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If your YouTube Live loop shows video but has no sound, trace the audio from the MP4 through OBS to YouTube: play the exact file, check the active Media Source and its Audio Mixer meter, then read the Live Control Room warning and verify a short test from the viewer side. The point where the signal disappears identifies what to fix.
Find where the sound disappears
Use the same MP4 section throughout these checks, choosing a moment that you know should contain audible sound. Check each stage in order; the title alone cannot establish whether the file, OBS, or YouTube ingestion is responsible.
- Play the exact MP4 outside OBS. Confirm that the expected section is audible and that the file contains an audio track. If it is silent or has no audio track, use a version with sound or add a separate audio source; OBS cannot send audio that is absent from the source.
- Check the active OBS Media Source. In the scene being streamed, confirm that the source points to the intended file and is playing. OBS supports MP4 as a Media Source. Its Loop property restarts playback when the file ends; looping does not add an audio track or guarantee that audio reaches YouTube. See the OBS Media Sources guide.
- Watch the source meter in the OBS Audio Mixer. While the audible part plays, find the Media Source’s meter. Check that the source is not muted and its fader is not turned down. OBS describes the mixer meter as a source-level indicator and documents its mute, volume, and monitoring controls in the Audio Mixer Guide.
- Check YouTube Live Control Room. Look for an audio or ingestion error. YouTube’s specific warning is “Your encoder is sending no audio.” If the encoder has an audio-enable control, make sure it is enabled. Follow the message shown for your ingestion setup rather than assuming the MP4’s internal audio codec is the same as the encoder’s outgoing stream codec. See YouTube’s live streaming error messages.
- Test the full route. Start a short test, inspect the Live Control Room preview, and listen to the actual YouTube playback as a viewer. YouTube recommends testing with audio and monitoring picture and sound; see its encoder settings and test guidance and live streaming tips.
Use the symptoms to choose the fix
| What you observe | Where to investigate |
|---|---|
| The MP4 is silent in a media player, or has no audio track. | The file itself. Select a version with sound or add a separate audio source. |
| The MP4 plays with sound, but the Media Source meter does not move during that section. | The OBS source and playback: confirm the live scene, file path, selected source, and playback state. If these are correct, investigate how OBS is decoding that media. |
| The OBS meter moves, but YouTube reports no audio or the viewer-side test is silent. | The encoder’s outgoing audio and YouTube ingestion. Check the Live Control Room message and relevant encoder audio settings. |
| You cannot hear the audio on your own headphones or speakers, but the source meter moves. | Local monitoring may be the issue rather than audience output. Check the configured monitoring device and source monitoring, then verify YouTube playback separately. |
OBS monitoring is a separate route to a configured local listening device. Not hearing audio locally does not, by itself, show that the stream is silent. If you enable monitoring, avoid routing the same sound back through desktop capture in a way that duplicates it. The OBS Audio Mixer Guide explains the mixer’s monitoring controls.
Check the encoder audio, not just the MP4
YouTube’s encoder guidance lists AAC or MP3 as audio codecs, and its error guidance flags unsupported codecs and incorrect sample-rate or bitrate settings as possible ingestion problems. These refer to the outgoing live stream: the MP4 can contain audio yet the encoded stream can still arrive at YouTube without usable audio. Use the exact error and settings guidance for your configured encoder and ingestion path; the consulted guidance does not establish one universal sample-rate or bitrate value for every setup. See YouTube’s encoder settings guidance and live streaming error messages.
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YouTube also says the ingestion should have one audio stream; multiple audio streams may cause ingestion problems. If your setup outputs more than one, adjust it to send a single audio stream and test again. For broader source and encoder checks, see YouTube’s live stream troubleshooting guide.
Common fixes by failure point
- No sound in the file: replace it with an audible version or add a separate audio source, then test.
- Wrong or stopped Media Source: select the intended file in the live scene and confirm playback. Use Loop to repeat it after it ends, not as an audio repair.
- Inactive or muted mixer channel: check that the Media Source meter responds during known audible content, unmute it, and raise its fader as needed.
- Local monitoring is silent: check the monitoring device and monitoring controls. Do not treat a monitoring-only change as proof that stream output is fixed.
- YouTube says “Your encoder is sending no audio”: check that audio output is enabled in the encoder, then inspect the outgoing audio configuration and any more specific Live Control Room error.
- Unsupported or misconfigured audio, or multiple audio streams: use an audio codec supported by YouTube’s encoder guidance, check the settings identified by the current error, and ensure the ingestion has one audio stream.
After a change, rerun a short test and confirm sound in YouTube playback, not only in OBS. YouTube recommends a test that includes audio and checking the preview and stream continuously.
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