To prevent audio gaps in a YouTube loop stream, first identify where the loop happens. If you are broadcasting prerecorded video, set the repeat option on the media source feeding OBS: use Loop for one file or Loop Playlist for a sequence in a VLC Video source. Those settings repeat playback, but OBS does not promise gapless audio, so test the transitions in the outgoing mix before you go live. If you are only watching a YouTube video, use YouTube’s viewer-side Loop control instead; it does not affect a creator’s live broadcast.
First, tell a viewer loop from a live-stream loop
YouTube’s Loop control repeats a video or playlist for the person watching it. A creator’s live loop is different: prerecorded files repeat in the source that feeds the encoder, and that source must be configured to repeat. Changing a viewer’s YouTube setting cannot fix a pause in the audio being broadcast.
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For viewer playback, open the video or playlist and use YouTube’s Loop option. See YouTube’s instructions for looping videos or playlists. The remaining steps here are for creators using OBS to send prerecorded media to a live stream.
Choose the right OBS source for your loop
| Source | Use it for | Repeat setting | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Media Source | One local media file | Loop | OBS says this restarts the file after playback completes; it does not guarantee a gapless audio boundary. |
| VLC Video | A playlist of media items | Loop Playlist | VLC must be installed. OBS does not guarantee gapless transitions between playlist items or from the final item back to the first. |
OBS lists common Media Source formats including MP4, MOV, MKV, MP3, AAC, OGG and WAV. For playlist behavior, its Media Sources documentation also describes playlist order, shuffle, network caching where applicable, and source visibility behavior.
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Set up a loop for one file in OBS
- In OBS, add a Media Source to the scene that supplies your live video. Choose an existing source or create a new one.
- Configure the source to use the intended local media file, then enable Loop in its properties. OBS describes this option as restarting the file after playback completes.
- Start playback and listen through the file’s ending and restart in the outgoing audio mix. Repeat the check several times before going live.
The repeat setting controls whether the file starts again; it is not a documented guarantee that the last audio sample will meet the first without a pause. If you hear a gap, check the file’s actual ending and beginning and verify that the source is behaving as expected.
Set up a playlist loop in OBS
- Install VLC if it is not already installed. OBS requires VLC for the VLC Video source type.
- Add a VLC Video source to the scene and put the intended files in its playlist in the order you want them to play.
- Enable Loop Playlist in the source properties. Check the playlist order and shuffle setting so playback follows the sequence you intend.
- If the source is used across scenes, review its visibility behavior. OBS provides options related to stopping playback when a source is not visible and restarting it when visible; a source that stops while hidden may not behave as expected during scene changes.
- Listen through several item changes, including the transition from the last playlist item back to the first, while monitoring the outgoing audio mix.
A playlist repeat setting means the list plays again; it does not establish that separate files will join seamlessly. Test the exact transitions you plan to broadcast.
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If there is still a gap, troubleshoot the source boundary
- The media plays once but does not restart: Reopen the source properties and confirm Loop is enabled for a single Media Source or Loop Playlist for a VLC Video source.
- The playlist stops or behaves differently after a scene change: Check the VLC source’s visibility behavior, including whether playback stops when hidden or restarts when visible.
- The sequence plays the wrong items or order: Review the VLC playlist contents, ordering and shuffle setting.
- The loop repeats but the audio still pauses: Listen closely to the media’s end-to-start or file-to-file boundary. The OBS documentation describes repeat controls but does not identify a particular cause for a gap or prescribe a guaranteed repair.
Verify the transition in the outgoing mix rather than assuming that a viewer-side YouTube Loop setting, stream ingestion setting or repeat checkbox makes the media boundary gapless.
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Why YouTube ingestion settings are a separate issue
YouTube’s HLS setup guidance covers delivery details such as video segments, segment duration, playlist behavior and audio format. It says HLS uses segments rather than a continuous stream like RTMP and has higher latency. Those are ingestion requirements; the guidance does not say that changing segment duration repairs a pause already present where the source media loops.
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Likewise, YouTube’s embedded-player parameters include a way to loop one video in an embedded player: set loop to 1 and set playlist to the same video ID. That applies to an embedded viewer player, not an OBS broadcast source. See YouTube Embedded Players and Player Parameters.
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