If a YouTube Live replay is silent after you switch videos in OBS, first find out whether the silence is in OBS monitoring, the live stream, or only the saved replay. Those are separate outputs, and a moving Audio Mixer meter confirms only that audio is reaching OBS’s mixer—not that it reached YouTube or the replay. Work through the checks below before changing settings.
First identify where the audio disappears
Test the same video at three points: listen to OBS monitoring, check the live stream if it is available, then play the saved YouTube replay. Note exactly which is silent. Silence in one does not establish that the others are silent too.
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- OBS monitoring is silent: Check the monitoring device and whether the source is configured for monitoring.
- The live stream is silent: Check the source’s streaming-track assignment and the audio reaching OBS’s output.
- Only the replay is silent: Compare the live stream with its saved replay, then inspect the audio track used for streaming. Do not assume the local monitor reflects what YouTube recorded.
Check whether OBS is receiving the source audio
Watch the Audio Mixer while the video plays
In OBS, watch the relevant source in the Audio Mixer while the switched-to video is playing. A moving meter is evidence that audio is reaching the mixer. It does not by itself prove that your monitoring device, live stream, or saved replay is receiving it. OBS describes the mixer and its monitoring controls in its Audio Mixer guide.
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Focus on the media source and its playback after switching. Check whether the source has audio and whether it resumes or reloads when it becomes visible again. The meter test narrows the problem to the source or its path into the mixer; it does not identify a specific cause by itself.
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Check the media source’s behavior when you switch videos
For an OBS Media Source, inspect the activation settings, including “Restart playback when source becomes active” and “Close file when inactive.” OBS documents that closing a file while the source is inactive frees memory and may cause a brief delay when the source is shown again. These settings are checks, not a confirmed fix for every silent replay. See OBS’s Media Sources documentation.
After changing a setting, switch to the video again and watch the Audio Mixer meter from the moment playback starts. If audio returns after a delay, note that timing and separately verify the live stream or replay that matters to you.
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If you use VLC Video Source, verify its audio track and installation
VLC Video Source has an Audio Track setting. Confirm that the intended track is selected. The source also requires VLC; OBS specifies that 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC. These are VLC-specific checks and do not apply in the same way to an OBS Media Source. Details are in OBS’s VLC Video Source documentation.
If the meter moves, inspect the output path
When the mixer meter responds but an output is silent, check where the audio is routed next:
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- For a silent live stream or replay, confirm that the source is assigned to the audio track used for streaming.
- If only OBS monitoring is silent, confirm that the desired monitoring device is selected.
- Retest the affected output after checking its route; do not treat a working monitor or mixer meter as proof that the YouTube output is correct.
The right settings depend on your source type, track assignment, device, operating system, and OBS version. Without those details, no single routing change can be identified as the fix.
How to interpret reports of similar problems
A report filed for OBS 32.0.2 describes VLC source audio that the reporter could hear locally, with mixer activity visible, but not in the stream. That is an individual issue report, not proof of a general OBS defect or an explanation for a silent replay after switching videos. See the OBS issue tracker.
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