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audio troubleshooting

How to Fix Missing Audio When OBS Advances to the Next Cartoon Episode

When OBS goes silent between cartoon episodes, first test a recording to separate a monitoring problem from missing source or recording audio. Then check the source type, episode track, and recording routing.

By DocumentaryTube Team 5 min read
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First find out whether audio is missing from the recording or stream, or only from OBS’s local monitoring. While the episode plays, watch its Audio Mixer meter and make a short test recording that includes the transition to the next episode. If the test recording has sound, investigate monitoring and the selected playback device. If it is silent too, check the media item, its selected audio track, mute and volume settings, and recording-track routing.

1. Find out which audio output is silent

  1. Watch the source’s meter in the OBS Audio Mixer while an episode plays and as the next one begins. Meter activity shows that OBS is receiving an audio signal; it does not prove that the recording or stream contains audible sound.
  2. Make a short test recording that covers the end of one episode and the start of the next, then play it in a standard media player. If you stream, check the recording first rather than assuming the local monitoring sound represents what viewers receive.
  3. Choose the relevant path: if the test recording has sound, focus on OBS monitoring and its selected playback device. If it does not, check the source, episode and audio-track selection, mute and volume state, and recording-track assignment.

OBS issue reports describe monitoring failures where meters still moved and recording audio was reportedly intact. Those individual reports illustrate why the test matters; they do not establish that every similar symptom has the same cause. OBS issue #3410 · OBS issue #3806

2. Check the source type and episode’s audio track

OBS has two relevant source types: Media Source for an individual media file, and VLC Video for a playlist. Their controls differ. OBS’s Media Sources documentation describes both.

If the source is VLC Video

  • Check the VLC Video playlist order and confirm that the affected episode is present.
  • Check the source’s Audio Track setting. OBS documents track 1 as the default; a file with multiple audio streams may need a different track selected.
  • Test the problem episode by itself, then test it as the next playlist item. If it fails in both cases, investigate that file or track. If it works alone but not after the previous episode, note that transition-specific behavior for further diagnosis rather than assuming a particular cause.
  • VLC must be installed for VLC Video. OBS specifies that 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC.

If the source is Media Source

  • Confirm that the source points to the intended local file. OBS’s built-in Media Source supports individual video and audio files, including MP4, MKV, MOV, WebM, MP3, AAC, OGG and WAV.
  • Test the episode at its end and when the source becomes active again. Restart playback when source becomes active is on by default.
  • Close file when inactive unloads the file. OBS notes that it may take a short time to appear again after the source becomes active. That documented reload behavior is worth checking, but does not by itself establish the cause of missing audio.

3. Confirm OBS is recording the track you expect

Source audio reaching the mixer and audio being assigned to a recording track are separate things. In OBS, open Advanced Audio Properties from the Audio Mixer’s gear menu or the Edit menu. Confirm the source is assigned to the track you intend to record. Then open Settings → Output and check that the same track is enabled for recording.

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OBS’s Multiple Audio Track Recording Guide notes that standard media players play one audio track at a time. If you do not plan to edit the recording and want it to play normally in a standard player, OBS advises assigning all audio sources to track 1.

4. If the recording has sound but OBS monitoring does not

  1. In OBS audio settings, check which monitoring device is selected. Confirm it is the device you are actually using.
  2. Open Advanced Audio Properties and inspect the affected source’s Audio Monitoring mode. Check that it is set as intended; do not assume a monitoring setting repairs audio missing from a recording or stream.
  3. If you change the monitoring mode or device, listen again and make another short test. Treat any improvement as a diagnostic observation, not proof of a lasting fix.

Historical user reports cover different versions and situations: Windows 10 reports for OBS 25.0.8/26.0.0-rc1 and 26.0.2 describe monitoring symptoms around VLC playlists or scene and playback changes; a Windows 11 report for OBS 31.0.0 describes a similar symptom involving looping MP3s with album art. The 2025 report says toggling monitoring could help temporarily, with trouble returning on a later loop. These are individual user-submitted reports, not proof of a universal, current OBS defect or a confirmed fix. Issue #3410 · Issue #3806 · Issue #11739

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5. Reproduce the transition and record the details

If the problem continues, compare the affected episode alone with the same episode as the next playlist item. Note whether the source is hidden or becomes inactive between episodes, and whether the symptom affects every file or only one transition. This helps distinguish a file or track issue from a symptom that appears during a source or scene change; it does not identify a cause by itself.

For a useful troubleshooting report, collect:

  • Your operating system and exact OBS version.
  • Whether the source is Media Source or VLC Video, the media format, and the playlist order if applicable.
  • Whether the meter moves, whether the recording has audio, and whether only local monitoring is silent.
  • Whether the fault happens with every episode, one file, or only when OBS advances to the next item.
  • Whether the source is hidden or unloaded between episodes, and whether the affected file has multiple audio tracks.
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