For a 24/7 YouTube music stream, keep OBS audio processing simple: select the source that carries the music, correct its gain if needed, use a compressor only to control peaks, and put a limiter last as a peak guard. Avoid voice-oriented noise gates and suppression on clean music unless you can hear a real noise problem. Test the actual YouTube playback with quiet passages, loud sections, and fades before relying on the setup.
Set filters on the music source, not the whole scene
OBS lets you apply filters to an audio source or device. Open the Filters dialog for the source carrying the music so your changes do not unintentionally affect other audio in the scene. First identify the right source in the Audio Mixer; if your scene has a host microphone or other audio, do not apply music processing to it by mistake.
Build and check the chain
1. Listen to representative material first
Play a representative selection at the level expected during the stream. Include a quiet intro or passage, a loud chorus or transient, and a fade. Watch the mixer meters, but do not judge sound quality from meter peaks alone: listen to the routed output as well.
2. Correct gain only if the source level needs it
If the signal is simply too quiet or too hot, adjust its source level with OBS Gain before adding dynamics processing. A limiter is a maximum-output safeguard, not a substitute for setting an appropriate source level or a loudness optimizer.
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3. Add a compressor only to control peaks
A compressor reduces levels above its threshold. OBS recommends placing a compressor near the beginning of the chain. Use one only if loud peaks need control, and listen for pumping or an unwanted loss of musical dynamics. The OBS compressor page (January 2022) shows a default ratio of 10:1 and threshold of -18 dB; these are software defaults, not a recommended music-radio preset.
4. Usually omit gates, expanders, and suppression on clean music
A noise gate or expander reduces low-level sound. On music, that can cut off quiet notes, ambience, reverb tails, intros, or fades. OBS describes an expander as adjustable and potentially smoother than a gate, which acts more abruptly; either should solve a demonstrated noise issue rather than be added automatically.
OBS describes Noise Suppression for mild background or white noise. RNNoise is described as higher quality but more CPU-intensive than Speex; stronger Speex suppression can distort other audio. Suppression is generally not effective against loud room noise. These are noise-control options, not routine processing for a clean digital music feed.
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5. Put the limiter last
Use an OBS Limiter as a final peak guard if needed. OBS says it should be the last filter in the chain and identifies peaks above 0 dB as a clipping or distortion risk. Its displayed default threshold is -6 dB (OBS Project, January 2022); that default is not a universal loudness target. Set a conservative ceiling appropriate to the source and downstream path, then listen for audible limiting.
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Use voice-oriented filters only for a voice problem
OBS describes Noise Gate as cutting background noise while a person is not talking, and compressor sidechain/ducking as lowering desktop audio while a microphone is active. Those uses do not make them default choices for a music-only stream. A gate may close between quiet notes or during fades. Sidechain is relevant only when another source, such as a host microphone, should take priority over the music.
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Match YouTube’s audio delivery guidance
YouTube’s live encoder guidance lists stereo audio at 44.1 kHz and 128 kbps, using AAC or MP3 for RTMP/RTMPS. These are delivery-encoding settings, not OBS filter presets. For 5.1 audio, the guidance lists 48 kHz and 384 kbps; that is not the ordinary target for a stereo music-radio stream. See YouTube’s live encoder settings.
Test the live result and keep monitoring
- Test the configuration before the first broadcast, using a private or unlisted stream if appropriate.
- Listen to the actual YouTube playback, not only the OBS monitoring path. Check quiet material, loud peaks, and transitions.
- Watch YouTube’s stream health and messages, and continue monitoring both audio and video quality while live. YouTube’s live tips explicitly say to continuously monitor stream quality.
OBS and YouTube recommend testing and monitoring; neither reviewed guidance establishes a specific integrated-loudness target, true-peak target, or guaranteed 24/7 uptime recipe. Long-running continuity also depends on the computer, network, source playlist, stream configuration, and monitoring. Filter tuning alone cannot guarantee an uninterrupted broadcast.
Troubleshoot common audio problems
Quiet notes or fades disappear
Remove or ease the Noise Gate or Expander and test again. These filters reduce low-level sound, which can include intended musical detail.
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The music pumps or loses impact
Bypass the compressor and compare. If peak control is still needed, adjust it by listening to the loudest passages rather than treating OBS’s displayed defaults as a preset.
Peaks sound distorted
Check whether the source is too hot before the filters, then verify that the Limiter is last. A limiter cannot repair distortion already present in the source.
Suppression introduces artifacts or does not help
Turn it off on a clean digital feed. For actual mild background or white noise, compare suppression methods carefully; OBS notes that stronger Speex suppression can distort audio and that suppression is not generally effective against loud room noise.
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The stream sounds different from OBS monitoring
Listen to the YouTube playback and check YouTube’s stream health and messages. The live encoder settings and delivery path are separate from the filter chain, so confirm both rather than assuming a clean local monitor proves the live result is correct.
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