If you want a devotional music video to repeat in an OBS scene sent to YouTube, use a Media Source with Loop for one file, or a VLC Video Source with Loop Playlist for several files. Those controls replay media, but OBS does not document them as a guarantee of a mathematically gapless picture or sound transition.
A short test with your actual file and scene is the practical way to find a pause, click, black frame or unexpected restart before a longer broadcast. The OBS Media Sources guide describes the controls and visibility behaviour; this guide walks through choosing a source, setting it up and checking the result.
Choose one video or a playlist
Start by deciding whether you need to repeat one complete video or move between several files. The choice changes which OBS source you add and which loop control you use. If you have one finished bhajan video with its audio already mixed, the Media Source is the simpler route. If you have separate recordings or visual sequences that should play in order, use a VLC Video Source playlist.
| Your material | OBS source | Playback control | VLC required? |
|---|---|---|---|
| One local video file | Media Source | Loop | No |
| Several local files in a playlist | VLC Video Source | Loop Playlist | Yes |
These sources have different playback behaviour. Do not assume that using a playlist will produce the same boundary as repeating one file, or that either control makes a seam disappear. A devotional track may have a natural pause at its end, while a continuous tanpura or temple ambience bed may expose even a brief interruption. The file's edit, its encoding and the way the scene uses the source all matter to what you hear and see.
Check that each file plays correctly on the computer where you will run OBS before building the scene around it. OBS Media Source supports common video and audio formats, including MP4, MOV, MKV and WebM for video, and MP3, AAC and WAV for audio. If the file does not open or seek reliably in a normal player, resolve that first rather than treating the Loop checkbox as a fix for a damaged or incompatible file.
For a playlist, decide whether you need every item in a defined order, whether each item has its own image and sound, and whether a transition between them is acceptable. A playlist is useful for a sequence of separate bhajans; one long edited file may be easier to manage when you want the visuals and music to meet at carefully chosen points. For more background on a different always-on approach, see how a YouTube playlist can be looped as a livestream. That is not the same workflow as loading local media into OBS, so choose based on where your source files live and how you want to control the scene.
Loop one file with an OBS Media Source
In your OBS scene, add a Media Source and give it a name that identifies the content, such as “Evening aarti video”. Choose the local file in the source properties. Check that the preview shows the intended picture and that audio is present when you play it. If you are using a video file that contains the music, avoid adding a second copy of the same audio elsewhere in the scene; duplicated audio can sound like an echo or become louder than intended.
Turn on Loop in the Media Source properties. OBS describes this setting as replaying the file after playback completes. It is the one-file repeat control: once the source reaches the end, it is instructed to begin again. The setting does not edit the file itself, crossfade the ending into the opening or promise that the last audio sample and first audio sample will meet without an audible change.
Keep the source active in the scene for the period when you want it to play. A source can be hidden or shown as you switch scenes, and OBS provides a Restart playback when source becomes active option for Media Source. Decide whether returning to the scene should start the video from the beginning or retain its progress. For a continuously repeating devotional scene, an unexpected restart every time you switch back can be more noticeable than the file boundary.
There is also a setting to close the file when the source is inactive. That can reduce the work OBS does while the source is not being shown, but reopening it may introduce a delay when it becomes visible again. If your scenes alternate between a full devotional video and another layout, rehearse the switch with the exact visibility settings you intend to use. A test of the loop while the source stays active will not reveal a reload delay caused by hiding and showing it later.
Use a clear source name and keep the final configuration simple. If you add filters or separate audio sources, test them as part of the same scene rather than assuming each item behaves independently at the boundary. When an always-on show should continue while your computer is off, that is a different operational requirement from OBS looping on a local machine; this Hindi music livestream guide covers that broader choice.
Build a multi-file VLC Video Source playlist
For several files, add VLC Video Source to the scene. OBS uses VLC libraries for this source, so VLC must be installed on the computer. Match the architecture: if you run 64-bit OBS, install 64-bit VLC. If the source is unavailable or files do not appear as expected, check the VLC installation before changing your media files or rebuilding the scene.
