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In OBS Studio, add the still artwork with an Image source and add your local mantra recordings with a VLC Video source. Enable Loop Playlist on the VLC source to restart the playlist after its final track. The word “Video” in the source name is misleading: it can play audio files too. This setup repeats media, but it does not keep your computer, internet connection, or broadcast online by itself.
Before you begin
- Install OBS Studio and prepare the image and audio files you intend to use.
- Install VLC Media Player. OBS’s VLC Video source requires VLC to be installed; OBS documentation says 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC.
- Use image and audio assets whose rights permit livestreaming. A file playing successfully in OBS does not establish that you have permission to broadcast it.
The OBS documentation describing these sources is dated January 11, 2022, so labels or defaults may differ in later releases.
Add the still image
- In OBS, select or create the scene for the mantra stream.
- In the Sources panel, select + and choose Image.
- Name the source, select the image file, and confirm. Adjust its size and position in the preview so it fills the canvas as intended.
Add a playlist of audio files
- In Sources, select + and choose VLC Video. If that option is missing, install VLC and make sure its architecture matches OBS; for 64-bit OBS, install 64-bit VLC.
- Name the source and open its properties.
- In the playlist area, use the add control to select the local audio files you want included. Arrange them in the order you want them to play.
- Enable Loop Playlist. When the source reaches the end of the list, it starts again from the beginning.
- Leave Shuffle Playlist off for predictable sequence, or enable it if you want playback order randomized. The cited OBS guide describes shuffle as off by default.
- Confirm the properties and check the OBS audio mixer while playback runs. Keep the Image and VLC Video sources in the same scene so the static visual remains on screen while the audio plays.
Choose the right source for your audio
| Need | OBS source | Behavior | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| One long audio file | Media Source | Plays a local file; its Loop setting repeats that file when playback ends. | Simple for a single recording; the cited guide does not describe it as a multi-file playlist source. |
| Several files in sequence | VLC Video | Plays a playlist; Loop Playlist restarts the list at the end. | Requires VLC installed separately. |
| Still artwork | Image | Displays a static image in the scene. | It does not itself provide audio playback. |
OBS Media Source supports local audio formats including MP3, AAC, OGG, and WAV. For a single file, select Media Source and enable Loop in its properties. For multiple files, use the VLC Video playlist instead.
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Looping tells OBS what to do when local media reaches the end; it is not an uptime guarantee. A continuous broadcast also depends on the computer staying on, OBS and the encoder continuing to run, a stable network connection, and the destination accepting the stream. The cited YouTube HLS requirements describe ingest formatting and latency, not a promise that a broadcast can run indefinitely.
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If you use YouTube as the destination, configure the stream using the current YouTube instructions for the ingest protocol you choose. For HLS specifically, YouTube specifies 1–4 second segments, TS format, a rolling playlist with no more than five outstanding segments, and notes that HLS has higher latency than RTMP. These are HLS ingest requirements, not settings for OBS’s local audio playlist or a general rule for all streaming protocols. See YouTube’s HLS ingest requirements.
Troubleshoot common problems
VLC Video is missing from Sources
Install VLC, then restart OBS and check Sources again. If you use 64-bit OBS, use 64-bit VLC, as required by the OBS documentation.
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The playlist stops after the last track
Open the VLC Video source properties and enable Loop Playlist. The playlist source must be configured to repeat; adding multiple files alone does not enable looping.
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The image appears but there is no audio
Check that the VLC Video source is in the active scene, that its playlist contains the intended files, and that the source is not muted in the OBS audio mixer. Confirm that playback is occurring before troubleshooting the broadcast destination.
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The playlist plays in an unexpected order
Disable Shuffle Playlist if you want the listed sequence. When shuffle is enabled, playback order is randomized.
The stream goes offline even though looping is enabled
Looping only repeats the media source. Check whether the computer or OBS stopped, the network disconnected, or the destination ended or rejected the broadcast. Source looping cannot recover an interrupted computer, network, encoder, or destination connection on its own.
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