If OBS has no audio, first check whether the sound reaches the OBS mixer. A silent meter usually points to the source, device selection, or audio routing before OBS; a moving meter means OBS receives a signal, so check its mute and fader, channel assignment, output track, and test playback next. Follow the signal from the player or input device through your operating system and OBS to YouTube, changing one thing at a time.
The exact capture options depend on your operating system and OBS version. The checks below distinguish missing audio from echo, one-sided sound, low levels, and distortion without assuming that desktop playback proves the stream is working.
Trace the audio from its source to YouTube
For a YouTube radio stream, think of the audio path as: music player or physical input → operating-system or application routing → OBS source → OBS mixer and output → YouTube Live. Check each link in order. If you jump straight to filters or encoder settings, you can end up treating the wrong part of the chain.
- Confirm sound at the origin. Play a representative track or other audio. Check the player’s selected output and volume, then check the operating system’s output device and application mixer. If sound comes from a physical mixer or audio interface, check its input gain and master or output path.
- Confirm OBS has the intended source. In the current scene, make sure the source is present and active. Open its properties and select the actual input or output device rather than assuming that “Default” refers to the endpoint you want.
- Watch the OBS mixer while audio plays. If the meter stays still, investigate the source, device selection, activation, and upstream routing. If it moves, OBS is receiving some signal; proceed to the checks for mute, fader, channels, monitoring, output track, and YouTube rather than repeatedly changing the source.
- Listen to an OBS recording. Make a short recording with audio and motion representative of the planned stream, then play it back. Hearing music in the desktop player alone does not confirm that OBS captured or encoded it correctly.
- Test the YouTube destination. Before a real broadcast, check YouTube’s stream health and messages during a representative test. YouTube Help advises: “Make sure to test before you start your live stream.”
OBS’s mixer shows meters, faders, mute and monitoring controls. Its Audio Sources documentation advises starting at the device and tracing the signal onward. A meter that moves is useful evidence, but it does not by itself prove that the correct channel or output is reaching viewers.
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Fix the problem indicated by the mixer
No meter movement in OBS
- Confirm the source is in the scene currently being streamed and is enabled.
- Open the source’s properties and choose the device that actually carries the audio. Recheck the player’s output selection and the operating system’s application routing.
- If the source is a physical input, verify the mixer or interface input, gain, and output path.
- For a source that captures a specific device, compare the selected endpoint with the one currently used by the operating system. A device change can leave OBS pointed at an inactive endpoint.
Meter moves, but the stream sounds silent
- Check that the source is not muted and that its fader is not turned down.
- Listen through OBS Audio Monitoring, and review a recording. This helps separate an OBS monitoring issue from a bad recorded or routed output.
- Check OBS’s output or track selection and verify that the audio is included in the stream output.
- Use a representative YouTube test and inspect stream health and messages. If the recording contains audio but YouTube playback does not, focus on the OBS output and destination path rather than changing the input device again.
Echo or doubled music
Look for two capture routes carrying the same sound. For example, a device may be captured by a scene-level source and also by global audio in Settings > Audio. Disable one of those routes. OBS warns that selecting the same device in both places can cause echo.
On Windows, capturing an application separately while also capturing all Desktop Audio can duplicate that application in the mix. If you only need selected applications, use the application capture route described below and disable global Desktop Audio when appropriate.
Sound comes through only on one side
Watch both bars on the stereo meter and listen through both sides of headphones. If only the left or right bar moves, inspect the source’s channel layout and the routing from the player or device. OBS describes mono as audible in both channels and provides Downmix to Mono in Advanced Audio when that is suitable for the source. Do not downmix a stereo source simply to hide a routing mistake.
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Audio is too quiet, distorted, or pumping
Check levels in order: physical device controls, operating-system and application levels, then the OBS fader. Distortion can result from clipping upstream, so lowering a later fader may not repair already-clipped input. OBS places background music in the green meter zone as a practical guide; meter colors are not a calibrated loudness or LUFS target.
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Choose the right OBS capture source for your operating system
OBS source availability and behavior vary by operating system and release. The current OBS Audio Sources documentation distinguishes Windows and macOS capture sources from the ALSA/PulseAudio sources used on Linux. Check the source options available in your own OBS version rather than following a platform-specific menu path that does not apply.
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| Platform or need | Capture route to check | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Windows or macOS device capture | Scene-level Audio Input Capture or Audio Output Capture, with the intended device selected in the source properties. | OBS documents these sources for Windows and macOS. Avoid capturing the same endpoint globally and at scene level. |
| Windows: capture selected application audio | Application Audio Capture; select the application window. If window titles change, OBS describes matching by executable name. | OBS documents support for Windows 10 version 2004 or later and Windows 11. The guide was dated 2023-07-12; behavior and labels can change across OBS releases. |
| Windows: an application is not captured | Check the application’s output and capture compatibility. OBS describes routing the application through VB-CABLE, then adding the cable output as an Audio Input Capture source. | This is a targeted workaround for an incompatible application, not a requirement for every setup. |
| Linux | Use the documented ALSA or PulseAudio capture sources and confirm the device and routing in the audio system in use. | The Windows/macOS Audio Input/Output Capture source is not the Linux route described by OBS. If this branch fails, the distribution and audio server matter. |
Windows application audio: avoid capturing it twice
When using Application Audio Capture for selected programs, disable global Desktop Audio if it would capture those same sounds again. If an application does not work with Application Audio Capture, the OBS guide describes VB-CABLE as a possible routing workaround: route that application through the virtual cable, then select the cable output as an OBS Audio Input Capture source. This adds a routing step; it does not make the workaround necessary for applications that already capture correctly.
Set YouTube audio output for an ordinary stereo stream
YouTube’s current RTMP/RTMPS encoder guidance accepts AAC or MP3 audio. For stereo, it lists 44.1 kHz and 128 kbps; the same guidance lists 48 kHz and 384 kbps for 5.1 surround sound. For a standard stereo radio stream, verify that the output is stereo rather than accidentally configured for 5.1. These are YouTube’s listed recommendations, not a universal loudness target. Platform guidance can change, so check YouTube Help again when configuring the encoder.
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Use this symptom-to-check map
| Symptom | First checks |
|---|---|
| No movement on the OBS meter | Source active in the current scene; selected device; source properties; operating-system or application routing. |
| Meter moves, stream is silent | Mute and fader; monitoring and recording playback; OBS output or track selection; representative YouTube test. |
| Echo or doubled music | Duplicate global Desktop Audio and scene capture; duplicate desktop and application routes. |
| One-sided audio | Left and right meter bars; channel assignment; mono or downmix only if appropriate. |
| Distorted or pumping levels | Device and operating-system levels; clipping; then fader or suitable compressor settings. |
| Desktop audio works, but OBS misses one application | Application output and capture compatibility; on Windows, Application Audio Capture or the documented virtual-cable workaround. |
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If the checks do not isolate the fault
The next useful details are your operating system, OBS version, source type, and whether the OBS meter moves while audio plays. Include whether the problem is missing, doubled, one-sided, quiet, or distorted, and whether a local recording has sound. Capture behavior can depend on the device, application, operating system, and OBS release; without those details there is no single fix that applies to every driver or routing setup.
Audio routing is separate from permission to broadcast music. This troubleshooting process cannot establish whether a recording is licensed for a YouTube live stream; check the rights and platform requirements for the music you plan to use.
Quick Recap
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