In OBS, open Edit > Advanced Audio Properties and choose an Audio Monitoring mode for each audio source. Use Monitor Off for audio that should reach the stream without playing locally, Monitor Only for local listening without stream output, and Monitor and Output when you need both.
Then select the intended monitoring device and test the routing on the actual computer, headphones or speakers, and OBS version you will use. These controls decide where a source is routed; they do not change stream loudness or guarantee identical playback across operating systems or devices.
Open Advanced Audio Properties
Start by identifying which OBS mixer source carries each sound in your children’s video stream. Depending on how the scene is built, the audio may come from the video capture itself, a separate media source, a captured desktop or application, or an audio input device. The source name in the mixer is the one whose monitoring mode you will change.
In OBS, open Edit > Advanced Audio Properties. Find the Audio Monitoring column for the source you want to configure. The mixer guide points to this panel for per-source monitoring choices and describes the mixer’s monitor control as playing a source through the monitoring device configured in OBS. The controls are therefore about routing a source for local listening, not a master volume setting.
Before changing anything, check that the mixer source behaves as expected when your video is playing. Its meter should move when that source has audio. A moving meter confirms that OBS sees signal activity, but it does not confirm that the stream audience will hear it, that local monitoring is routed to the right device, or that playback sounds right. You need to check those separately.
For a loop made from prerecorded video, the audio may be part of the video source rather than a separate music track. If you are still deciding how to build the broader playback workflow, the guide to streaming prerecorded videos to YouTube Live from a computer provides context for that setup. Keep the current task narrower: determine which source should be heard locally, included in the stream, or both.
Choose Monitor Off for stream-only audio
Set a source to Monitor Off when viewers should hear it through the stream but you do not need it playing from your local monitoring device. This is often the simplest choice for a 24/7 children’s video channel once you have checked the audio and do not need to listen continuously at the operator’s desk.
For example, if a story video includes narration and music on one source, and the stream is meant to carry both, Monitor Off keeps local monitoring disabled for that source while leaving its stream output available. Do not interpret “Off” as muting the stream. It means monitoring is off; it is not the same as disabling the source or muting its output.
This mode can reduce unnecessary sound at the operator’s headphones or speakers, especially if a channel plays for long periods. It does not make the stream quieter, alter the source’s levels, or establish that viewers hear the intended result. Keep the source enabled and routed to the stream as intended, then verify the stream-side output with a recording or a suitable private test before you leave the channel unattended.
A children’s channel may contain spoken introductions, songs, effects, or stretches of quiet. Consider each source’s purpose rather than choosing a single mode for the entire mixer. If narration and a bed of music are separate sources, each can have a different monitoring choice. The right mode depends on what you need to hear locally and what should reach the stream.
Choose Monitor Only for local-only listening
Choose Monitor Only when you need to hear a source locally but do not want that source included in stream output. This can help during setup or troubleshooting when you need to inspect a feed without sending it to viewers. It is not the right choice for a programme sound that children are meant to hear on YouTube.
For instance, an operator might use a separate microphone or input as a temporary check while adjusting a scene. If the source is meant only for the operator, Monitor Only provides local monitoring without stream output. Confirm this behaviour rather than assuming the label has the same practical effect on every version and device combination.
There is an important distinction between a source that is local-only by design and one that is supposed to be part of the show. If you accidentally set the main video’s soundtrack to Monitor Only, your headphones may sound correct while the stream recording has no soundtrack from that source. That is why a local listen is not a substitute for checking the stream output.
If your channel uses OBS for a continuous ambience or devotional loop, the source can be configured differently from an operator-only check. The 24/7 rain sounds guide for OBS discusses a related continuous playback scenario. The same basic question applies: should the audience hear this source, should the operator hear it, or should both?
Choose Monitor and Output for both
Choose Monitor and Output when a source needs to be heard on the local monitoring device and included in the stream output. This is useful while you are actively checking a programme source, or when an operator has a specific reason to listen as the stream runs.
Imagine that a parent or operator is checking a newly assembled episode with dialogue, music and sound effects. If the programme audio should be heard on YouTube and through connected headphones, this mode requests both paths for that source. It does not promise that the local device and the eventual viewer’s device will sound identical; those are different playback chains.
For an always-on channel, there is a practical cost to monitoring every programme source locally: the sound continues for as long as it plays. That can be tiring and may be unnecessary once you have checked the programme. If you only need a local check before leaving the stream running, use the mode during that check, then decide whether the source should return to Monitor Off for normal operation.
Use this mode deliberately if you are troubleshooting. It can make it easier to compare what reaches the local monitoring device with what you expect to send, but you still need a test recording to assess the stream-side result. Monitor mode is not a loudness control. If the programme is too loud or too quiet, address the source and mix levels separately, then listen back to the recording.
Select the intended monitoring device
The monitoring mode only helps if OBS sends local audio to the device you intend to use. In OBS audio settings, choose the monitoring device, connect your headphones or speakers, and play the source. OBS’s Audio Mixer Guide recommends listening at the device and again when the audio reaches OBS through monitoring.
Headphones can make a setup check easier because they let you listen without adding room sound to a microphone or confusing it with nearby speakers. They are not required, and OBS does not establish compatibility for a particular model. The key is to test the actual device you plan to use. A device selection that worked before a system update or cable change should not be assumed to remain correct.
