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For a 24/7 YouTube music stream, keep OBS processing on the music source itself, add filters only to solve an audible problem, and listen to the actual YouTube playback before settling on settings. A cautious chain is Gain (if needed) → Compressor (if needed) → Expander only for demonstrated low-level noise → Limiter (last). Do not treat voice-chat presets or OBS defaults as a music-radio recipe: gates and expanders can cut quiet intros, fades, and musical tails.
Set up the right OBS source first
OBS filters can be applied to an audio source or device. Open the Filters dialog for the source carrying your music rather than applying processing blindly to a global device or the whole scene. This helps avoid changing unrelated audio. See the OBS Filters Guide.
- In OBS, locate the music source in the Audio Mixer. Open its context menu and choose Filters.
- Play audio representative of the stream: a quiet passage, a loud chorus or transient, and an intro or fade. Watch the mixer meters and listen to the routed audio; meter peaks alone cannot tell you whether the sound is right.
- Correct source gain first if the feed is simply too quiet or too hot. Add OBS’s Gain filter only when needed; do not use a limiter as a substitute for correcting an unsuitable input level.
- Add further filters one at a time, then listen again. Keep a filter only if it improves the signal without damaging musical detail.
What each filter does—and when to use it
Gain: correct the input level
Use Gain for a straightforward level correction when the music source is consistently too quiet or too loud. It does not control peaks independently, and raising gain can make peaks more likely to clip downstream. Adjust while monitoring the source and output.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesCompressor: control loud peaks
A compressor reduces signal above its threshold. It can help if occasional peaks are disproportionately loud, but excessive compression can make the music pump or lose dynamics. OBS recommends placing a compressor near the beginning of the filter chain. Its documented defaults—10:1 ratio and -18 dB threshold—describe software defaults, not a music mastering preset; see the OBS Compressor Filter guide. Choose settings by listening to your material rather than copying those defaults.
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Expander and Noise Gate: be wary of quiet passages
Expanders and gates reduce low-level audio, which can help with audible noise but can also suppress quiet musical content. A gate acts more abruptly; OBS describes an expander as more adjustable and potentially smoother. For music, listen closely to fades, ambience, reverb tails, and soft openings before keeping either effect. OBS recommends placing an expander after compression and other effects, but before a limiter. See the OBS Expander Filter guide.
Noise gates are commonly used to reduce background sound when a speaker is not talking. In a continuous music stream, that same behavior can close between notes or during a fade. Compressor sidechain or ducking is relevant only if another source, such as a host microphone, should take priority over the music.
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Noise Suppression: only for real noise
Do not add suppression automatically to a clean digital music feed. OBS describes it as useful for mild background or white noise, such as computer-fan noise, and generally not effective against loud room noise. Its guidance describes RNNoise as higher quality but more CPU-intensive than Speex; stronger Speex suppression can distort other audio. Listen for artifacts and disable suppression if it damages the music. Details are in the OBS Noise Suppression guide.
Limiter: final peak protection, not loudness optimization
A limiter is a last-stage guard against peaks that could exceed 0 dB and risk clipping or distortion. OBS says to put it last in the chain. Its documented default threshold is -6 dB, but that is a software default—not a universal ceiling, loudness target, or setting that every music stream should use. Set a suitable ceiling for the content and downstream path, then listen for audible limiting. See the OBS Limiter Filter guide.
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A practical filter order
For a music source that needs occasional peak control, use this as a starting order, not a prescribed configuration:
Gain (if needed) → Compressor (if needed) → Expander only for demonstrated low-level noise (usually omit for music) → Limiter (last).
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Leave out filters that do not address an audible issue. The reviewed OBS and YouTube guidance does not establish an integrated loudness target, a true-peak target, or a guaranteed recipe for uninterrupted 24/7 operation.
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Google / YouTube Help’s live encoder guidance lists RTMP or RTMPS, AAC or MP3 audio, and for stereo audio a sample rate of 44.1 kHz and bitrate of 128 kbps. These are delivery-encoding values, not OBS filter settings. For 5.1 audio, the guidance lists 48 kHz and 384 kbps; that is not the normal target for a stereo music-radio stream. Consult YouTube’s live encoder settings for the current guidance.
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- Test before the intended broadcast. OBS’s overview guide also recommends testing settings before a first live stream: OBS Studio Overview.
- If appropriate, use a private or unlisted test stream and listen to the actual YouTube playback, not only the OBS monitor. Encoding and delivery can affect what viewers hear.
- Check YouTube’s stream health and messages, and continue monitoring both audio and video quality during the stream. YouTube’s live streaming tips call for continuous monitoring.
Filter tuning alone does not ensure a 24/7 broadcast stays online. Continuous operation also depends on the computer, network, source playlist, stream configuration, and monitoring; the cited OBS and YouTube guidance does not validate a specific failover setup.
Common audio problems and fixes
- Quiet intros or fades disappear: remove or relax the Noise Gate or Expander, and test quiet passages and tails again.
- Music sounds unnaturally flat or pumps: reduce compressor action or remove the compressor if peak control is not needed. Reassess across both quiet and loud sections.
- Distortion appears after processing: check source gain and downstream levels. A limiter can guard peaks, but it cannot repair already distorted source audio.
- Noise suppression makes the music sound damaged: disable it unless there is a genuine noise problem worth treating; suppression may introduce artifacts.
- OBS sounds fine but YouTube playback does not: make a test stream, listen to the YouTube output, and check stream health before relying on the setup.
- Music drops out between phrases: check whether a gate or expander is closing during quiet content; music-only streams usually do not need voice-oriented gating.
Or let it run in the cloud
If the goal is to keep uploaded music playing on YouTube without leaving OBS and a computer running at home, StreamNeo is a cloud option. Upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live; StreamNeo loops uploaded videos from the cloud. It streams to YouTube only, not from a camera.
- Nothing has to stay on at home; the stream runs in the cloud.
- Uploaded audio/video streams as made, up to 4K 60fps, at one flat price per slot with no re-encode or quality tiers.
- Automatic recovery if YouTube drops the stream.
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Quick Recap
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