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If a 24/7 YouTube radio stream is silent, first find the last point in the chain where sound is confirmed: the playback source, encoder meter, encoder recording, YouTube Live Control Room preview, or public player. If only one listener is affected, check that device and player; if multiple listeners hear silence or YouTube reports “Your encoder is sending no audio,” inspect the outgoing audio signal and ingest settings.
Locate where the sound disappears
Test the public stream on a second device or network if possible. A single silent listener points first to that listener’s device, output selection, or player. Silence across multiple listeners points toward the encoder or stream path, though the symptom alone does not identify the failed component.
Then trace a known-good audio signal through the chain. Check the source, encoder, YouTube preview, and public player in sequence. YouTube says reports across multiple connections can indicate an encoder issue. Its Live Control Room and Live Dashboard show stream errors alongside the health indicator.
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Open the stream in YouTube Live Control Room and inspect both the preview and any health or error messages. If YouTube says “Your encoder is sending no audio,” treat that as evidence that the incoming stream lacks audio as expected—not proof that the original music source or hardware is broken. YouTube advises that the ingestion stream contain one audio stream; multiple audio streams can cause ingest problems. See YouTube’s live streaming error messages and live stream troubleshooting guidance.
#1 Best Overall
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Note the exact error text and time before changing settings. After each change, check whether the same message clears; this makes it easier to identify which stage was responsible.
Check that the source is producing audio
- Play known-good audio. Use a track or test tone you know should be audible, at a low, safe level.
- Check the playback application. Confirm it is playing, its volume is up, and it is not paused or muted.
- Check operating-system output and mixer controls. Make sure the application is not muted and is sending sound to the device your capture setup uses.
- Check the physical path, if present. Confirm the cable is seated and the expected input is selected. Do not buy replacement hardware unless you have evidence a component has failed.
For OBS, look at the meter for the relevant source while the test audio plays. OBS’s guidance says a missing input indicator means no audio is reaching OBS. Check the selected audio device, source activity, filters, mute button, fader, and monitoring controls. The OBS Audio Mixer Guide explains the mixer controls, while its Audio Mixer Technical Details describes what the meter indicates.
Rank #2
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If the OBS meter moves but the stream is silent
A moving source meter confirms that OBS is receiving a signal; it does not confirm that the intended audio reaches the outgoing program. Check that the source is not muted, the correct scene is active, and the source is included and routed to the stream mix. OBS audio sources can be scene-specific. Its Audio Sources documentation also warns that adding the same device globally and again in a scene can cause echo.
Do not rely on monitoring alone. Listen as early as possible in the audio chain, then confirm the signal at OBS. Make a short local recording and listen to it before returning to the live broadcast. This separates a source/mixer problem from a problem farther downstream.
Rank #3
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Verify the encoder’s audio format and stream count
YouTube’s live encoder guidance lists AAC or MP3 for audio. For stereo, it recommends a 44.1 kHz sample rate and 128 kbps audio bitrate. These are YouTube recommendations, not a guarantee that a particular encoder preset is configured correctly. Check the current Live Control Room warning and the actual encoder output, especially if YouTube reports an audio-format problem, a low bitrate, no audio stream, or multiple audio streams. See YouTube’s encoder settings guidance.
- Confirm the encoder is sending an audio stream at all.
- Use a supported audio codec and check the sample rate and bitrate against YouTube’s guidance.
- Keep the ingest to one audio stream; do not add a second track or duplicate a device as a blind fix.
- Change one setting at a time, then recheck the encoder recording and Live Control Room health message.
Compare the recording, preview, and public stream
Check sound at several points rather than assuming that one successful meter proves the whole broadcast works.
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- Encoder meter: does the intended source register while it plays?
- Local recording: does a recording made by the encoder contain audible sound?
- Live Control Room preview: does the preview have sound before and during the broadcast?
- Public player: can you hear the stream on another device or network?
YouTube recommends previewing before going live, monitoring audio and video during the stream, and verifying local archive files. If the local recording and preview have sound but the public stream remains silent for listeners, preserve the timestamps and error messages, check on another client or network, and use YouTube’s report-problem route. Its streaming tips also recommend testing backup-encoder procedures and continuous monitoring. They do not establish a special automatic silence alarm or guaranteed unattended recovery procedure for 24/7 radio streams.
Fault-location guide
| What you observe | What to check next | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Only one listener reports silence | That device’s mute, volume, selected output, browser or app playback state | The problem may be local to that listener; confirm with another device or network. |
| OBS source meter has no activity | Source playback, selected capture device, application and OS volume, connection, and filters | OBS says a missing input indicator means audio is not reaching OBS. |
| OBS meter moves, but the encoder recording is silent | Mute state, routing, active scene, source inclusion, and track assignment | A meter alone does not prove that the signal is in the outgoing mix. |
| Encoder recording has sound, but YouTube flags no audio | Ingest audio stream count and codec, sample rate, and bitrate; reread the health message | The failure may be between the encoder’s recording and YouTube’s ingest. |
| Local recording and preview have sound, but public listeners report silence | Confirm on another client or network; record timestamps and report a persistent issue | The symptom is farther downstream than the source and encoder recording. |
These are diagnostic leads, not guarantees. Verify each stage directly before replacing equipment or changing multiple settings at once.
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Quick Recap
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