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To repeat a prerecorded breathing video on YouTube Live, loop it in an encoder such as OBS Studio—not in YouTube’s video player. In OBS, add the file as a Media Source, turn on Loop, and keep that source active in the scene you send to YouTube. This restarts the file after playback ends, but it cannot guarantee a seamless join or uninterrupted playback for every viewer.
What “without a gap” means in a live stream
There are several separate things a creator might mean by a gap:
- Source loop: the encoder restarts the file when it reaches the end. OBS’s Media Source Loop property does this; OBS describes it as specifying whether the file plays again once playback has completed. OBS Media Sources documentation
- Smooth edit: the last image and sound flow naturally into the first. The Loop checkbox does not edit the file or establish that its endpoints match.
- Continuous feed to YouTube: the encoder keeps sending audio and video. Connection interruptions, encoder problems, or delivery buffering can still affect the feed.
- Uninterrupted playback for every viewer: a viewer’s connection, buffering, latency, or DVR position can affect their experience independently of your source loop. YouTube describes how latency and DVR affect live viewing in its live stream settings and DVR guidance.
So, OBS can repeat a source continuously, but “no gap” is not a guarantee of a frame-perfect join or uninterrupted playback for all viewers.
Prepare the breathing video for a clean loop
Check the file and the loop point
Use a video format supported by the OBS Media Source in your installed version. OBS lists MP4, TS, MOV, FLV, MKV, AVI, GIF, and WebM video among its supported media types. Before going live, watch and listen to the ending followed by the beginning. Look for a black frame, silence, a sudden music change, or a spoken cue that sounds cut off when it repeats.
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#1 Best Overall
Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen USB-C Audio Interface
- Pro performance with great pre-amps - Achieve a brighter recording thanks to the high performing mic pre-amps of the Scarlett 3rd Gen. A switchable Air mode will add extra clarity to your acoustic instruments when recording with your Solo 3rd Gen
- Get the perfect guitar and vocal take with - With two high-headroom instrument inputs to plug in your guitar or bass so that they shine through. Capture your voice and instruments without any unwanted clipping or distortion thanks to our Gain Halos
- Studio quality recording for your music & podcasts - Achieve pro sounding recordings with Scarlett 3rd Gen’s high-performance converters enabling you to record and mix at up to 24-bit/192kHz. Your recordings will retain all of their sonic qualities
- Low-noise for crystal clear listening - 2 low-noise balanced outputs provide clean audio playback with 3rd Gen. Hear all the nuances of your tracks or music from Spotify, Apple & Amazon Music. Plug-in headphones for private listening in high-fidelity
- Everything in the box: Includes Pro Tools Intro+, Ableton Live Lite, Cubase LE, and Hitmaker Expansion: a suite of essential effects, powerful software instruments, and easy-to-use mastering tools
Check the guidance and pacing
For a guided breathing video, make sure the repeated cue, count, music, or visual pulse makes sense at the join. This is a content-quality check: the loop control does not verify that the repeated sequence is appropriate for your intended audience.
Set up a continuous OBS loop and send it to YouTube Live
- Enable YouTube Live if needed. In YouTube Studio, open Live Control Room and create or schedule an encoder stream. A channel may need verification and must not have had a live-stream restriction in the prior 90 days. First-time live-stream enablement can take up to 24 hours, so do not leave activation until just before an event. See Create a YouTube live stream with an encoder and YouTube live streaming tips.
- Create the OBS scene. In the scene that will be sent to YouTube, add a Media Source and select the prerecorded video file.
- Turn on the source loop. In the Media Source properties, enable Loop. Keep the source visible and active in the outgoing scene. The source restarts after playback completes; check the transition in the OBS preview rather than assuming the file is seamless.
- Connect OBS to your YouTube stream. Copy the stream URL and stream key from YouTube’s Live Control Room into OBS’s stream settings. Treat the key like a password: it authorizes an encoder to send video to your channel. YouTube’s encoder setup guide explains the connection process: Create a YouTube live stream with an encoder.
- Choose encoder settings for your file and connection. Use settings appropriate to the resolution and frame rate of the source and the upload capacity available. YouTube publishes recommended encoder settings and bitrates by resolution in Choose live encoder settings, bitrates, and resolutions. The exact suitable bitrate depends on the stream settings; avoid choosing a bitrate that consumes all available upload bandwidth.
- Test and monitor before sharing widely. Start with representative audio and motion, confirm YouTube receives the preview, inspect the loop transition, and watch YouTube’s stream health. YouTube recommends a reliable connection and leaving upload headroom; its streaming tips recommend 20% bandwidth beyond the stream bitrate. That is headroom, not a guarantee against network interruptions. See Streaming tips and YouTube live streaming tips. YouTube recommends RTMPS for encrypted ingestion.
Choose the viewer experience and archive plan
DVR: let viewers pause, or keep them with the live cue?
YouTube DVR lets viewers pause, rewind, and resume from their paused position. For a breathing session, that can leave an individual viewer behind the current cue. Review the DVR setting in YouTube’s live stream settings and decide whether live rewind is worth that trade-off. Turning DVR off removes live rewind; it does not prevent a recording from becoming available after the stream. See Turn on DVR on live streams.
