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Start by finding exactly where the silence occurs: between tracks, at the end-to-start point of one repeated file, during network playback, or when the audio output changes. Each points to a different cause. A player’s gapless setting may help between tracks, while a loop control only repeats a file or playlist; neither guarantees that the audio itself has a seamless boundary.
Identify where the gap happens
Listen for the silence and note its position before changing settings. A brief pause between separate tracks is a track-transition issue. Silence at the end of a repeated file points to the file boundary or how the player restarts it. An intermittent dropout during network playback suggests buffering or a playback-pipeline interruption. A gap that coincides with changing headphones, speakers, or output format may involve the audio device transition.
- Between tracks: check the player’s gapless playback or transition settings.
- At a single file’s loop point: inspect the file’s start and end as well as the source’s loop setting.
- During network playback: look at buffering and changes to the stream or playback pipeline.
- When output changes: check whether the audio device is being reset or switched.
Remove pauses between tracks in Spotify
Spotify distinguishes Gapless playback from Crossfade. Gapless playback is intended to remove pauses between tracks. Crossfade instead overlaps the end of one track with the beginning of the next, fading one down as the other fades up; that can alter a continuous sleep-sounds mix. Automix is a separate transition feature. Spotify describes these controls in its Gapless playback and Crossfade settings.
- Open Spotify’s playback settings and enable Gapless playback for pauses between tracks.
- Leave Crossfade off if you want each sound to proceed without an intentional overlap. If you prefer a blended transition, adjust Crossfade and listen for whether the overlap suits the recording.
- If the transition controls are unavailable, check how Spotify is playing. Spotify says these settings cannot be configured while using Spotify Connect.
- On Windows, check whether Exclusive Mode is active. Spotify says it takes control of the selected audio device in this mode, preventing other apps from playing through it; Automix and Crossfade are disabled as well. See Spotify’s Windows Exclusive Mode guidance.
These controls address transitions between tracks. They do not repair silence already present at the start or end of a recording.
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Loop one file or a playlist in OBS
Choose the OBS source type that matches what you are playing. A Media Source is for an individual media file; its Loop property determines whether the file plays again when playback completes. A VLC Video source can play a list of items; its Loop Playlist property repeats that list. VLC Video also has a Network caching (ms) setting for network media. OBS documents these as separate source controls in its Media Sources guide.
- In OBS, select the source in the scene and open its properties.
- For one file, use Media Source and enable Loop.
- For several files, use VLC Video, add the items to its playlist, and enable Loop Playlist.
- If the source is network media and drops occur during playback, review the VLC source’s network-caching setting. There is no universal value established here; adjust it only in response to the conditions you observe.
A loop setting tells OBS to start playback again; it does not establish that the recording has a clean, seamless end-to-start boundary. A pause that repeats at precisely the same point may be in the audio file or in the transition behavior, rather than evidence that looping is disabled.
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Check the file boundary and the playback route
When the gap repeats at the exact end of a sound file, treat the file boundary as a separate suspect from the loop control. Gapless playback can require the next audio to be buffered before the current item ends, clearly defined audio boundaries—especially with compressed formats—and a transition that does not pause or reset the audio device. The GStreamer documentation describes these constraints and cautions that gapless-playback edge cases and bugs are not uncommon (gapless playback design).
For network sources, the playback system also has to buffer incoming data. GStreamer’s design documentation discusses buffering and continuity across certain input changes when decoders are compatible; it does not specify one buffer size or codec as a universal fix (GStreamer pipeline design overview). If the silence is intermittent rather than tied to a repeat point, note whether it coincides with a source change, a network interruption, a decoder change, or an audio-device reset.
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Troubleshoot in a controlled order
- Mark the gap’s location. Is it between playlist tracks, at the end of one looping file, or an irregular dropout? Note whether it occurs at the same point each time.
- Check the matching control. For Spotify track transitions, check Gapless playback and the availability of transition settings. For OBS, verify Loop on Media Source or Loop Playlist on VLC Video.
- Separate playback from file content. If one boundary always has silence, inspect the recording’s ending and beginning. A source loop cannot remove quiet audio encoded into the file.
- For intermittent network gaps, examine buffering and whether a network source, decoder, pipeline, or output device changes near the dropout.
- Test the whole route you actually use. Play through the same app, network, computer, and output device used overnight, and listen across several repeat points. Change one relevant setting at a time so you can tell which change matters.
If a browser player only fails to start or resume, autoplay policy may be relevant: Spotify’s Web Playback SDK notes that some browsers require a user interaction to trigger playback (Spotify Web Playback SDK). That note concerns starting playback; it does not establish autoplay policy as a cause of gaps in audio that is already playing.
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