How to Record Discord with OBS

And while it may be easy to get the in-game audio and video recording you want to record, you may have found trouble attempting to record your chat audio to go with it.

In this article, we will cover how to set up audio output capture for Discord audio, as well as some settings to improve the quality of the sound you are recording.

There are a few different ways to record your desktop audio output with OBS studio.

Recording Using Audio Output Capture/Audio Input Capture

The first is the most basic recording format. This method will make OBS record from your default desktop audio source. This will cause OBS to record your selected microphone input and speakers or headset.

To Record Audio from Your Default Input or Output device:

1. step 1

   

   Open OBS and click the Plus icon in Sources.

2. step 2

   

   Choose Audio Input Capture or Audio Output Capture.

3. step 3

   

   Select Create new, type in a name, check Make source visible, and click OK.

4. step 4

   

   Select Device: Default from the source list and click OK.

5. step 5

   

   Your new audio capture will appear in Sources and will record audio from your default PC input or output device.

Recording Using Application Audio Capture (BETA)

Recently, OBS studio added the Application Audio Capture (BETA) option to their recording software.

This makes using OBS to record Discord audio really easy, only requiring a few steps to get going.

To record Discord audio with OBS:

1. step 1

   First, make sure you have Discord open and are in a voice channel. Then launch OBS.

2. step 2

   In the Sources section click the plus icon.

3. step 3

   

   Select Application Audio Capture (BETA).

4. step 4

   

   Next, select Create new, type in a name, and check Make source visible. Then click OK.

5. step 5

   

   Choose the correct Discord option from the drop-down menu.

6. step 6

   

   Make sure the Window Match Priority is set to the find window of same type option and click OK.

7. step 7

   

   You should see your new audio channel under Sources. When you click Start recording OBS will record the audio from the Discord channel you chose.

   If you want to change anything about this audio channel in the future, click on the channel and select Properties on the bar above.

Recording Using Window Capture

You can also record Discord audio by creating an audio channel that will capture audio from specific windows on your PC.

This option may be more taxing on your PC resources as OBS will be recording the actual program rather than just audio output.

To record a specific window:

1. step 1

   

   Click the plus icon in Sources and select Window Capture.

2. step 2

   

   Select Create new, type in a name, check Make source visible, and click OK.

3. step 3

   

   Select the correct Discord window from the Windows list.

4. step 4

   

   Select Capture Method: Automatic, Match Priority: same type, and click OK.

5. step 5

   Your preview in the OBS window should now show the Discord client, as well as allow you to resize the window on the recording.

OBS has a Mac version of its software, and luckily the client is designed the same for both platforms.

Simply follow the steps above on your Mac or Apple device.

Now that we know how to record Discord audio, it’s time to ensure your audio quality is the best.

Once you have your audio source chosen, you can begin using OBS to refine levels and output of your microphone recording volume.

Right click on the Audio Mixer bar and select Advanced Audio Properties.

In the new window, you can specify the volume and balance of all input devices.

The specific setting each one should be at for best performance is based on your device and the type of content you are creating.

Tips for Improving your Audio settings

Different tools, such as a third-party audio mixer or streaming software, will allow you to tweak your microphone and speakers to optimal levels.

Spending the time to configure everything properly will help you and the people watching to enjoy the videos you make.

For example, you want people to be able to hear your voice when speaking. Making sure of this will be helpful for all parties involved, namely you and your viewers.

When you’ve successfully recorded your video and hit stop recording, you now need to find that file to edit and upload.

The easiest way is to click File in the top left and select Show Recordings.

This will open the folder where the OBS client saves your recordings.

You can set the file path to a folder of your liking if the default does not work for you.

To set the file path:

1. step 1

   

   Click File in the top left and select Settings.

2. step 2

   

   In the Settings Menu select Output and find the Recording section.

3. step 3

   In the text bar next to Recording Path type the folder name, or click browse to choose the folder where you want your recordings saved.

4. step 4

   Click Apply at the bottom, and your recorded video files will appear in that folder

There are other ways you can record your Discord audio. If you think that using OBS is not the method for you, you can also try these options instead:

Record audio from Discord with Audacity

As mentioned, you can also record audio calls from your desired Discord server or any Discord voice channel by using a recording software called Audacity. You can follow the step-by-step guide below to learn how to do this.

1. STEP 1

   Download and install Audacity on your computer if you haven’t done so yet. You can click here to download this free audio editor and use many of its recording features.

   You can download Audacity on any Windows, Mac, or Linux operating system.

2. STEP 2

   

   Once Audacity has been launched on your computer, change the audio host set to “Windows WASAPI“

   

   Set your audio input device to “Microphone Array” or the speaker you use with a loopback feature.

   

   Set your recording channel to “2 (Stereo)“, and then set your output device according to your audio source.

3. STEP 3

   Make sure to perform a test recording to know if everything is working perfectly. After doing so and knowing that it is, click on the record button (red button). You can now proceed to start recording calls from Discord. When you’re done and want to stop recording, just click on the stop button which is the gray square beside the play button.

Discord call recording by using Craig bot

Craig bot is a voice channel recording bot that works on both PC and mobile devices. You can use it to record actual voice calls from any Discord server that you are in. To do this, you must add Craig to your Discord server.

Here’s how you can add the Craig bot to any of your Discord servers:

1. STEP 1

   Go to the Craig website by clicking here

2. STEP 2

   

   Invite Craig to your Discord server by clicking on the button.

3. STEP 3

   

   Choose the Discord server you want to invite Craig bot to and then click “Continue.”

4. STEP 4

   

   Click “Authorize” to grant Craig bot access to your Discord account.

5. STEP 5

   

   Follow the recaptcha process by clicking on the checkbox.

   Upon clicking on the checkbox, you will see the successful authorization notice.

   You can now go back to the Discord server you gave the Craig bot access to and you will see it.

   To start recording your server activity such as your voice conversation with your peers on the server voice channel, you can make the Craig bot record calls on your Discord channel by typing this command in the message box: /join

   

   You can then choose which voice channels you want Craig to record Discord calls from. Press “Enter” and the Craig bot will send a notice that the recording started.

   

   To finish recording calls, simply type in the command: /stop

   

   To access your audio recordings, type in the command: /recordings

   

   By pressing “Enter,” Craig will send you links to your last 5 recordings.

   Click on “Download” to download your recording. You can choose to save calls on Google Drive or save them on your device. You can also opt to save separate audio files of your and your peers’ conversations from the channel.

   Remember that Craig will only keep your audio recording for 7 seven days before it expires, so make sure you download or save them on your Google Drive within the time period.