Rank #2
Sale
Focusrite Scarlett Solo 4th Gen USB-C Audio Interface
- The new generation of the songwriter's interface: Plug in your mic and guitar and let Scarlett Solo 4th Gen bring big studio sound to wherever you make music
- Studio-quality sound: With a huge 120dB dynamic range, the newest generation of Scarlett uses the same converters as Focusrite’s flagship interfaces, found in the world's biggest studios
- Find your signature sound: Scarlett 4th Gen's improved Air mode lifts vocals and guitars to the front of the mix, adding musical presence and rich harmonic drive to your recordings
- All you need to record, mix and master your music: Includes industry-leading recording software and a full collection of record-making plugins
- Everything in the box: Includes Pro Tools Intro+, Ableton Live Lite, Cubase LE, and Hitmaker Expansion: a suite of essential effects, powerful software instruments, and easy-to-use mastering tools
Long sessions and saved recordings
YouTube says streams under 12 hours can be automatically archived; a stream longer than 12 hours may not be captured at all. If keeping a recording matters, make a local recording as well. Splitting one broadcast into separate sessions may interrupt the public live stream, so it is not a way to promise an uninterrupted session while avoiding the archive limitation. See Archive live streams.
Troubleshoot loop and stream problems
- The video plays once and stops: reopen the Media Source properties and confirm Loop is enabled. Also check that the source remains active in the scene being sent to YouTube.
- There is a pause, click, or jump at the repeat: inspect the end-to-start edit in the source file. The loop property restarts playback; it cannot smooth a bad edit. Re-edit the endpoints and preview the transition again.
- YouTube does not receive the OBS stream: check that OBS has the stream URL and current stream key from the intended Live Control Room event. If this is the channel’s first live stream, allow for the possible enablement delay.
- The feed drops or stream health is poor: check YouTube’s stream health, confirm the upload connection is stable, and reduce encoder bitrate or resolution if the connection cannot sustain the chosen settings. Leave the recommended upload headroom; a wired Ethernet connection may help if Wi-Fi is unstable and your equipment supports it, but it cannot prevent every interruption.
- The viewer’s cue is behind yours: consider whether DVR is allowing that viewer to pause or rewind. Their playback position can differ from the live edge even when the encoder is looping correctly.
- The live stream has no archive: check its duration. A session over 12 hours may not be captured; keep a local recording when an archive is important.
Or let it run in the cloud
If you want a YouTube channel to keep playing uploaded videos without leaving a computer running at home, StreamNeo is a cloud option. Upload your breathing video, add your YouTube stream key, and go live. It loops uploaded videos or playlists from the cloud; it does not stream from a camera.
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Rank #3
SABRENT USB External Stereo Sound Card Adapter, Plug & Play (AU-MMSA)
- PLUG IN AND HEAR SOUND IN SECONDS - USB Type-A connector with a 3.5mm stereo headphone output and a separate 3.5mm mono microphone input. No drivers, no software, no external power - the adapter is USB bus-powered and is recognized as a standard USB audio device.
- WORKS ON WINDOWS, MAC AND LINUX - Driverless on Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP/Server 2003/Vista/7/8, Linux and Mac OSX, and compliant with the USB Audio Device Class 1.0 specification, so any system that supports class-compliant USB audio will see it. Select it as the sound output and input device after plugging it in.
- TWO JACKS, TWO JOBS - The green jack is stereo OUT for headphones or powered speakers; the pink jack is mono microphone IN for a 3.5mm mic. It does NOT support 4-pole headsets on a single combo plug, it does NOT power passive speakers, and it does NOT add surround sound - it is a stereo 2-channel adapter.
- FOR LAPTOPS AND DESKTOPS THAT NEED AN AUDIO PORT BACK - Adds a headphone and mic port to a laptop, desktop, or mini PC whose onboard jack has failed or was never there. Managed and work-issued computers can block new USB audio devices by policy - check with your IT department before ordering for a company machine.
- SABRENT SUPPORT AND WARRANTY - What is in the box: one USB audio sound adapter. Backed by a 1-year limited warranty, extended to 2 years when you register within 90 days on the manufacturer's website.
- Nothing has to stay on at home: the stream runs in the cloud.
- One flat price per slot covers any uploaded quality up to 4K 60fps, without re-encoding or quality tiers.
- Automatic recovery is included if YouTube drops the stream.
- The first day is free, with no card required.
Monthly: $9.99 per month. Start your free StreamNeo day.
Quick Recap
Bestseller No. 1
Bestseller No. 4
Best Value
Sale
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen USB-C Audio Interface
- The new generation of the artist's interface: Connect your mic to Scarlett's 4th Gen mic pres. Plug in your guitar. Fire up the included software. Start making your first big hit
- Studio-quality sound: With a huge 120dB dynamic range, the newest generation of Scarlett uses the same converters as Focusrite’s flagship interfaces, found in the world's biggest studios
- Never lose a great take: Scarlett 4th Gen's Auto Gain sets the perfect level for your mic or guitar, and Clip Safe prevents clipping, so you can focus on the music
- Find your signature sound: Air mode lifts vocals and guitars to the front of the mix, adding musical presence and rich harmonic drive to your recordings
- With Scarlett 4th Gen, you have all you need to record, mix and master your music: Includes industry-leading recording software and a full collection of record-making plugins
Rank #4
M-AUDIO M-Track Duo USB Audio Interface
- Podcast, Record, Live Stream, This Portable Audio Interface Covers it All - USB sound card for Mac or PC delivers 48kHz audio resolution for pristine recording every time
- Be ready for anything with this versatile M-AUDIO interface - Record guitar, vocals or line input signals with two combo XLR / Line / Instrument Inputs with phantom power
- Everything you Demand from an Audio Interface for Fuss-Free Monitoring - 1/4" headphone output and stereo 1/4" outputs for total monitoring flexibility; USB/Direct switch for zero latency monitoring
- Get the best out of your Microphones - M-Track Duo’s transparent Crystal Preamps guarantee optimal sound from all your microphones including condenser mics
- The MPC Production Experience - Includes MPC Beats Software complete with the essential production tools from Akai Professional
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