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If your pre-recorded video plays in OBS but your YouTube Live stream has no sound, trace the audio signal in order: check the video file in a local player, watch its source meter in OBS, verify mute and stream-track routing, then confirm the sound in a YouTube test or preview. A moving OBS meter means audio reached the mixer; it does not, by itself, prove OBS is sending that audio to YouTube.
Find where the audio disappears
There are three useful checkpoints: the original file, the OBS Audio Mixer, and YouTube’s output. Compare them in that order so you can narrow the problem instead of changing unrelated settings.
| What you hear or see | Most likely area to inspect |
|---|---|
| The clip is silent in a local media player | The file, its audio track, or local playback. Check another known-good file before changing OBS settings. |
| The clip has sound locally, but its OBS mixer meter does not move | The selected media file, source playback, source type, or audio track handling. |
| The OBS meter moves, but the stream is silent | Mute state, stream audio output or track assignment, and the YouTube-side result. |
| A saved OBS recording is silent in a normal player | Whether the mix was assigned to the recording’s first audio track; many standard players play one track at a time. |
The exact cause depends on details such as your operating system, OBS version, source type, file format, and where silence occurs. The checks below branch on what you can observe.
Check the video file and OBS source
1. Test the file outside OBS
Open the recording in a local media player and confirm that you can hear it. If it is silent there too, inspect whether the file has an audio track and try a known-good file. Silence in one player does not establish that the file is corrupt.
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2. Confirm the source and playback in OBS
Select the scene containing the video, then select the relevant Media Source or VLC Video source. Open its properties and confirm that the intended local file is selected and playback is active. OBS Media Source supports common video formats including MP4, MOV, MKV, AVI, and WebM, as well as audio formats such as MP3, AAC, OGG, and WAV. For VLC Video, confirm that VLC is installed and check the selected audio track; VLC Video can also play playlists. See the OBS Media Sources guide.
If the source uses a playlist, verify that the item currently playing is the one you expect. Media Source properties also include playback options such as looping and restarting playback when visible. Do not add Desktop Audio capture simply because a Media Source is silent: embedded audio from a media file does not automatically require a separate desktop capture source.
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Use the OBS Audio Mixer meter to choose the next fix
Start the clip and watch the meter for its source in the Audio Mixer. The meter indicates source level; it is the key branch in this troubleshooting sequence. OBS’s Audio Mixer guide explains the meter, mute, and monitoring controls.
If the meter does not move
- Recheck that the correct file is selected and playing in the source properties.
- Confirm that the source is active and visible in the selected scene.
- Test the file locally again, then try a known-good supported media file to distinguish a source-specific issue from a broader OBS setup issue.
- For VLC Video, check its audio-track selection.
These checks focus on the file and source because a stationary meter means the expected signal has not reached that mixer input. The symptom alone does not identify whether the file, playback, or source configuration is responsible.
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If the meter moves
- Check that the source is not muted in the mixer.
- Inspect the audio track or output configuration used for streaming; do not assume that monitoring or a separate recording track is also being sent to the live stream.
- Make a short local recording and listen to it, then verify the actual YouTube preview or test output.
The mixer’s Monitor control routes sound to OBS’s configured monitoring device. Hearing sound through monitoring confirms that you can hear that monitored signal, but it does not prove that the stream output includes it.
Check stream and recording track assignments
OBS can use different audio tracks for streaming and recording. Inspect the actual stream output configuration when diagnosing a silent live stream. If the issue is instead a saved recording or archive that seems silent in an ordinary player, check which track contains the mix: OBS notes that standard video players generally play one audio track at a time, and recommends assigning all sources to track 1 when a file is intended for standard playback without editing. See the OBS multiple audio track recording guide.
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Do not treat monitoring, stream output, and recording tracks as interchangeable. A sound that is audible in one path may be absent from another.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When to check device capture instead
Use an audio-device capture source only if the clip’s sound is actually playing in a separate application or coming from external audio hardware. It is not automatically needed for audio embedded in a Media Source file.
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OBS’s Audio Input Capture and Audio Output Capture sources can select a device in a scene on Windows and macOS. On Linux, OBS directs users to ALSA or PulseAudio sources. If you capture the same device both as a scene source and globally under Settings → Audio, you may create echo; disable the duplicate global selection if you are using the scene capture source. Refer to the OBS Audio Capture guide for the platform-specific options.
Test the YouTube output before the real stream
Make a short local OBS recording and listen to it. Then run a YouTube preview or test stream with representative video movement and audio, and check whether sound is present on YouTube’s side. YouTube recommends testing with audio and movement similar to the planned stream and monitoring stream health during the event. Its encoder settings specify AAC or MP3 audio codecs. See YouTube’s live encoder settings and YouTube’s live streaming tips.
If the local recording has sound but the YouTube preview does not, focus on OBS’s stream output routing and the YouTube-side test rather than replacing a file that has already been shown to contain audio. Confirm the sound at the output you plan to use before starting the event.
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