Guides / Recording DJ sets, vinyl and instruments

How to record a DJ livestream on a Mac while you stream

Tested on macOS 26.4.1 (Tahoe), Apple M3 Max, 3 Sept 2026. Updated 2026-09-03.

You can keep a local recording of a DJ livestream on a Mac in two ways: OBS Studio's own local recording, which writes an MKV alongside the stream and, unless set to "Same as stream", takes extra encoder resources; or a separate audio recorder reading the same interface input at 24-bit, independent of OBS. The audio-only copy is 16.5 MB per minute; a Twitch or YouTube VOD is a lossy fallback, not a master.

Why record locally at all if the platform keeps a VOD?

Because the VOD is compressed at the stream bitrate, it is muted or cut where the platform's content matching fires, and it disappears on the platform's schedule. Twitch and YouTube VODs are for viewers who missed the stream; the master for SoundCloud, Mixcloud or your archive should be the 24-bit file that never went through the streaming encoder.

There are two places to make that copy. Inside OBS, the same program that streams also writes a file. Outside OBS, a second app records the audio input before OBS touches it. They fail differently: an OBS crash kills both stream and OBS recording; a separate recorder keeps going. A separate recorder also gives you a plain audio file rather than a video container you have to extract from, see how to extract audio from a video file.

How do you record locally in OBS while streaming?

OBS Studio has a Start Recording button next to Start Streaming, and both can run at once. Settings that matter, from OBS's own recording guides:

1. Settings > Output > Recording. Leave the format at MKV: OBS says "MKV is recommended in case of unforeseen issues arising, since MKV will not corrupt the whole file if there is no graceful stoppage of recording." Remux to MP4 afterwards with File > Remux Recordings.
2. Recording Quality. "Same as stream" reuses the stream encode, so the recording is the same compressed quality as the stream but costs nothing extra. Anything else, OBS notes, "will take extra resources from your computer" because a second encode runs in parallel.
3. Advanced output mode lets you record multiple audio tracks, up to 6, so the DJ mix can sit on its own track separate from your mic. OBS suggests MKV for this because "Not all recording formats (container) allow for multi track audio."

On macOS 13 and later with OBS 30, the macOS Audio Capture source can grab desktop audio without a virtual driver; a DJ set arriving through an interface is added as an Audio Input Capture source instead. Setup details in how to capture desktop audio in OBS on a Mac.

How do you record the set with a separate app at the same time?

Core Audio lets several apps read the same input device at once, so OBS and a recorder can both listen to the interface. The signal chain the author uses: DDJ-SZ MASTER OUT into line inputs 3 and 4 of a Focusrite Scarlett 8i6; OBS takes the Scarlett as an Audio Input Capture source for the stream; AirCheck records the same Scarlett, channel pair 3-4, at 24-bit into its own file.

1. Start the recorder first and confirm the level moves; then start OBS and add the interface as an audio source.
2. Do not change the interface's sample rate in Audio MIDI Setup once both apps are running; Core Audio renegotiates the device and either app can stall.
3. Keep the recorder's file on the internal SSD. At 16.5 MB per minute a three hour stream is about 3 GB of audio, plus OBS's video file.

What this does not give you: the mic. If you talk to chat through a USB mic in OBS, that mic is in the stream and the OBS recording but not in the audio recorder's file, which only has the interface pair. That is usually what a DJ wants for the mix archive. Cabling and gain staging for the interface input are in record a DJ mix with an audio interface.

Will recording and streaming at once overload the Mac?

The audio recorder is not the load. Writing 24-bit PCM to disk is trivial next to video encoding; the author's 2 h 5 min takes are 2.07 GB and never the bottleneck. The load is OBS's second video encode when the recording quality is not "Same as stream": two H.264 or HEVC encodes of a 1080p camera feed at once. On an Apple silicon Mac the hardware encoder usually handles both, but a MacBook Air on battery with a hot chassis can throttle and drop frames on the stream, and dropped frames are what viewers notice.

Two practical rules. First, if you want the local video at higher quality than the stream, test the whole chain for 20 minutes before going live and watch OBS's dropped frames counter. Second, if you only need the audio master, set OBS recording to "Same as stream" or off, and let the separate audio recorder be the archive; that removes the second encode entirely. Dropouts in the audio file itself have a different cause, usually a USB hub or display sleep, covered in why there is a gap in a Mac recording.

MKV is recommended in case of unforeseen issues arising, since MKV will not corrupt the whole file if there is no graceful stoppage of recording.

OBS Project, Standard Recording Output Guide

Ways to keep a local copy of a streamed DJ set

OBS behaviour from the OBS knowledge base; file sizes measured on the author's Mac.

Where AirCheck fits

AirCheck ($39, macOS 14 or newer) is the separate audio recorder in the table: it reads the same interface as OBS, with a channel-pair picker for a multi-input box (the author uses Ch 3-4 on a Scarlett 8i6), records 24-bit with no length limit, and exports WAV or MP3 320 kbps when the stream ends. If the USB input stalls for 5 seconds it restarts capture into the same file. It can also record the Mac's system audio via ScreenCaptureKit, which is a way to capture the stream mix OBS is monitoring, but that copy is post-OBS and includes whatever else the Mac plays.

When you do not need it: If a stream-quality copy is all you want, OBS's own recording set to "Same as stream" costs nothing and needs no second app. Audacity can also record the interface input for free if you set its device and channels by hand.

Questions people ask

How do I record a live stream on a Mac with audio?

For your own stream, run OBS's local recording alongside the stream (MKV, Same as stream) or a separate audio recorder on the interface input. For someone else's stream, a system audio recorder captures what the browser plays, subject to the platform's terms.

Does recording in OBS while streaming cause dropped frames?

It can when the recording uses a separate encoder or higher quality, because the Mac encodes video twice. Same as stream adds no encode. Test for 20 minutes and watch the dropped frames counter before a real set.

Can two apps record the same audio interface on a Mac at the same time?

Yes. Core Audio allows multiple apps to read one input device simultaneously, so OBS and a recorder can both use the interface. Avoid changing the sample rate while both run.

Why is my Twitch VOD muted but the local recording fine?

Platform content matching mutes VOD segments it identifies; it does not touch files on your Mac. That is the main reason to keep a local 24-bit master and upload the set to Mixcloud or SoundCloud from that.

Sources

• OBS Project: Standard Recording Output Guide (MKV, Same as stream, remux)
• OBS Project: Advanced Recording Guide and Multi Track Audio (up to 6 tracks, MKV)
• OBS Project: macOS Desktop Audio Capture Guide (OBS 30, macOS 13 and higher)
• Focusrite: Scarlett 8i6 3rd Gen

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