To stream a YouTube Live loop with separate audio and video files, add each file as its own Media Source in one OBS scene and enable Loop on both. OBS combines those sources into one encoded programme; YouTube receives that programme, not two independently selectable files.
This setup suits a single video paired with a separate music, narration or ambience file. If you have a sequence of clips rather than one video file, use OBS’s VLC Video source and loop a playlist instead. In either case, rehearse the transitions and audio before relying on the stream overnight.
Prepare the files and the channel
Start by deciding what the viewer should see and hear throughout the loop. Check that the video file plays from beginning to end, and that the audio file contains the intended complete bed, track or narration. Listen for silence, abrupt endings, unwanted gaps and levels that change sharply. A file that plays correctly on your computer is not automatically a good continuous programme: its ending and restart are part of what viewers will experience.
OBS Media Sources support common local video formats such as MP4, TS, MOV, MKV, AVI, GIF and WebM, and audio formats such as MP3, AAC, OGG and WAV. The OBS Media Sources guide lists supported formats and explains the source controls. If a file does not load, first check its format and whether it plays in an ordinary media player; converting it to a widely supported format may be simpler than troubleshooting an unusual file.
Keep the files in a stable, easy-to-find folder and avoid moving or renaming them after you add them to OBS. OBS refers to the file path you selected, so moving the file can leave the source unable to find it. Before a long broadcast, restart OBS once and confirm that both sources still load. This catches broken paths before the stream is live.
Also check that you have the rights to use both the video and audio in a public livestream and any resulting archive. Owning a file or being able to play it locally does not establish that you have permission to broadcast it. YouTube’s stream settings guidance is a useful place to review current platform requirements; it cannot determine the rights status of your particular files.
If this is your first YouTube livestream, prepare the channel and event before working through the OBS scene. YouTube says live streaming must be enabled for the channel, and first-time activation may take up to 24 hours. Create or schedule the event in YouTube Studio’s Live Control Room, and choose public, unlisted or private visibility to match whether you are testing or broadcasting. Check the current YouTube live-streaming requirements rather than assuming an older channel setting is still sufficient.
Add both files as Media Sources
Open OBS and create a scene for this programme. A scene is a layout of sources, and it is the scene OBS encodes for the outgoing stream. You can name it plainly, such as “Video with music”, so you can identify it easily if you later add a test or alternate scene.
In the Sources panel, select the add control and choose Media Source. Give the video source a recognisable name, select Create new, and browse to the video file. For a local file, leave the option to use a local file enabled. Confirm the selection and check that the video appears in the preview. Resize or reposition it to fit the canvas if necessary; use the preview rather than guessing whether the frame is cropped.
Add the audio file as a second Media Source in the same scene, following the same process but selecting the audio-only file. If OBS shows a black box for an audio-only source, that is expected: it contributes sound, not a picture. Check the Audio Mixer for the new source and play it to confirm that its meter moves. A source can be present in the scene yet muted, so inspect the mixer controls as well as the Sources list.
Keep the two sources distinct while configuring them. This lets you replace the video without rebuilding the audio setup, or adjust the audio level without changing the picture. The distinction is for your control inside OBS. It does not mean YouTube can offer viewers separate files or a choice between the two sources; YouTube receives the combined encoded scene.
If you already have a working OBS scene for a similar channel, you can add the sources there, but a dedicated scene makes rehearsal safer. It also makes it easier to compare the intended output with other scenes used for a camera, a holding screen or a different programme. The guide to looping Punjabi music videos in OBS covers a related single-source use case; here, the extra step is combining a separate audio source with the video in the same scene.
Enable Loop on both sources
Open the video source’s properties and turn on Loop. This tells OBS to begin the video again when playback reaches the end. Apply the same setting separately to the audio Media Source. Each source has its own playback and loop behaviour, so enabling it for the video does not enable it for the audio.
