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If OBS loses sound when a cartoon playlist advances, first check whether the audio is missing from the recording or stream too—or only from your local monitoring. Watch the mixer meter and make a short test recording that covers the transition. Then check the episode’s audio track, recording-track routing, and monitoring settings in that order. A moving meter alone does not confirm that viewers can hear the audio.
First find out where the sound disappears
- Watch the source in the Audio Mixer. While the episode plays and then advances, note whether its meter moves. Activity indicates OBS is receiving audio at that point; it does not prove that the recording, stream, or monitoring device is outputting it.
- Record a short sample of the transition. Include a few seconds before the first episode ends and after the next begins, then play the recording in a standard media player.
- Compare the recording with what you hear live. If the test recording has sound but your monitoring device is silent, focus on monitoring. If the recording is silent as well, check the media item, selected audio track, mute and volume state, and recording-track assignment.
OBS issue reports describe monitoring failures where meters still moved and recorded audio was reportedly intact. Those reports show why this distinction matters; they do not establish a universal OBS defect or a single guaranteed fix. OBS issue #3410 · OBS issue #3806
Identify the OBS source and check the episode
The relevant controls depend on whether you use a built-in Media Source for an individual file or a VLC Video source for a playlist. OBS documents both, but their playback settings are different. OBS Media Sources documentation
If the episode is a Media Source
- Open the source’s properties and confirm that the selected local file is the episode you expect. Verify that the file contains an audio stream and plays with sound outside OBS.
- Check the source’s mute and volume state in the mixer. If the file has multiple audio tracks, test which one contains the intended audio.
- Review playback and visibility behavior if the source is hidden and shown between episodes. “Restart playback when source becomes active” is on by default. “Close file when inactive” unloads the file; OBS notes that it may take a short time to appear again after reactivation. These settings describe playback and reload behavior, not a confirmed cause of missing audio.
- Test the affected episode by itself, then in the playlist or scene sequence you normally use. This helps distinguish a problem with the file from one that appears only at a transition.
If the playlist is a VLC Video source
- Confirm VLC is installed. OBS says that 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC.
- Open the VLC Video source properties and check the playlist order and the selected Audio Track. OBS documents track 1 as the default; a file with multiple audio streams may need a different selection.
- Play the episode that fails on its own, then make it the next item in the playlist and test the transition. If only one item fails, inspect that file and its audio tracks; if it fails only after another item, note the sequence and reproduce it in a short recording.
Check which audio track the recording uses
OBS source audio and recording-track selection are separate. A source can show activity in the mixer while its audio is not assigned to a track that the recording includes. In OBS, open Advanced Audio Properties from the Audio Mixer gear icon or the Edit menu, then check the track boxes for the source. Next, open Settings → Output and confirm the intended recording track is enabled. OBS explains track assignment in its Multiple Audio Track Recording Guide.
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Most standard video players play one audio track at a time. If you are not planning to edit the recording and want all sources audible in an ordinary player, OBS advises assigning all audio sources to track 1. If you do use multiple tracks for editing, confirm that the player you use selects the track containing the episode audio.
If only OBS monitoring is silent
- In OBS audio settings, check that the selected monitoring device is the one you are listening to.
- Open Advanced Audio Properties and inspect the affected source’s Audio Monitoring mode. Confirm it is set as intended.
- While monitoring, reproduce the transition and compare what you hear with a test recording. Do not assume that changing monitoring mode repairs audio missing from the stream or recording; it affects the monitoring path.
- If toggling monitoring off and back to the intended mode brings sound back, treat that as a temporary diagnostic observation, not a confirmed permanent fix.
Historical reports include monitoring symptoms around playlist or scene transitions: a report for OBS 25.0.8/26.0.0-rc1 described a VLC playlist where the submitter said recording audio was intact, and a Windows 10 report for OBS 26.0.2 described intermittent monitoring loss after scene changes despite meter activity. A separate Windows 11 report for OBS 31.0.0, opened in January 2025, described a similar monitoring symptom with looping MP3s that had album art. These are individual reports, not proof of a current general bug or that VLC, album art, or a particular codec is the cause. See #3410, #3806, and #11739.
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Troubleshoot by symptom
| What you observe | What to check next |
|---|---|
| The meter moves, but the test recording is silent. | Check that the source is not muted, verify the episode’s selected audio stream, and confirm the source is assigned to an enabled recording track in Advanced Audio Properties and Settings → Output. |
| The test recording has sound, but your monitoring device is silent. | Check the selected monitoring device and the source’s Audio Monitoring mode. The fault is on the monitoring path, not evidence that the recording lacks audio. |
| One episode is silent, including when played alone. | Check whether that file has an audio stream, whether the intended track is selected, and whether the file itself plays with sound outside OBS. |
| Each episode works alone, but sound fails only after a playlist or scene transition. | Record and reproduce the exact transition. Note the source type, playlist order, OBS version, and whether the fault affects monitoring, recording, or both. Historical reports describe transition-related monitoring symptoms, but do not establish a single current cause. |
| A hidden Media Source is silent or briefly absent when shown again. | Review “Close file when inactive” and source visibility behavior. OBS documents a possible short reload period after reactivation; this alone does not establish why audio is missing. |
| Audio plays in an editing application but not in an ordinary player. | Check which recording track the player opens. Standard players generally play one track at a time; for recordings intended for immediate playback, assign all sources to track 1. |
What to include when reporting a persistent fault
If the problem continues, collect details that separate a file problem from a routing or monitoring issue:
- Your operating system and exact OBS version.
- Whether the source is Media Source or VLC Video, plus the media format.
- The playlist order and which episode or transition triggers the symptom.
- Whether the mixer meter moves and whether a test recording contains audio.
- Whether audio is missing from monitoring, the recording, the stream, or more than one of these.
- Whether the behavior changes when a scene hides or unloads the source.
These details make the failure easier to distinguish and reproduce; they do not guarantee a particular diagnosis or resolution.
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