For one guided sleep meditation file in OBS, add it as a Media Source and enable Loop. That repeats the file when playback reaches its end, but OBS does not promise that every file will join without an audible gap.
Keep Restart playback when source becomes active separate in your mind: it controls what happens when the source becomes visible in a scene, not whether it repeats at the end. Set that behaviour to suit your scene changes, then test the actual end-to-start transition in the output you intend to stream.
Add the meditation file as a Media Source
In the scene where the meditation should play, use the Sources panel’s add control and choose Media Source. Give the source a clear name, such as “Sleep meditation”, then open its properties and select the local audio file. If the file is already on the computer that runs OBS, enable the option to use a local file and browse to it.
OBS documents MP3, AAC, OGG and WAV among the audio formats supported by Media Source. That is a list of supported formats, not a statement that all files in those formats will loop identically. Start with the file you actually plan to use; converting files before establishing a baseline can make it harder to tell which change helped.
A Media Source is the direct fit when you have one meditation recording. You do not need a playlist source simply to repeat a single file. If your broader plan is a continuous channel made from prerecorded programmes, the choices around content and scheduling are different; see how to start an always-on YouTube channel with prerecorded videos in India.
After adding the source, check its volume in the OBS mixer and make sure it is not muted. Play the file once from the beginning and confirm that the spoken voice and any background sound are present. This first pass checks that the path and source work; it does not yet tell you whether the loop boundary is clean.
If you use scene transitions, keep the source in the scene that should contain the meditation. OBS treats source visibility and playback as meaningful behaviour, so moving, hiding or showing a source can affect when it starts. Make a note of which scene owns the source before troubleshooting a repeat problem.
Turn on Loop
Open the Media Source properties and tick Loop. This is the control that tells OBS to play the file again after it completes. The OBS Project’s Media Sources documentation describes the Media Source properties, including Loop, and is the best place to check if labels have changed in a later OBS build.
Do not confuse a source that starts correctly with one that repeats correctly. Let playback continue to the end once during setup. If it stops at the end, return to the properties and confirm that Loop is enabled on this Media Source. A source can be audible and correctly routed while still being configured to play only once.
For a meditation intended to run overnight, a short test is not enough to establish that the file repeats. The point of the setup test is narrower: establish that the source reaches the end, begins again, and behaves as expected at the join. Longer-term reliability also depends on the computer, OBS session and stream connection, so do not infer all-night stability from one successful repeat.
You can keep the source’s other playback options unchanged while checking Loop. Change one setting at a time; otherwise, if the result changes, you will not know whether it was the loop setting, activation behaviour or an edit to the audio file that made the difference.
Set source activation behaviour deliberately
Restart playback when source becomes active is about activation. In practical terms, it tells Media Source to start again when the source becomes visible in the current scene. It does not replace Loop and is not the continuous-repeat control. OBS’s source API reference describes media-source restart operations; it is useful background, while the properties in your installed OBS remain the controls to check.
Choose the setting based on what you want when changing scenes. If the meditation should start from its opening whenever you return to its scene, enable restart-on-activation and test that transition. If you want it to continue from where it was when the source becomes visible again, do not ask activation behaviour to restart it. In either case, Loop remains the setting for replaying the file at its end.
For example, suppose a channel has a meditation scene and a brief holding scene. If you switch away and then back, restarting on activation may begin the meditation from its first spoken instruction. That might be desirable for a short guided exercise, but it can be jarring in a long sleep recording. Decide which experience you want before changing the box, then test by actually switching scenes.
Scene arrangements can also make a source appear to stop when it is merely hidden or inactive. If you are refining how different scenes share sources, the guide to switching scenes and setting up custom layouts in OBS can help you separate layout choices from playback choices.
When the source is left visible in the same scene, restart-on-activation should not be treated as an instruction to repeat continuously. If playback runs once and stops, check Loop. If it does not begin when you return to a scene, inspect activation behaviour and the source’s visibility instead.
Use VLC Video Source for a playlist
For several meditation tracks in a playlist, consider OBS’s VLC Video Source. It has a Loop Playlist control for repeating a playlist; a single Media Source with Loop is simpler when you have only one file. The OBS documentation explains that VLC must be installed for this source to be available.
| What you are playing | OBS source | Repeat control | Main consideration |
|---|---|---|---|
| One local meditation file | Media Source | Loop | Direct setup; no VLC installation needed for this use |
| Several files as a playlist | VLC Video Source | Loop Playlist | VLC must be installed, and playlist and visibility behaviour need checking |
A playlist can help when you want variety across a long stream, but it introduces more things to verify: the track order, file paths, playlist repeat setting and what should happen when the source is hidden. For one recording, there is little benefit in adding those moving parts just to access a loop option.
If your intention is to play a sequence of separate programmes rather than a playlist of audio tracks, think through how the transitions should work and whether each item has a clean ending. A guide to scheduling different podcast shows in one continuous YouTube live stream addresses the broader sequencing problem, rather than the boundary inside one recording.
VLC Video Source also has visibility-related behaviour settings. Treat those as a separate decision from Loop Playlist, just as you do with Media Source. A playlist that does not restart when shown is not necessarily failing to loop at its end; check which behaviour you are observing before changing settings.
Check VLC installation and matching architecture
If VLC Video Source is missing or unavailable, first check whether VLC is installed. OBS lists VLC installation as a requirement for that source. A Media Source does not need VLC for the one-file setup described above, so do not install it simply to expose a loop toggle that Media Source already provides.
