If your OBS media source is audible locally but viewers hear nothing, first watch that source’s meter in the OBS Audio Mixer while the media plays. No movement points to playback or source capture; movement means audio reaches that meter stage, so check mute, fader, filters, track assignment, and the encoder-to-YouTube path next.
Trace the sound from the media source to YouTube
Work through the signal chain in order: media playback and source properties → the source’s OBS meter → mute, fader, filters and monitoring → the track selected for streaming → encoder output and YouTube Live Control Room. The first point where the sound disappears narrows the likely cause.
| What you observe | Where to investigate |
|---|---|
| The media source meter does not move while audio should be playing | Playback, source selection, file or playlist, and source-specific audio configuration. |
| The meter moves, but OBS monitoring is silent | Monitoring settings, monitoring device, or the source’s monitor mode. |
| Monitoring is audible, but a local recording has no sound | Mute, fader, filters, track assignments, and recording configuration. |
| The local recording has sound, but the YouTube live preview does not | Streaming track and encoder output, then Live Control Room health and ingestion errors. |
A moving meter shows audio at that meter’s point in OBS; it does not prove that audio is assigned to the live stream output. OBS explains the meter’s position in its Audio Mixer Technical Details.
Check that the media source is playing and configured correctly
Built-in Media Source
Confirm the source is in the active scene, visible where appropriate, and that playback has started. In the source’s properties, verify the file path and intended media. OBS’s Media Source documentation lists supported video formats including MP4, TS, MOV, FLV, MKV, AVI, GIF, and WebM, and audio formats including MP3, AAC, OGG, and WAV. If the file is not opening or playing as expected, check its format and path before changing stream settings.
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Review the source properties for Loop, Restart playback when source becomes active, and Close file when inactive. These affect whether playback starts, repeats, or remains available as the scene changes. The built-in Media Source does not share every control with VLC Video; do not look for VLC’s audio-track selector in the built-in source.
VLC Video source or playlist
OBS’s VLC Video source requires VLC to be installed. Check the playlist item currently playing and inspect its Audio Track property: OBS documents this selector as defaulting to track 1. If a file has multiple audio streams, select the intended track. These details are in OBS’s Media Sources guide.
Captured application or audio device
If the sound comes from an application or audio device rather than the media source itself, confirm that the intended capture source is present and active in the scene. OBS’s general quick-start setup captures desktop audio and microphone by default, but recommends checking mixer meters and selecting devices in Settings → Audio if the wrong device is captured or no meter moves. Device-capture steps can differ by operating system; Linux’s Audio Capture Device guidance is not identical to Windows and macOS.
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When using an Audio Input/Output Capture source in a scene, avoid capturing the same device again as a global device in Settings → Audio unless you intend to. OBS warns that duplicating the device can cause echo. See OBS Audio Sources.
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Use the source meter to locate the first failure
Play the media and watch the meter for the specific source in the Audio Mixer. Do not rely only on the desktop-audio meter: a media source can have its own mixer entry, and the desktop meter does not establish that the media source itself is routed correctly.
If the source meter does not move
- Confirm playback has actually started; a meter cannot show sound before the file produces audio.
- Check that the correct source and playlist item are active in the current scene.
- For VLC Video, confirm VLC is installed and that the chosen item has an audible audio track selected.
- For device or application capture, verify the intended device or application is selected and active.
- Recheck the file path and supported format for a built-in Media Source.
OBS notes that an absent input-level indicator means no audio is reaching OBS at that measurement point, but it may also simply mean no audio is available yet, such as before a media file starts. The meter is after filters and before the fader, which helps distinguish a filter issue from a fader setting. See OBS’s meter details.
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If the source meter moves
Audio has reached the meter stage. Check the source’s mute state and fader, then inspect its filters for anything suppressing the signal. Because the input meter is after filters, temporarily disabling source filters can help isolate whether a filter is responsible. The meter alone does not show whether the source is assigned to the track being sent to YouTube.
