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If your vMix YouTube stream loses sound when a playlist item changes, first check the affected input’s audio button and Automatically Mix Audio (also called Follow). Follow can turn an input’s audio on or off depending on whether that input is live. That is a sensible first check when the silence coincides with a transition, but it is not a confirmed cause: the next step is to establish whether you are advancing a file inside a List input or switching between inputs with the separate Playlist feature.
Start with the symptom: is the recording silent too?
Make a short local recording that includes the transition, then compare its audio with the YouTube playback. This separates an input or source problem from a problem in the audio mix sent to the stream.
- The recording and YouTube stream are both silent: inspect the affected media item and its input audio controls.
- The recording has sound, but YouTube does not: inspect the audio mix selected for streaming. If stream audio is also very quiet or distorted, consider the separate microphone-cabling issue described below.
- Only one item is silent: check that item’s audio track and format rather than treating the symptom as a general transition failure.
Watch the affected input’s audio meter as the change occurs. Whether it moves after the transition helps distinguish missing or disabled input audio from a stream-mix problem.
Check the affected input’s audio button and Follow setting
- Open the Audio Mixer and locate the input whose sound disappears. Check that its audio button is enabled.
- Inspect Automatically Mix Audio, represented by green/orange arrows. The control is also available in the input settings.
- If that input’s audio must remain active even when the input is not live, disable Automatically Mix Audio for it and leave its audio button on.
- Repeat the transition and watch the input meter and local recording.
vMix describes Follow as changing an input’s audio according to whether that input is in the live output. Its Knowledge Base article on audio turning off when switching inputs was last updated March 31, 2020; control names and placement can vary by installed release, so check the equivalent setting in your version.
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Determine whether you are using List or Playlist
These are different workflows, and an item advancing within one input is not the same event as switching the live output between inputs.
A List input advances to another file
A vMix List input can contain a sequence of video and audio files. Its Auto Next control determines whether it advances automatically and is enabled by default. If silence starts exactly when a new file begins, confirm that the new item contains an audio track and that vMix can decode it. Check the List input’s audio button and meter as well.
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The separate Playlist feature automates switching among inputs. When audio disappears as the live input changes, check Follow and the audio button on the input that should now be audible. Do not assume that changing a file inside a List and switching between inputs have the same audio behavior.
Check the audio mix sent to YouTube
If the local recording is audible but YouTube is not, confirm which audio mix is selected for streaming and whether the affected input is included in the Master mix. vMix documents Master as the default mix for recording, streaming, and external output; a different mix selection or routing can therefore explain why local and streamed audio differ.
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- In the Audio Mixer, verify that the affected input’s audio is enabled and that its meter responds during playback.
- Check whether the input contributes to the Master mix, or to the mix currently selected for streaming.
- Compare the stream and a local recording after making one routing change at a time.
If the stream is quiet or distorted, check microphone cabling
A balanced microphone connected to an unsuitable unbalanced computer input can produce low, distorted, or apparently muted audio on Facebook or YouTube even when a local recording sounds good. vMix documents this as a distinct issue from Follow or a playlist transition.
- Preferred remedy: use a computer audio interface that supports XLR.
- Short-term mixer adjustment: vMix describes using Separate Mono and lowering the right audio level to zero. This is a specific workaround for the described cabling mismatch, not a general fix for audio disappearing after every item change.
If only one video file has no sound
Check whether the file actually contains an audio track and whether that track’s format can be decoded. vMix notes that certain video files and DVDs may require an AC3 (Dolby Digital) decoder. Treat that as a format-specific possibility—not as evidence that List transitions generally mute audio.
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Use the observation to choose the next check
| What you observe | Most relevant check |
|---|---|
| Audio disappears when the live input changes | That input’s audio button and Automatically Mix Audio (Follow). |
| A List input advances to a new file | Confirm it is a List workflow; check the new file’s audio track and format. |
| The recording and stream are both silent | Inspect the source item and the input’s mixer state. |
| The recording has sound but YouTube does not | Check the streaming audio mix and input routing; if audio is low or distorted, check microphone cabling. |
| Only one particular file has no audio | Check that file’s track and format; AC3 decoding is a documented possibility for certain files and DVDs. |
Common causes and fixes
- The input’s audio button is off: enable it in the Audio Mixer, then retest.
- Follow changes audio with live status: if the sound must stay active while the input is not live, disable Automatically Mix Audio for that input and leave its audio button on.
- The new List item has no usable audio: inspect its track and format; test another known-good file.
- The stream uses a mix that excludes the input: check the selected streaming mix and Master/input routing.
- Only streamed sound is low or distorted: check for a balanced-microphone/unbalanced-input mismatch before changing playlist settings.
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If your separate goal is to keep uploaded videos playing as a 24/7 YouTube stream, StreamNeo is a cloud service for that workflow: upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live. It does not fix vMix audio routing or stream from a camera.
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