Mac audio setup for YouTube and streaming: OBS, voiceovers and screen recordings
Updated 2026-10-03
Most bad creator audio on a Mac is not a bad microphone. It is the right microphone not being the one that recorded: OBS following a default that moved, a screen recording that picked up the laptop mic, or headphones that connected late and took over. Here is how to set each tool up so that cannot happen.
OBS on a Mac: pick the microphone by name
In OBS, open Settings ▸ Audio and set Mic/Auxiliary Audio to your microphone by name rather than "Default". On "Default", OBS follows macOS, and the moment AirPods or a webcam connect, your stream can switch to their microphone without telling you.
Check the mixer before you go live. If the meter for your mic does not move when you speak, OBS is listening to something else.
Capturing desktop audio in OBS
On macOS 13 Ventura or later, recent versions of OBS can capture what the Mac is playing without extra software: add an Audio Output Capture source. Older macOS versions needed a separate virtual audio driver for this.
Voiceovers and screen recordings
For a quick tutorial, the built-in screen recorder works well. Press Shift-Command-5, click Options in the toolbar, and choose your microphone before you start. It is easy to miss, and the recording uses whatever is selected there.
For voiceovers, QuickTime's File ▸ New Audio Recording lets you choose the microphone and quality from the menu next to the record button. If your voice sounds over-processed, check that Mic Mode is set to Standard, which is Apple's advice for recording.
Headphones while you record
Wired headphones are safest for monitoring. Bluetooth headphones add delay, and AirPods in particular can connect on their own mid-session and become both your output and your input.
If you use AirPods for everyday listening, open System Settings ▸ Bluetooth, click the info button next to them, and set Connect to This Mac to When Last Connected to This Mac, so they stop joining just because the case opened nearby.
One Mac, two setups
Most creators use the same Mac for editing, calls and everyday listening, and each wants different devices. macOS has no way to express that. It simply uses whatever connected last.
Tunestack keeps a ranked device list for output and another for input, and switches the Mac back to the top available device whenever something connects. With profiles you can keep a "Recording" order with your studio mic and wired headphones on top, and an "Everyday" order for the rest of the day, and change between them in one click. Apps where you chose a device by name, like OBS set up as above, keep using it either way.