Capturing a gameplay video using Mupen64's capture functionality is recommended over using external capture software such as OBS, as the video and audio streams are guaranteed to be steady and clean.

This page details some tips for capturing.

1. Choose a video plugin

Unless you need special functionality from other plugins, use the bundled TAS Video plugin - it has the best compatibility and stability for capturing.

2. Encoder Setup

For high-performance capture, you'll want to select the FFmpeg encoder in the settings (Settings > Capture > Encoder).

By default, Mupen64 will look for FFmpeg in the C:\ffmpeg directory, but this can be changed at Settings > Capture > FFmpeg Path.

To install FFmpeg, download the latest release build and extract it to your C:\ drive.

If FFmpeg is still not detected by Mupen, check that the FFmpeg path in the Mupen settings matches the path in the filesystem.

3. Choose a mode

It's generally recommended to only use the Hybrid capture mode, unless you have special requirements.

4. Start Capture

To start a capture, invoke Utilities > Video Capture > Start Capture....

Troubleshooting

The recording is black but has audio

Check that you have selected a capture mode compatible with your use-case. It's recommended to use the Hybrid capture mode.

If using FFmpeg, verify that your encoding parameters are valid and accepted by FFmpeg by checking the debug output.

Mupen crashes after a few frames have gone by

If you are encoding at large resolutions using VFW, Mupen might have run out of memory.

Try using FFmpeg instead.

If you are encoding at large resolutions using FFmpeg, the memory pressure can be very high during the first 30 frames of capture, leaving Mupen to operate with barely a few megabytes of memory.

Avoid performing any action in the UI, such as opening dialogs or starting movie playback.

I am getting the error "Audio frequency changed during capture. The capture will be stopped."

Mupen64 doesn't support resetting across ROMs during a capture.

Verify that you're not starting the wrong ROM accidentally.