If you cannot hear the source, check a few points in order: does the source meter move, is its monitoring mode set to one of the local-listening choices, is the intended device selected in OBS, and is that device connected and available to the operating system? Also check its physical volume and mute control. These checks help distinguish absent source audio from an incorrect local route.
Do not treat the sound in your headphones as a complete test of the stream. It answers whether the local monitoring path works. It does not prove the stream output contains that source or that a viewer’s device reproduces it as you hear it. Menu wording and device behaviour may differ across OBS versions and operating systems, so use the labels available in your installation and verify the result directly.
Limit local monitoring to sources an operator needs
For a stream intended to run continuously, enable local monitoring only for sources an operator needs to hear. This is a workflow choice, not a special 24/7 preset. If the main programme audio has already passed a representative check, you may not need it playing from speakers or headphones all night. Keep monitoring available for deliberate checks, and avoid leaving unnecessary sources audible simply because the option is present.
A useful starting table is below. It describes the intended routing, not a promise about loudness or playback on every device.
| Source’s purpose | Local monitoring | Included in stream output | Typical choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main programme audio for viewers, with no need to hear it locally | No | Yes | Monitor Off |
| Temporary operator check that viewers should not hear | Yes | No | Monitor Only |
| Programme audio the operator needs to hear as well as viewers | Yes | Yes | Monitor and Output |
Apply the choice per source. A channel might have programme audio set to Monitor Off during unattended playback, while a separate check source is set to Monitor Only when an operator is testing. If you need to listen to the actual programme while checking it, Monitor and Output is the relevant choice for that source. Revisit the settings if the scene or source arrangement changes.
Also check for duplicate capture. OBS warns that capturing the same device globally in Settings > Audio and adding it again as a scene-specific Audio Input/Output Capture source can cause echo. If you use the scene-specific capture, OBS says to disable the global device. The OBS Audio Sources guidance explains this capture arrangement. A hollow or doubled sound is a reason to inspect the signal path, not to compensate by changing monitoring modes at random.
As a practical precaution, ensure that the monitoring output is not being fed back into another OBS audio input. The result can be a duplicate or looped signal. If echo appears, test one source path at a time, confirm whether the same device is captured twice, and make a short recording after correcting the route.
Confirm the result with a test recording
Before leaving a children’s stream to run unattended, record a representative portion using the scene and routing you intend to use. Include the kinds of sound that occur in normal playback: for example, dialogue, music, effects and a quiet transition if they are part of the programme. Then play the recording back on a real device. OBS recommends making a test recording and listening to it before going live; meter activity alone is not an audible check.
Test local monitoring separately. Play the source and confirm that the selected headphones or speakers reproduce it when the chosen mode calls for local listening. Then check the recording to confirm that the stream-side output includes the intended audio and excludes any operator-only source. This two-part check separates local routing from the output captured in the recording.
Listen for missing content, unexpected silence, doubled audio, distortion, or abrupt changes that you did not intend. If a problem appears, return to Advanced Audio Properties and check the mode for the affected source. Then inspect the source path, the global and scene-specific capture selections, and the monitoring device. Change one thing at a time and make another short recording so you know which correction mattered.
OBS’s Audio Mixer Technical Details explains dBFS and warns that recorded or streamed audio above 0 dBFS can clip. It also identifies -20 dBFS as an Alignment Level and -9 dBFS as a Permitted Maximum Level in its meter explanation; these are technical meter references, not universal programme loudness targets for children’s content. Treat a red meter or audible distortion as a reason to inspect levels, but do not use monitoring modes to try to fix loudness.
The test should use the computer and connected devices that will actually run the channel. A successful test on another laptop, another operating system, or a different OBS version does not confirm the final routing. Device behaviour and menu wording can vary, so check your own installation and repeat the recording check after a meaningful change to scenes, audio devices or routing.
A successful test recording says something about the audio in that sample; it does not guarantee future playback, stream uptime, or identical sound for every viewer. OBS’s Audio/Video Formats Guide covers recording formats, but audio monitoring settings are not an uptime configuration. Keep any reliability checks for your continuous broadcast separate from this audio-routing check.
If your remaining difficulty is not local monitoring but keeping a long-running broadcast active, the guide to finding the cause of a YouTube stream that stops overnight covers a different problem. For a channel whose uploaded programme should run while your computer is switched off, StreamNeo removes the specific need to leave OBS playing locally on the operator’s computer; it does not replace checking the programme audio and channel routing before broadcast.
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
How do I hear OBS audio without sending it to the stream?
Set that source to Monitor Only in Edit > Advanced Audio Properties, then select and test the monitoring device in OBS audio settings. Make a recording as well if you need to confirm that the source is absent from stream output.
Does Monitor Off mute the stream?
No. Monitor Off disables local monitoring for that source; it does not, by itself, mean the source is excluded from stream output. Confirm the result with a test recording rather than relying on the mode name alone.
Why do I hear an echo or doubled audio?
Check whether the same device is captured globally and again as a scene-specific source; OBS warns that this can cause echo. Also inspect whether the monitoring output is being picked up by another OBS input, then test the corrected routing with a recording.
Do monitoring settings change the volume viewers hear?
No. Monitoring modes determine whether a source is heard locally, sent to stream output, or both. Adjust source and mix levels separately, and check a recording for clipping or other audible problems.