Can you say more about the audio issue?
How is it horrible?
The audio issue is a distorted and/or noise sound.
It is important to know, that the audio device is a so called "main device" which I created to avaid the MacOs operation system to change the gains. That is a trick/workaround, which people do not know.
I fiddled around with the smaple rate in OBS and the RME settings tool, which basically should have an impact on OBS, since it does change the operating smaple rate.
I discovered, that the sample rate in RME settings tool did not match the rate set up in OBS, which was instantly suspicious and alerted me, that there was an issue.
Now, changing the sample rate from 44,1 to 48KHz in RME settings tool did negatively affect the sound. It got even worse. Since it was on 44,1KHz, I left it at that one, even though OBS was still set up and using 48KHz.
This led me to the conclusion, that either OBS or the operating system lost connection/control over the audio-device (RME FF UC).
However, I did not de-select and re-select the audio-device at that point in time.
I deleted everything with OBS and reinstalled 20.2.2. but even with that version the sound was not recovering from its distorted sound.
The conclusion then was, that the MacOS would be the root cause of the issue.
Solution as of now was:
1) Update MacOS Sonoma
2) De-selecting the "audio-device" and either re-select it or use the original device, which is in my case the RME FireFace UC.
As per my opinion that issue has something to do with an audio buffer using such audio devices, which a user can create on Mac.
Resumée
The issue occurs when using a "created device" and something in OBS (Not MacOS) changes with handling or updating. buffers/drivers/audiohandling-stuff.
It has to be OBS, since it was working perfeclty in OBS 20.2.2 but then I updated OBS without testing the functionality again.
It has nothing to do with streaming.
Is is only occuring in scenarios with either outdated MacOs Ops in combination with changed OBS audio behaviour and the specialty, that an audio device was created and has to be re-selected.
Technical drawing attached.
Questions?