For continuous playlist audio in OBS, use a compressor only if the music’s loudness varies enough to be distracting, then put a limiter last in the filter chain to control peaks. There is no OBS-published universal compressor preset for continuous music: its documented values are defaults, not a validated playlist recipe. Adjust the filters while listening to your actual tracks, then record and check a test.
What each filter does
Compressor: reduces levels above a threshold
A compressor acts on audio that rises above its threshold. Its ratio determines how much it reduces the level above that point; below the threshold, it applies no gain reduction. For example, OBS explains that at a 2:1 ratio, a signal 6 dB above threshold becomes 3 dB above threshold. Attack controls how quickly compression reaches full effect, while release controls how quickly gain reduction returns to zero after the signal falls below threshold. Output Gain raises the processed signal, which can use up the headroom compression created. OBS documents these controls and defaults here.
Limiter: catches peaks at a ceiling
A limiter controls peaks above its threshold; it is not a tool for making every song sound equally loud. OBS describes it as a compressor with a very fast attack and high ratio, and says it should be the last filter in the chain. Its documented default threshold is -6 dB and release is 60 ms. These are defaults, not requirements for playlist audio. See OBS’s Limiter Filter documentation.
Set up processing for the playlist source
When practical, apply filters to the source that carries the playlist rather than to combined desktop audio. That keeps the processing scoped to the playlist instead of affecting other captured sound. OBS supports filters on sources and scenes, and its guide describes opening an audio device’s filters from the Audio Mixer. OBS Filters Guide and the OBS Studio Overview Guide explain where filters are available.
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- Identify the playlist audio source. In OBS, locate the source carrying the playlist and open its filters. If the playlist is part of a combined desktop-audio source, remember that processing that source will also affect its other captured audio.
- Listen before changing anything. Check representative quiet and loud sections, including transitions, and watch the source and output meters. Decide whether the problem is distracting loudness variation, occasional peaks, or both.
- Add a Compressor only if needed. In the source’s filters, add the Compressor. Adjust threshold and ratio in small increments while listening. Tune attack, release, and output gain against the music rather than treating a software default as a target. OBS’s published compressor defaults are ratio 10:1, threshold -18 dB, attack 6 ms, release 60 ms, and output gain 0 dB; OBS does not identify them as a continuous-playlist preset.
- Add the Limiter last. Place it after the compressor and any other dynamics or gain filters. Set a peak ceiling that leaves headroom for the delivery chain. OBS’s default threshold is -6 dB, with a 60 ms release; neither value is mandatory for your source.
- Record and review a test. Capture a short segment with a transition and the loudest passage. Listen back for distortion, pumping, or unnaturally flattened dynamics, and check the result at more than one playback level if possible. If the sound worsens, ease the processing or remove the compressor; a limiter alone may be sufficient when the only issue is peaks.
Choose settings based on the problem
| What you hear | What to try | What to keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Some passages or tracks are noticeably louder than others | Try light compression on the playlist source and tune while listening. | Compression reduces levels above its threshold; it does not automatically match every track’s perceived loudness. |
| Occasional loud peaks need a ceiling | Use a limiter last in the chain. | A limiter controls peaks; it does not smooth all track-to-track variation. |
| Music should get quieter when someone speaks | Use a compressor with the microphone as its sidechain source. | This is voice ducking, a different task from processing a continuous playlist on its own. |
Use ducking settings only when a microphone should lower the music
For music or game sound that should dip under a microphone, OBS gives a separate sidechain starting point: ratio 32:1, threshold -36 dB, attack 100 ms, release 600 ms, and output gain 0 dB, with the microphone selected as the sidechain source. OBS advises adjusting threshold for ducking strength and attack and release for timing. These values address voice ducking; they are not a continuous-playlist compressor preset. OBS’s Compressor Filter page lists the setup.
Troubleshoot common results
The audio sounds flattened or unnatural
Reduce the amount of compression or bypass the compressor and compare. A high ratio or a threshold that triggers too often can make dynamics less natural. Make changes while listening rather than relying on the meter alone.
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The signal clips or sounds distorted after compression
Check whether Output Gain is raising the post-compression signal too much, then review the limiter’s position and ceiling. The limiter should be last. Record a fresh test after each adjustment.
Other captured audio changes too
Check which source has the filters. If they are on combined desktop audio, they affect that combined signal; move the processing to the playlist source if you need it isolated.
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The playlist remains uneven from song to song
A compressor and limiter address dynamics and peaks, not automatic perceived-loudness matching across a library. Avoid raising output gain simply to make the meter busier, since it consumes peak headroom.
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