Step 4: Set CABLE Input (Not A or B) to be the default playback device for BOTH Default Device and Default Communications Device. Right click on CALBE Input and make check Set as Default Device and Set as Default Communications Device. If the are both set there will be no options under Disable.

Step 5: Install (well… run) Audio Router. Find Spotify in your list, it will need audio to show up in the mix, or you click File > Switch View and select it from the list. Then choose Route… and pick CABLE-A Input

Note: This app is in crazy alpha mode and for some reason does have yet so for now you have to do this step every time open Audio Router.

Step 6: Open Voicemeeter Banana and set the follow mappings then save so you can load again later.Hardware Input 1 => CABLE OutputHardware Input 1 => CABLE-A OutputHardware Input 1 => Line (Elgato Sound Capture) or CABLE-B Output if your not stream a console.Hardware Out => Set A1 to Headphones (Arctis 7)

IMPORTANT: Make sure each A1 on each input is select otherwise the sound wont go to your headphones on the A1 output.EVEN MORE IMPORTANT: After making any changes to the Voicemeeter Banana or Audio Router, you almost always have to restart the audio engine in Voicemeeter Banana by clicking Menu > Restart Audio Engine

Step 7: Open your OBS scene: Add new Video Capture Device name it Elgato and select Device as Game Capture HD60 SAdd new Audio Input Capture name it mic and select Device as Microphone (Blue Yeti)Add new Audio Output Capture name it spotify and select Device as CABLE-A Input

Then, click the gear the on Spotify mixer > Advance Audio Properties. For Spotify over under Tracks uncheck all but #1

Step 8 (Option for Party Chat): Use the Windows Xbox App to join Party Chat on your PC, Not on the Xbox. It works exactly the same way.

There you go. Now you can stream live with background music but not have it include in your recording so you can edit. This is also copyright friendly :)

What you can’t do

Talk in the general online chat on Xbox Live games like Call of Duty. But to be honest, no one wants to hear you talk especially if your voicing your inner monologue on Twitch. If people wanted to talk you, you can use Party Chat on the Xbox App, then your views can hear them and your not annoying the crap out of people too stupid to mute you in-game.

Video Explanation

IMPORTANT NOTE: I meant to record this but accidentally Streamed it so you can hear audio that you shouldn’t hear but I promise it works. I will make a follow-up video with every running live in the next week!

Don’t forget to follow and watch me live at https://www.twitch.tv/loserkidklazy

Ultimate Audio Streaming Setup was originally published in Hacker Noon on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.