Open the source properties and add the files to its playlist. Put them in the order you want them to play, then review the list for duplicates, missing items and accidental ordering. The playlist is only as predictable as its contents. If you want a morning sequence to end with a particular chant, verify that item is last rather than relying on filenames or on the order files happen to be selected.
A VLC Video Source has visibility choices that affect what happens when you hide it. OBS documents options to stop and restart playback, pause and resume playback, or continue playing while hidden. Choose deliberately. Stop and restart makes the source begin anew when shown; pause and resume preserves its place while hidden; continuing while hidden lets the playlist advance even when it is not visible. Which behaviour suits you depends on whether switching scenes is part of the programme.
For a single uninterrupted devotional scene, keeping the source visible is the least ambiguous arrangement. If you use a separate holding, announcement or scripture scene, decide whether the playlist should continue underneath or pause. Then switch away and back during testing. The result can differ from simply letting the playlist run in the preview, and a source that resumes at a later song may be exactly right or may interrupt the sequence you meant viewers to hear.
Treat the VLC playlist as a sequence of separate media files, not as one seamless master recording. The end of one file and the start of another may have a pause or change in sound and picture. If that is not acceptable for your programme, inspect and edit the media into a continuous file in advance, then test that file as a Media Source. Avoid relying on a source setting to perform an edit it is not documented to provide.
Enable Loop or Loop Playlist
For one file, return to the Media Source properties and confirm Loop is selected. For several files, select Loop Playlist in the VLC Video Source properties. The names are similar, but they apply to different kinds of source: the first repeats a media file, while the second repeats the list after the playlist reaches its end.
After setting the control, do not stop at seeing the checkbox selected. Confirm the source is actually playing the intended item. In the VLC source, check the playlist order and verify the files have not been removed or moved. In either source, make sure the source is active and its audio is not muted in OBS. A loop option cannot make a missing file play, restore a muted source or correct a scene that is showing a different source over the top.
The controls describe what should happen when playback completes, not a promise about the quality of the boundary. A file can contain silence at its end, a fade to black, a different loudness at its opening or an edit that leaves a visible jump. Even a carefully prepared file may exhibit source-specific playback behaviour on the machine and OBS setup you are using. “Without a gap” is a useful goal for the edit and the scene, but it is not an outcome guaranteed by the loop setting.
If you hear a click or notice a flash, identify whether it occurs at the file's own boundary, at a scene change or when the source is being reloaded. Those are different problems. Listen to the original file's ending and opening, then test the source visibility behaviour separately. Changing multiple properties at once makes it harder to tell which adjustment helped.
Test transitions and audio in the scene
Make a rehearsal scene that uses the same source, filters, overlays and audio routing as your intended stream. Let the file or playlist reach a boundary and watch the OBS preview while listening through the same output path you plan to monitor. For one file, check the end-to-start return. For a playlist, check at least one transition between files and the point where the final item returns to the first.
Listen for a brief silence, overlapping audio, a click, a change in loudness or an audio source that continues after the picture changes. Watch for a black frame, a frozen image or a restart from the beginning after a scene switch. The aim is not to infer perfect continuity from a few seconds of playback; it is to catch obvious behaviour that would be unacceptable for your programme and decide whether the media, source settings or scene need adjustment.
Test visibility too. Hide and show the source or switch away and return using the intended scene workflow. A Media Source configured to restart when active will behave differently from one left to continue, and closing the file while inactive can mean a loading pause when it returns. For VLC, test the selected stop/restart, pause/resume or continue-while-hidden behaviour. Record the result in plain terms, such as “playlist resumes at the current song” or “video starts from the opening”, so you remember what the setting actually does.
Use headphones or speakers at a sensible listening level, and monitor OBS's audio meters while the media plays. The meters can show that sound is present, but they cannot tell you whether a devotional track is pleasant, clipped or abruptly cut at its boundary. Listen as well as looking at the preview. If the opening is much louder than the ending, adjust the media mix rather than expecting the loop function to smooth that difference.
