These are the settings used on a PC with an NVIDIA RTX graphics card, recording with OBS Studio 32.2.1. Treat them as a tested starting point, not a law. Other graphics cards, monitors and drives will want different values, and the pipeline itself has not yet been run on a real recording.
The settings
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Canvas and output resolutionSettings, Video | Both the monitor's native resolution (3840x2160 on a 4K monitor) |
| Frame rateSettings, Video | 60 fps |
| Output modeSettings, Output | Advanced |
| Recording format | Hybrid MP4 |
| Video encoder | NVIDIA NVENC HEVC |
| Rate control | CQP 18 (try 16 if small numbers look smeared) |
| Keyframe interval | 2 s |
| Preset and tuning | P5, High Quality |
| Multipass | Two Passes (Quarter Resolution) |
| Profile | main |
| Look-ahead, adaptive quantization, B-frames | Off, On, 2 |
| Rescale output | Off |
| Audio tracks recorded | Tracks 1 and 2 only, 320 kbps each |
| Audio sample rate and channels | 48 kHz, stereo |
| Color format, space, range | NV12, Rec. 709, Limited |
Why these choices
Native resolution at 60 fps. Matching the monitor avoids a scaling step that softens small text, and 60 fps keeps cursor movement smooth, which matters when a short will pan to follow it. If OBS reports skipped or lagged frames in View, Stats, drop to 30 fps first. If that is not enough, output at 2560x1440.
NVENC HEVC at CQP 18. Constant quantizer holds quality steady instead of chasing a bitrate, which suits screen content with sharp text. The recording is a master that gets edited and re-encoded later, so it is worth recording at high quality. Expect large files: roughly 10 to 20 GB per 20 minutes of 4K at 60 fps is our estimate, and we will replace it with a measured number after the first real recording.
Hybrid MP4. It writes a file that is still usable if OBS or the PC crashes mid-session, which a plain MP4 is not. Do not use OBS's Pause button; stop the recording and start a new one.
Mic on track 1, desktop on track 2
In Edit, Advanced Audio Properties, send the microphone to Track 1 only and desktop audio to Track 2 only. Separate tracks matter for AI editing for three reasons. Transcription and silence detection run on the voice alone, so a video playing in the background cannot be mistaken for speech. The editor can balance or remove desktop sound without touching the voice. And in Premiere Pro the tracks arrive already separated, so a fix is a slider, not a rescue job.
Where to record
Record to a local internal SSD, never to a folder synced by Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive. A sync app grabbing a file while OBS writes it can stall the disk. Keep the default OBS filename pattern too; the cursor log is matched to the recording by that timestamp.
Capture and scaling for phone viewers
Capture the whole display with Capture Cursor on, rather than a single window; some charting and trading applications show up blank in window capture. Turn HDR off on the monitor you record.
Resolution makes text sharp; Windows scaling makes it big. On a 4K monitor we use 150% scaling (200% if text looks soft), and on a 1440p monitor 100% with larger fonts set inside the application. Judge text size on your phone, not the monitor, because shorts are watched on phones.
Other hardware
On an AMD card, use the AMD HEVC (AMF) encoder at CQP 18 with the Quality preset. Avoid AV1 until you have tested it on your own setup. On any hardware, record a minute, check the OBS stats for dropped frames, and listen to both audio tracks before a long session.
Frequently asked questions
Why record to a local drive and not a cloud-sync folder?
Sync apps try to upload a file while it is still being written, which can slow the disk and risk dropped frames. Record to an internal SSD, then copy or share finished files afterward.
Why put the mic and desktop audio on different tracks?
With the voice alone on one track, speech-to-text and silence detection work on a clean signal. Music, notifications or videos playing on the desktop would otherwise confuse both.
What if my computer has no NVIDIA graphics card?
The same idea applies with another hardware encoder, such as AMD HEVC (AMF), at a similar constant-quality setting. The names and presets differ, so test with a short recording and watch the OBS stats.
Do I have to record in 4K?
No. Higher resolution makes text sharper and gives the vertical crops more pixels to work with. If your PC drops frames, step down to 30 fps first, then to 1440p.