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If your YouTube Live stream shows video but no sound, trace the audio from the prerecorded file through OBS and its output to YouTube Live Control Room. First confirm the file plays with sound, then check OBS’s mixer meter, output mute and routing, a local test recording, and YouTube’s stream health or error message. This helps locate where audio disappears instead of changing encoder settings at random.
Find where the audio disappears
Check each stage in order: the media file, OBS input, OBS output and recording, encoder output, then YouTube ingest and playback. The first stage where sound is missing narrows the cause. A moving OBS meter is useful evidence, but it does not prove that the outgoing stream contains audio.
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1. Confirm the prerecorded file has audible audio
Play the exact file outside OBS. Confirm that the intended program audio is audible, and, if the file has multiple audio tracks, identify which one contains it. If the file itself is silent or the wrong track is selected, OBS and YouTube cannot restore the missing program audio.
2. Check whether OBS receives audio
Start playback in the same OBS scene and source you use for streaming. Watch the corresponding mixer meter. OBS’s technical guide says a missing input indicator means audio is not reaching OBS; playback may not have started, or a selected device may be disconnected. Check that the correct media source or audio device is active, selected and playing. The OBS Audio Mixer Guide explains the mixer meters and controls; its technical details are described in the Audio Mixer Technical Details guide.
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3. Check output mute and routing
If the meter moves, audio reaches the mixer, but it may still be muted or routed incorrectly at output. Check the relevant source’s mute/output state in the mixer. You can use OBS Audio Monitoring to listen diagnostically, but hearing monitored audio alone does not confirm that the stream output contains it.
4. Make a short local recording
Record a short sample with the same scene and output configuration, then play it back. If the recording is silent, focus on the source, capture and OBS routing. If it has sound but YouTube does not, check encoder output settings and YouTube ingest next. OBS recommends recording and listening before going live; see its Audio Mixer Guide.
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Read YouTube Live Control Room’s audio errors
Check the stream preview, health information and any error shown in YouTube Live Control Room. YouTube’s live-stream error guidance identifies both an ingest stream with no audio and one with multiple audio streams, and says to provide one audio stream. It also flags unsupported codecs and incorrect audio settings. Do not add extra audio tracks as a speculative fix; follow the error for the current stream.
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YouTube’s error guidance names AAC and MP3 as supported audio codecs. Its encoder settings recommend these audio values:
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- Stereo: 44.1 kHz and 128 Kbps.
- 5.1 surround: 48 kHz and 384 Kbps.
These are YouTube recommendations, not a promise that changing them will fix a source that never reaches OBS. Check the settings and error shown for your actual event; YouTube’s Live Control Room configuration can change.
Check the encoder and distinguish audio trouble from stream trouble
YouTube recommends inspecting the output directly in the encoder. If audio or video is already poor there, check the sources routed to it, encoder errors and CPU load, and whether the local archive is recording correctly. If the encoder output looks and sounds healthy but the stream does not, YouTube identifies the outbound internet connection as a possible cause. See YouTube’s live-stream troubleshooting guidance.
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Before the event, preview the stream, verify that the local archive exists and is growing, confirm the event is accessible, and monitor audio and video quality while live. YouTube’s live-streaming tips cover these checks. Its guidance on creating a live stream with an encoder also notes that audio and video hardware configuration depends on the setup.
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- Play the exact prerecorded file and confirm its intended audio track is audible.
- Play it in the OBS scene you will stream; confirm the relevant mixer meter moves.
- Check the source’s output mute and routing. Use monitoring as a diagnostic, not as proof of live output.
- Make and listen to a short local recording using the same scene and output configuration.
- Check YouTube Live Control Room’s preview, stream health and error messages; resolve any no-audio or multiple-audio-stream warning.
- Start the event and keep monitoring audio and video quality.
What to do about FFmpeg
There is no safe universal FFmpeg audio-map command for arbitrary prerecorded files. The correct stream selection depends on the file’s actual streams, language and channel layout, as well as the installed FFmpeg version. Identify the intended audio stream and consult documentation for that version before constructing a command; do not assume a fixed audio index or copy a map setting from a different file. If the source plays correctly but your FFmpeg output is silent, compare the input and output stream layouts before sending the result to OBS or YouTube.
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Common symptoms and next checks
| What you observe | What it suggests | Next check |
|---|---|---|
| The file is silent outside OBS | The intended audio may be absent or on another track. | Check the source file and identify its intended audio track. |
| OBS mixer meter does not move during playback | Audio is not reaching the OBS mixer. | Start playback; confirm the correct source/device is active and a capture device is connected. |
| The meter moves, but the local recording is silent | Audio may be muted or not routed to output. | Check the source’s output/mute state and routing, then record another short sample. |
| The local recording has sound, but Live Control Room reports no audio | The fault is downstream of the tested local recording, or the live output configuration differs. | Compare encoder output and YouTube ingest errors and settings. |
| Live Control Room reports multiple audio streams | YouTube has detected more than one audio stream in the ingest. | Configure the output to provide one audio stream, as YouTube’s error guidance directs. |
| Encoder output is healthy but YouTube playback is not | An outbound connection issue is one possible cause. | Check stream health and the connection to YouTube. |
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