Check monitoring, mute, fader, filters, and track assignment
Listen through OBS monitoring
Open Advanced Audio Properties from the Audio Mixer gear or the Edit menu, and review the source’s monitoring mode. Set the monitoring device in OBS settings, then listen through that device. An existing working headphone or monitor output is enough for this check; buying headphones does not fix a routing problem.
If monitoring is silent, investigate the monitor mode, selected monitoring device, and source settings. If it is audible, that confirms only that the monitoring route works—it does not prove the sound is reaching the live stream. OBS describes these controls in its Audio Mixer Guide.
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Match the source assignment to the streaming track
In Advanced Audio Properties, check which audio tracks are enabled for the source. Then check the audio track selected for streaming in the installed OBS version’s applicable Settings → Output options. The assigned source track and the active streaming track must match for that audio to be included in the stream.
Do not assume the recording-track setting is the live streaming-track setting. OBS’s Multiple Audio Track Recording Guide explains separate tracks for recording and says ordinary video players generally play only one audio track; it recommends assigning all sources to track 1 for standard playback when separate tracks are not needed for editing. That recording advice does not establish which track your current stream uses. OBS labels and menus can change between releases, so verify the streaming setting in your installed version.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Test OBS before diagnosing YouTube
- Start the same scene and media playback you intend to stream.
- Make a short local test recording or archive.
- Listen to the file and confirm whether the media sound is present.
- If it is silent, continue troubleshooting the OBS source, filters, mute/fader, or track routing.
- If it has sound, check the live stream’s track selection and inspect YouTube Live Control Room for stream health or audio errors.
OBS recommends checking mixer meters and making a test before going live in its Quick Start Guide. YouTube also advises checking the look and sound directly in the encoder and comparing with a local archive in its live-stream troubleshooting guidance.
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Check YouTube Live Control Room and encoder audio
If the OBS output and local archive contain sound but the live preview is silent, stop replacing the media file and check the stream sent by the encoder. YouTube’s Live Control Room can show errors for the incoming stream. Its help identifies these audio-related issues:
- No audio stream: the encoder is sending no audio; some encoders have a setting that must be enabled to include it.
- Multiple audio streams: YouTube’s guidance warns that multiple streams can cause ingestion problems.
- Unsupported audio codec: YouTube’s error guidance lists AAC or MP3 in its codec information.
- Sample rate or bitrate errors: the guidance’s audio error examples refer to a 44.1 kHz sample rate and 128 Kbps audio bitrate.
These are technical values cited in YouTube Help’s error guidance, not a guarantee that every protocol or future dashboard configuration uses the same recommendations. Use the actual Live Control Room message and the selected ingest protocol as the immediate authority. See YouTube live-stream error messages.
Preview the event in Live Control Room and keep monitoring audio and video quality. YouTube recommends continuous monitoring in its streaming tips. If the encoder’s output and archive are healthy but the YouTube preview is not, focus on encoder output, stream health, outbound network, or YouTube delivery.
Common fixes by symptom
| Symptom | Likely area | Next check |
|---|---|---|
| No meter movement for the media source | Playback or source configuration | Start playback; verify the active scene, source path, playlist item, supported format, VLC installation if applicable, and selected VLC audio track. |
| Meter moves, but monitoring is silent | OBS monitor path | Check the source’s monitoring mode and the monitoring device configured in OBS. |
| Meter and monitoring work, but the local recording is silent | OBS output routing | Check mute, fader, filters, and whether the source is assigned to the track selected for recording. |
| Local recording has sound, YouTube preview does not | Streaming output or ingestion | Verify the streaming track, encoder audio output, and the Live Control Room’s specific health or error message. |
| Echo after adding a scene audio-capture source | Duplicate device capture | Check whether the same device is also selected globally in Settings → Audio; disable the duplicate capture if unintended. |
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