The Open Broadcaster Software, or OBS, is one of the most widely used streaming and recording software on the market. Thanks to the accessibility of this program, users across the world can make content that’s ready to compete with the best videos out there. However, when everyone has access to the same tools, you need to ensure that your finished product looks the best.
You can achieve this with solid hardware and the proper recording settings. In this guide, you’ll learn how to get great footage by optimizing for the best recording setting in OBS.
What recording settings are best for OBS?
Once you navigate to the OBS settings, you’ll need to go to the Output section. This gives you more access to settings that will customize your video quality, such as bitrate, scale, and recording format. To record OBS in 1080p, 60FPS, you’ll need the following settings:
- Resolution – 1920×1080
- Framerate – 60
- Type – Simple
- Recording Format – MP4
- Encoder – NVIDIA NVENC (when applicable)
- Rate Control – CBR
- Bitrate – 10,000 to 20,000
- Keyframe Interval – 2
- Preset – Max quality
- Profile – High
- Look-ahead – Off
- Psycho Visual Tuning – On
- GPU – 0
- Max B-Frames – 2
These are the optimal settings to get your PC to record your videos in 1080p. If you want your audio to be clearer, you can also raise the audio bitrate as high as 300.
Other Settings for the Best Recording in OBS

If 1080p isn’t enough for your videos, you can always try to bump your settings up to 4k. However, this will be very taxing on hardware, so it might be wise to scale up and see if your computer can handle it. To record in 4k, you’ll need the following settings in your OBS menu.
- Resolution – 3840×2160
- Framerate – 60
- Type – Simple
- Recording Format – MP4
- Encoder – NVIDIA NVENC (when applicable)
- Rate Control – CBR
- Bitrate – 60,000 – 65,000
- Keyfram Interval – 2
- Preset – Max Quality
- Profile – High
- Look-ahead – Off
- Psycho Visual Tuning – On
- GPU – 0
- Max B-Frames – 2
If you immediately switch to these settings, your computer may experience performance issues. Try lowering the bitrate and if you are still experiencing lag, consider changing the encoder from NVENC to x264, which will decrease the workload on your graphics card. It may be worth playing around with the provided presets until you figure out what works best on your computer.
To ensure no background noise appears in your recordings, implement a Noise Gate by clicking on the cog icon next to your mic input on the soundbar. From there, open the Filters sub-menu, then click the plus to name and add your Noise Gate. You can also apply other filters to optimize your audio recording in this menu.
Now that you know the best recording settings for OBS, you can start making higher-quality videos to inform and entertain your viewers.
i am having problems with the recording the fps is just not working and it keeps on crashing i don’t know what to do for it