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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteIf your Castr stream reaches YouTube without sound, check the encoder’s audio source and active track first. Then verify the outgoing audio settings and, if you use Castr transcoding, confirm it is selecting a track that contains audio. Compare Castr’s preview and input health with playback from a private or unlisted YouTube test to narrow down where the sound disappears.
1. Check that your encoder is capturing audio
Start at the source: an encoder cannot send program audio it is not receiving. In OBS, open Settings → Audio and make sure at least one relevant audio device is enabled. Castr’s examples include Desktop Audio and Mic/Auxiliary Audio. Check that the intended source is active and that its audio meter responds when sound is playing or the microphone is used.
- If the meter does not move, check that the correct input device is selected, enabled, and producing sound before changing Castr or YouTube settings.
- If the encoder meter moves but the Castr preview is silent, check the encoder’s outgoing audio track and Castr’s track routing next.
Castr notes that social platforms may reject a stream with no audio track or show an error. A silent audio track may satisfy a platform’s track requirement, but it does not make speech, music, or other program audio audible. Use that workaround only for a video-only source that does not need sound.
2. Verify the encoded audio settings
Castr’s general encoder guidance lists AAC or MP3 and prefers 128 Kbps audio. Its social-platform guidance recommends AAC-LC, 128 Kbps stereo, and a 48 kHz sample rate as general best practices. These are recommendations, not a guarantee that one setting resolves every encoder or destination issue.
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There is a different sample-rate recommendation in Castr’s prerecorded-video guidance for YouTube and Facebook: AAC at 128 Kbps and 44.1 kHz. Choose guidance that fits your stream type rather than treating the two sample rates as one universal setting. If you change the encoder, test the actual destination before relying on it for a live broadcast.
| Setting | Castr guidance | Where it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Audio format | AAC or MP3; AAC-LC in the social-platform guide | General encoder guidance versus social-platform guidance |
| Audio bitrate | 128 Kbps | Recommended in the general encoder and social-platform guidance |
| Channels and sample rate | Stereo, 48 kHz | Social-platform best-practice guidance |
| Sample rate for prerecorded video | 44.1 kHz | Castr’s separate YouTube/Facebook prerecorded-video guidance |
3. Check Castr preview and audio-track selection
Compare the encoder with Castr’s preview
Start the encoder and inspect Castr’s preview or input-health indicators. Castr’s testing guidance recommends checking the input and testing the actual destination before a broadcast. If the preview is already silent, investigate encoder capture, output, and track routing before treating YouTube playback as the cause.
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Confirm the transcoder is using the right track
If your workflow uses a Castr transcoder or multiple audio tracks, check which track is selected or filtered. Castr warns that selecting a track without audio results in silent transcoded output. Choose the track that carries the intended program audio, then check the preview again.
4. Test YouTube separately
Once audio reaches Castr, run a private or unlisted test stream and listen to playback on YouTube. Castr supports connecting YouTube through its API or through a YouTube streaming server and key. Testing the actual destination helps distinguish a problem before YouTube from one that appears in the destination playback, although the comparison alone does not identify a specific cause.
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- Confirm that the encoder’s audio meter responds.
- Check that Castr’s preview or input health shows the expected stream and audio.
- Send a private or unlisted test to YouTube and listen to its playback.
- If Castr has sound but YouTube does not, review the YouTube destination connection and test stream, and consult the current YouTube Studio diagnostics.
Castr’s stream-quality guidance recommends reviewing health charts, including audio bitrate. Stable video by itself does not show that a usable audio track is reaching YouTube. Castr’s published guidance does not establish one universal sample rate for every source and encoder workflow, and YouTube’s current acceptance specifications should be checked in Studio when destination behavior is unclear.
5. Match the fix to the source and destination
- Video-only source, no audible program needed: An enabled silent AAC track can be a compatibility workaround if the destination requires an audio track. It will still sound silent to viewers.
- Video-only source, viewers need sound: A silent track is not a fix. Use an encoder with a real audio source or relay the stream through an encoder that can add the required audio.
- Audio-only programming for YouTube: Castr says to combine the audio with a video element—such as a static image, looping video, or visualizer—through an encoder.
- Audio-only or video-only playback in a web embed: Castr says its embed player can handle either, with different limitations from social platforms. Do not assume that behavior carries over to YouTube.
6. Troubleshoot by symptom
| What you observe | Likely area to inspect | Next check |
|---|---|---|
| OBS audio meter does not move | Source capture | Enable the relevant device in Settings → Audio and confirm it is the intended, active input. |
| OBS meter moves, but Castr preview is silent | Encoder output or track routing | Check the outgoing audio track and, if applicable, Castr’s selected transcoder track. |
| Castr preview has sound, but YouTube playback does not | Destination connection or playback | Run a private or unlisted test and review the YouTube destination connection and Studio diagnostics. |
| Video plays but audio bitrate or audio health is absent | Audio track reaching the destination | Review Castr’s health indicators and verify that the selected output track contains audio. |
| A video-only stream is rejected or flagged for no audio | Destination track requirement | If no program audio is required, consider a silent AAC track; if viewers need sound, provide a real audio source. |
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