If OBS audio stops when the second video begins, first find out where it stops: in OBS’s audio meter, a local recording, your headphones or speakers, or the YouTube playback. Those checks separate a source or routing problem from a monitoring issue or a problem in the stream’s delivery. A second video starting does not, by itself, establish a general OBS fault.
Pinpoint where the audio disappears
Make a short local recording that includes the first video, the transition, and the start of the next video. While testing, watch the relevant OBS audio meter, then compare the recording with the live stream on YouTube. YouTube recommends checking both the encoder and the local archive when troubleshooting stream quality; if encoder output looks healthy, check the outbound connection. YouTube’s live-stream troubleshooting guide provides the platform’s current guidance.
| What you observe | Where to investigate next |
|---|---|
| The OBS meter stops moving at the transition | Check whether the media source stops, restarts, is replaced, or becomes hidden; then verify its audio-track assignment. |
| The meter moves, but the local recording is silent | Check the source’s track routing and recording configuration. A meter alone does not prove that the source reaches the output you are checking. |
| The local recording has audio, but your headphones or speakers do not | Investigate OBS monitoring and the selected playback device. Monitoring can differ from stream output. |
| The local recording has audio, but the YouTube stream does not | Check the stream track assignment and YouTube Studio’s live dashboard for encoder errors; then inspect connection evidence. |
| The local recording and YouTube playback both go silent | Focus first on OBS source playback and routing at the transition. |
This split is a diagnostic guide, not a guarantee about the cause. YouTube’s troubleshooting guidance distinguishes encoder output from outbound connection problems; the local recording helps determine which path to investigate.
Check audio-track assignment
In OBS, open Edit > Advanced Audio Properties and find the affected audio source. Confirm that it is assigned to the track selected for the stream output. OBS’s interface warns that a source assigned to no audio tracks will not be audible in streams or recordings. OBS’s English interface strings include this warning.
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- Check the source used by the first video and the source used by the next one; they may not share the same routing.
- Verify that the stream is using the track you assigned the source to.
- If the local recording and stream use different tracks, check the relevant output configuration for each rather than assuming one track setting covers both.
Separate monitoring from stream output
OBS provides distinct monitoring modes: Monitor Off, Monitor Only (mute output), and Monitoring Enabled. In particular, “Monitor Only (mute output)” mutes output, so a source audible in monitoring may not reach the stream as intended. Conversely, a monitoring or playback-device problem can make headphones or speakers go silent while the stream continues.
For a clean test, temporarily turn monitoring off and compare the OBS meter, local recording, and YouTube playback. Do not treat either local listening or a moving meter as proof of what viewers hear.
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OBS issue reports illustrate why this needs a version-specific check rather than an assumption: one report describes intermittent local monitoring after scene transitions in OBS 26.0.2 on Windows 10, while another reports Monitor and Output behaving like Monitor Only in OBS 32.0.1 on Windows 11. These are reports tied to particular versions and setups, not proof that either issue explains a different stream’s silence. See OBS issue #3806 and OBS issue #12750.
Inspect what changes when the next video starts
If the local recording also loses audio, watch the transition in OBS. Check whether the media source is restarting, being replaced, hidden, or otherwise changing as the second video begins. If the videos use different sources, compare their audio routing and playback behavior rather than assuming the second file itself is defective.
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The available evidence does not establish a general OBS bug that inherently silences audio when a second video starts. Identify what changes at the transition before changing unrelated settings or buying hardware.
Check encoder and connection clues
If the local recording is healthy but the YouTube stream is not, inspect YouTube Studio’s live dashboard for encoder errors and CPU load. Compare those indicators with the OBS output and local archive. YouTube recommends checking the encoder and, when its output is healthy, the outbound connection.
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Connection trouble is worth investigating when logs or the dashboard show connection symptoms, but it does not by itself explain audio-only silence. OBS’s stream connection troubleshooting guide says dropped frames indicate connection instability or an inability to sustain the configured bitrate. Use that clue when dropped frames or other connection symptoms are present, not as a substitute for checking audio routing.
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- Do not buy an audio interface, cable, or microphone just because the stream goes silent at a video transition. First establish that a hardware fault is involved.
- Do not infer that viewers hear audio because the OBS meter moves or local monitoring sounds normal. Check a recording and the YouTube stream.
- Do not treat a version-specific issue report as proof of a universal OBS defect. Compare your own output points and configuration.
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