OBS audio crackling or stuttering?

Your stream audio breaks up, crackles or cuts out, often when your computer is busy. I’ll find what’s overloading it and lighten the load, live on a remote session.

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5.0 from 175+ Google reviews for my consultancy, Audio Support

Sound familiar?

It sounds fine until you go live, then it falls apart.

Crackles and stutters

Your voice or sound effects crackle, stutter or cut out mid-stream.

“System Overload”

Logic Pro or another audio app flashes an overload error when you switch scenes or open a tab.

The frozen stream

The whole stream freezes while OBS fights other apps for your computer’s power.

Too much running at once

Crackle and dropouts often come from asking one computer to run a full audio studio and a video encoder at the same time. I find what’s taking the power and swap it for something lighter, before anyone suggests a new computer.

How I fix it

A live remote session. You stay at your desk, and I work on your computer with you.

I call you on WhatsApp

A voice line on your phone, separate from the mic we’re working on, so we can talk while we test.

I connect and listen

I connect to your computer with AnyDesk and hear your audio in real time through Audiomovers LISTENTO.

We lighten the load

I watch what your computer is doing while you stream, find the app or plugin overloading it, and replace or reroute it so OBS has the headroom it needs.

A real fix

A reaction streamer whose soundboard kept freezing his stream.

Remote session CASE ID #718

Logic Pro “System Overload” errors while streaming on a 2012 iMac

The setup

The problem

He runs a Native Instruments Maschine soundboard in Logic Pro alongside OBS on a 2012 iMac. Every time he switched videos or opened a browser tab, Logic flashed “System Overload” and the audio stuttered.

What I did

Swapped Logic Pro for Hosting AU, a free, lightweight host that just runs the plugin.
Loaded his Maschine soundboard project inside it.
Sent its output through the BlackHole virtual audio driver, using the same routing into OBS as before.

The result

Result: CPU use dropped, and he could stream, play videos and trigger sounds with no errors, stutters or overloads, on the same iMac.

Read the full case study →

What it costs

No packages to decode, no upsells. Pick the one that fits and book it.

Diagnosis

Free

Send me your audio clips. I’ll listen properly and tell you what’s wrong and how I’d fix it — back with you by the next working day, UK hours.

Send me your audio

Live Diagnostic

£90

A focused, one-hour, screen-shared session to find and kill a specific problem. Mic suddenly not recording, distortion out of nowhere, routing that’s blocking your chat, software that won’t behave. Most issues are gone inside the session.

Book a Live Diagnostic

Full Studio Setup

£180

Around two hours. I take control and configure your whole rig from scratch — hardware and software, gain staging, mic positioning, routing, the lot. For new gear, a new room, or a setup that’s never quite worked properly. You end up with a system that just runs.

Book a Full Studio Setup

Priced in GBP. International clients welcome — your bank converts at checkout.

Before you book

The questions streamers ask me most.

Do I need a new computer?

Not always. In this session a 2012 iMac kept up once Logic Pro was replaced by a lightweight host.

Is it always the CPU?

No. Crackle can also come from drivers or sample rates that don’t match. In another session, matching every app to one sample rate and switching off unused audio devices stopped the stutter.

Will it work on Windows?

Yes. The same idea applies: a light plugin host, one sample rate and only the audio devices you need.

Get a free diagnosis

Takes less than 2 minutes.