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If a YouTube Live replay is silent after you switch videos in OBS, first find out whether the silence is in OBS monitoring, the live stream, or only the saved replay. Those are separate outputs: a moving Audio Mixer meter shows that audio is reaching OBS’s mixer, but does not prove that it is being monitored or sent to YouTube. The symptom alone does not identify a single cause.
First, locate where the audio disappears
Before changing settings, play the video and check each output separately. Note what you hear and see; this narrows the next checks without assuming the replay reflects what you heard locally.
- Check the OBS Audio Mixer meter. Watch the meter for the source that should carry the video’s audio. A response means audio is reaching the mixer, but does not confirm that the monitoring device or stream output receives it.
- Check OBS monitoring. Listen through the monitoring device configured in OBS, if monitoring is enabled. Record whether you hear the video there.
- Check the live stream, if it is available. Listen to the YouTube stream independently of OBS’s local monitoring.
- Check the saved YouTube replay. Play the relevant section of the recording, especially the portion after the video switch.
Use the results to distinguish the failure point: a silent monitor with audible stream points toward monitoring; a silent stream and replay with a responding meter calls for checking the stream’s audio route; and a replay that is silent while the live stream was audible should not be treated as proof that OBS monitoring failed. The reported symptom does not establish which output is affected.
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If the Audio Mixer meter does not respond
Focus first on whether the selected video source is producing audio in OBS. A meter that stays still does not establish that the source has an audio track, that the intended track is selected, or that the source is loading correctly.
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For an OBS Media Source
When you switch away from a Media Source and back, inspect its activation behavior in the source’s properties. OBS documents the options “Restart playback when source becomes active” and “Close file when inactive.” The latter closes the file while the source is inactive to free memory and can cause a brief delay when the source is shown again. These settings are checks, not a proven fix for every silent replay.
- Confirm that the source is active and playing after the switch.
- Observe whether playback restarts or resumes as expected when the source becomes active.
- If the file was closed while inactive, allow for a short reload delay before deciding that playback or audio has failed.
For a VLC Video Source
Check the source’s Audio Track setting and verify that VLC is installed. OBS documents that VLC Video Source requires VLC; a 64-bit OBS installation requires 64-bit VLC. Confirm that the selected track is the one containing the intended audio. Do not assume that a local VLC-source report describes your setup or proves a general OBS defect.
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If the meter moves but the stream or replay is silent
A responding meter confirms activity at the mixer, not delivery to YouTube. Check the route between the source and the stream output before changing playback or monitoring settings.
- Confirm that the source is assigned to the audio track used for streaming.
- If OBS monitoring alone is silent, check that the intended monitoring device is selected. A monitoring-device problem does not by itself explain a silent YouTube stream.
- Keep the live stream and saved replay as separate checks. The available information does not establish that a failure in one must occur in the other.
Use reports about OBS versions cautiously
A user report filed for OBS 32.0.2 described VLC-source audio that was audible locally and visible in the mixer but absent from the stream. That is an anecdotal report, not confirmation of a universal or currently established OBS defect. It does not establish that the same issue caused a silent replay after switching videos. Without your OBS version, operating system, source type, track assignment, and output results, treat it only as a reason to inspect the destination path—not as a diagnosis.
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Or let it run in the cloud
If your goal is to keep uploaded videos playing on a YouTube channel around the clock, rather than switch sources in OBS, StreamNeo is a separate cloud option: upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key, and go live. It does not diagnose or repair an OBS replay, and it plays uploaded videos rather than going live from a camera.
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