Keep a short note of the file version and source properties that passed the rehearsal. If you replace an MP4, change the playlist, alter visibility settings or move the source into another scene, repeat the boundary check. A change that looks minor in the scene editor can affect when media starts or whether it is unloaded while hidden. The OBS guide to Media Sources is the reference for the named controls; your rehearsal is the check for your specific media.
Send a short YouTube test before going live
When the OBS scene behaves as expected locally, test the actual feed to YouTube. In YouTube Live Control Room, create or select a stream and use the displayed server URL and stream key in OBS's stream settings. Follow YouTube's current encoder setup instructions. Treat the stream key like a password: it permits an encoder to send video to your channel, so do not include it in screenshots or share it publicly.
Start the encoder feed and wait for the preview in Live Control Room. Confirm the right scene appears, the image is moving, and the audio can be heard. YouTube's livestream tips recommend checking the preview before starting and monitoring stream quality. Watch the preview through a file or playlist boundary, not only during the opening seconds. A successful connection confirms that YouTube is receiving a feed; it does not prove that every future transition will be free of interruption.
A private or unlisted rehearsal can help you check how the stream looks and sounds in the destination context before a public broadcast. Keep it short enough to be practical, but long enough to include the transition you need to assess. If you are preparing a long devotional programme, do not treat a brief start-up check as a test of every playlist item. Check the files and transitions that matter, and repeat the test after material or scene changes.
For an all-night broadcast, also consider what happens if OBS or the computer stops sending the feed. Local looping only controls media playback while OBS is running and the source is working; it does not make the computer or internet connection continue after a failure. If the operational concern is keeping a stream running without leaving a home PC on, compare that requirement separately. The guide to moving an always-on stream off a home PC explains the change in operating model; it is not a replacement for checking your media rights or reviewing the YouTube preview.
Check the rights before the devotional stream
Looping a video does not grant permission to broadcast it. Make sure you have the rights needed for the music, recording, video, artwork and any other material in the stream for the places where it will be viewed. A devotional song may be traditional while a particular performance or recording is still protected, and a visual montage can include material you did not create.
YouTube's livestream terms and conditions include the requirement to have the rights needed for music in a livestream. Its copyright guidance for live streams explains that streams are scanned for third-party content and may be interrupted or terminated. Even when you have licensed third-party music, check whether the rights owner needs to allowlist your channel; a licence alone may not prevent an interruption if the channel is not recognised as authorised by the rights owner.
Keep records of the licence or permission and verify that its scope covers live use on YouTube, the relevant territory and the specific recording or visuals. Check YouTube's current official guidance rather than assuming that a past upload, a devotional purpose or a successful test stream settles the question. Rights checks and playback checks are separate: one concerns permission to use the material, the other concerns how the file behaves in your scene.
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FAQ
Does OBS Loop make a devotional video play with no gap?
No. The Media Source Loop control tells OBS to replay the file after it completes, but OBS does not document it as a guarantee of a zero-frame or zero-audio-sample gap. Test the actual file and scene, especially its ending and opening.
How do I repeat several bhajans in OBS?
Add a VLC Video Source, build the playlist in the order you want and enable Loop Playlist. VLC must be installed, and its architecture should match OBS; for 64-bit OBS, use 64-bit VLC. Rehearse the transition between files and the return from the final item to the first.
Why does my video restart when I return to its scene?
Check the source's visibility settings. A Media Source can be configured to restart when it becomes active, while VLC offers stop-and-restart, pause-and-resume or continue-while-hidden behaviour. Choose and test the setting that matches how you switch scenes.
Can I loop music I found online if the stream is devotional?
The subject or purpose of a stream does not grant rights to its recordings, video or artwork. Confirm that your permission covers livestreaming on YouTube, and check whether the rights owner needs to allowlist your channel. YouTube's current terms and copyright guidance should be your reference.