Architecture matters as well: the OBS guidance says that 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC for the VLC source. If you have installed VLC but still cannot select the source, check whether the installed VLC architecture matches OBS. Reopen OBS after installing or correcting VLC, then see whether VLC Video Source is available.
If the source appears but cannot play a playlist item, check that the file path points to a file available on the OBS computer. Then test the playlist and Loop Playlist setting in isolation. Do not interpret a missing source as evidence that the meditation file itself is defective; source availability and file playback are separate checks.
For this particular one-file task, it is reasonable to avoid VLC altogether. Use Media Source, enable Loop, and reserve VLC for a playlist that justifies the extra setup. That keeps the troubleshooting path small, especially when you need to work out an audible boundary late at night.
Test the loop boundary with the actual audio file
A clean-looking settings panel cannot prove that a join sounds continuous. Let the actual file play through its end and into its restart, then listen for a pause, a click, a sudden change in room tone or an abrupt cut in speech. A boundary that sounds acceptable at ordinary listening volume may become more noticeable when the room is quiet, so use the listening conditions that matter for your audience.
Test the output that matters. Listen to the stream or make a recording and play that back, rather than relying only on local monitoring. Monitoring can help you hear the source, but the final stream or recording is the useful check for what was actually sent through your OBS output path. Keep the test focused on the transition and make a note of the time in the file where the repeat occurs.
Inspect the final seconds and opening seconds of the recording. The file may contain intentional silence at either end, a breath, a long fade, or a spoken phrase that is not meant to join directly to the beginning. In a sleep meditation, a little quiet may be deliberate; the question is whether the resulting pause is part of the intended listening experience or an unintended dead spot.
If editing is needed, preserve an untouched copy first. Then trim or shape the beginning and ending in an audio editor, listening to the join before exporting. Do not remove every trace of silence automatically: a hard cut can replace a pause with a click or make the voice feel unnaturally abrupt. A short crossfade may be worth testing for ambient beds, but overlapping spoken words can make a guided instruction difficult to understand.
One OBS issue report describes a user hearing an approximately half-second dead spot with an MP3 loop and not hearing it with an equivalent WAV. That is one person’s report about one file pair, not a controlled comparison and not proof that MP3 always gaps or WAV is always seamless. If you suspect the file encoding is involved, render a properly prepared WAV version and compare the same section at the same point in the OBS setup.
For a source about preparing audio for a YouTube live stream, see how to create a YouTube live stream from podcast WAV files. A WAV export is a comparison step, not a guarantee. The edit, silence at the edges and playback path still matter, so judge the boundary by listening to the result.
Troubleshoot an audible gap
Work from the simplest distinction: is the file stopping, or is it restarting with a pause? If it stops after one play, verify Loop on Media Source or Loop Playlist on VLC Video Source. If it restarts but you hear silence at precisely the boundary, the repeat control may be working while the file’s beginning, ending or playback behaviour remains audible.
| What you observe | First check | Next useful test |
|---|---|---|
| Playback ends and does not begin again | Confirm the relevant Loop control is enabled | Test one repeat in OBS with the same file |
| It does not start after returning to a scene | Check source visibility and activation behaviour | Switch away and back deliberately |
| A pause occurs at the end-to-start join | Inspect silence and edits at both file edges | Compare a carefully prepared WAV export |
| VLC Video Source is unavailable | Confirm VLC installation and matching architecture | Restart OBS and check the source list again |
Change only one thing between tests. For instance, leave scene activation unchanged while comparing the original file with an edited export. If you alter activation, trim silence and change format together, a better result will not tell you which change mattered, and a worse result may be difficult to reverse.
If there is a click rather than silence, inspect the audio waveform at the start and end. A discontinuity in the waveform can produce a click even when the two parts meet without a quiet interval. If the sound is a spoken syllable cut in half, the edit point may need to move; looping controls cannot repair content that has been cut mid-word.
If a pause occurs only after switching scenes, return to the activation section rather than repeatedly changing the file format. If the pause recurs at the same file boundary while the source remains visible, concentrate on the recording’s edges and compare a test export. The OBS issue report is a reason to test a WAV version when appropriate, not a diagnosis on its own.
For a long-running channel, keep a known-good test recording and a note of the source settings alongside your project. That gives you something to compare after an OBS update or a scene change. If you need the meditation to stay live while your own computer is off, StreamNeo removes the specific burden of leaving OBS running on your computer for a file-based YouTube broadcast; it does not change how you prepare or verify the audio boundary.
Before committing, compare the operating options on the pricing page. When the file and channel are ready, start free — 24-hour trial, no card.
FAQ
Does enabling Loop guarantee no silence between repeats?
No. Loop tells OBS to play the Media Source again after it completes, but the documented setting does not guarantee a gapless boundary for every audio file. Listen to the actual join and inspect the file edges if a pause remains.
Should Restart playback when source becomes active be turned on?
Choose it according to what you want after the source becomes visible in a scene. It restarts playback on activation; it is separate from Loop and does not make the file continuously repeat at its end.
Do I need VLC for one meditation file?
No. Media Source is the direct choice for one local file and includes the Loop control. VLC Video Source is useful when you want a playlist, and it requires VLC to be installed.
Will exporting as WAV remove an audible gap?
It may be a useful comparison, but it is not a guaranteed fix. One OBS issue reporter described a difference between an MP3 and equivalent WAV; that individual report does not establish that WAV is always seamless.