First check whether the sound is missing only from OBS monitoring or also from the stream or recording. If the recording or stream has sound but your headphones do not, troubleshoot the monitoring route; if all outputs are silent, check the VLC source’s audio-track selection and OBS track routing. Playlist-transition audio problems have been reported, but older reports do not establish that every current OBS installation has the same bug.
1. Separate a monitoring problem from missing stream audio
Listen to a recording or stream output independently of OBS’s local monitor. A moving mixer meter does not confirm that sound is reaching the selected headphones or speakers.
- Recording or stream has audio; local monitoring does not: concentrate on OBS’s monitoring device and the operating system’s output routing.
- Recording or stream is also silent: check the VLC source’s selected audio track and whether the relevant OBS output track is active.
- Audio disappears only at playlist changes: note whether it happens at natural item completion or when you select “Next.” That pattern may differ from a general routing failure.
These distinctions are diagnostic clues, not guarantees. In an OBS report about OBS 25.0.8 and 26.0.0-rc1 on Windows 10, the reporter said monitoring failed on an audio-only playlist item while the video frame persisted; the issue was closed as not planned (OBS Studio issue #3410). In a separate OBS 26.0.2 report on Windows 10, audio reportedly cut off one or two seconds before a clip ended during monitoring, but not in streaming or recording. A project member marked that report confirmed, and it was also closed as not planned (OBS Studio issue #3712). Neither report establishes the behavior of every current OBS release.
2. Check the VLC source and OBS audio tracks
- Play the playlist item that exhibits the problem and look at the OBS Audio Mixer. Check whether the VLC source meter moves while the sound is missing.
- Open the VLC Video Source properties and confirm that the intended audio track is selected. OBS’s reference manual describes VLC playlist items playing in the order added; it also notes that VLC must be installed and its 32-bit or 64-bit architecture must match OBS. Those are setup requirements, not a proven fix for transition-only audio loss (OBS Studio reference manual, hosted by the University of Regina).
- In the Audio Mixer, open Advanced Audio Properties and check that the VLC source is assigned to the output track you intend to use. A meter can move even when the stream or recording is not receiving the relevant track.
- Compare an audio-only playlist item with a video item, if your playlist contains both. Record which type fails and where it sits in the playlist; this helps distinguish a particular transition pattern from a source that never produces audio.
3. Check OBS monitoring and your output device
- In OBS, open Settings > Audio and verify the selected Monitoring Device is the device you are actually listening to.
- Check the operating system’s selected audio output and make sure that device is not muted. Test it with another application.
- If the VLC meter moves but monitoring is silent, treat routing as a live possibility even if the stream or recording seems fine. A community troubleshooting thread recommends checking the source track, mixer, Advanced Audio Properties, monitoring device, and system output; these are suggestions, not a confirmed cure (OBS Forums community thread).
4. Try a monitoring reset, then document the result
As a quick test, change the VLC source’s audio monitoring mode from Monitor and Output to Monitor Off, then change it back. A forum user reported that this restored monitoring, but the same community discussion includes an unresolved recurrence, and its original poster did not know which setting had fixed the problem. Treat this as an anecdotal workaround, not a reliable fix.
#1 Best Overall
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If the problem persists, write down the details before changing more settings:
- OBS and operating system versions;
- whether the playlist mixes audio-only and video files;
- whether the failure happens at natural completion or after pressing “Next”;
- whether the mixer meter moves; and
- whether a recording or stream is affected, or only local monitoring.
Those details separate transition-related monitoring symptoms from general output problems. For example, a report opened October 30, 2025 concerns the distinct case of local sound being audible but absent from a live stream on Windows 11 with OBS 32.0.2. Its author said rolling back to OBS 31.0.4 resolved that case; this single user report is not evidence that rollback is appropriate for playlist monitoring issues (OBS Studio issue #12774).
Rank #2
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Or let it run in the cloud
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Quick Recap
Best Value
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Rank #4
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