Test each source by playing it through to its end, or by using short test files while you build the scene. Confirm that the picture starts again and that the audio resumes. If you leave Loop off on either source, that file can finish while the other continues. Depending on the source settings and what else is in the scene, the result may be a frozen or absent picture, silence, or a mismatch between what you see and hear.
Separate loops do not automatically remain in sync at every boundary. If the video and audio files have different durations, each will restart when its own playback completes. For example, a shorter music bed can begin again while the longer video is partway through a scene. That may be acceptable for ambience, but it can be distracting if lyrics, narration or a visual cue must match a particular moment.
Where timing matters, align the file durations and starting points before streaming, then test the end-to-start transition in OBS. If reliable alignment is not practical, make a single synchronised master file with the intended sound and picture already together. That trades the convenience of independent adjustment for predictable playback. OBS’s source guide explains how sources are arranged in a scene; the behaviour at separate loop boundaries is something to verify with your own files, not a synchronisation guarantee from YouTube.
Balance the picture and sound
Set the canvas and video placement to match the programme you intend to publish. Check the entire frame for unintended black bars, cropped text or blank space. If the video is portrait but your stream canvas is landscape, decide whether the side space should remain plain or be filled with a deliberate background. Avoid stretching an image just to fill the canvas if that distorts faces, artwork or text.
Then set the audio level in OBS’s mixer. Keep the audio source unmuted, make sure its meter responds during playback and listen through headphones or speakers. A moving meter confirms that OBS is receiving audio, but it does not prove that the level is comfortable or that the sound is free of clipping, distortion or unwanted noise. Listen at both the start and near the loop boundary.
If the video file already contains sound, decide whether that sound should be part of the programme. The video source may contribute its own audio in addition to the separate audio source. Mute or adjust the video source in the mixer if that is not intended; otherwise, two music tracks or two versions of the same sound may play together. Verify the result by listening to the actual scene output, not just by checking that each source works alone.
A useful rehearsal is to leave the scene playing long enough to hear at least one full transition, then watch the preview while listening. Check that speech or music is not cut off, that the video has restarted as expected, and that the combined sound remains intelligible. For a devotional channel, for instance, a title card or chant should not unexpectedly land over the beginning of a different verse because the two loops have different lengths.
If you are still deciding whether a local computer is a sensible way to run an always-on channel, consider the practical trade-offs in whether a prerecorded YouTube channel can run from a home computer. A local OBS workflow gives you direct control of each source, but it also depends on the computer, power, internet connection and someone noticing problems.
Use VLC Video for a playlist
A single video and a single audio file are a straightforward fit for two Media Sources. If you instead want OBS to cycle through multiple video files, consider the VLC Video source. It can take a playlist and has a Loop Playlist control, which is more suitable for a rotating selection than adding every clip as an individual source and trying to manage their order by hand.
VLC must be installed for the VLC Video source to appear in OBS. After installing it, add the source, select the files or playlist, and check the playlist order and loop behaviour in the source properties. Test a transition between clips: differing aspect ratios, blank frames at file boundaries or inconsistent loudness can be more noticeable during a continuous stream than during a quick desktop test.
VLC Video is the playlist alternative, not a way to give YouTube separate selectable tracks. OBS still combines what is in the scene into its outgoing programme. If you need separate audio to accompany a playlist, build and test the scene so the playlist video and intended audio are both present, and confirm what happens when the playlist changes clips or returns to its beginning.
For a more detailed playlist workflow, see how to add multiple videos to an OBS 24/7 stream playlist. If your requirement is to switch files according to a schedule rather than play a repeating list, that is a different workflow and should be tested separately before replacing a live channel’s current scene.
Connect OBS to YouTube Live
Once the scene behaves as intended, connect OBS to the YouTube event. In YouTube Studio’s Live Control Room, create or open the event and locate its stream URL and stream key. Enter the connection details in OBS’s stream settings, or use the supported account connection flow if that is how your OBS version is configured. YouTube’s encoder setup guide describes the encoder workflow.
Treat the stream key as a credential. YouTube describes stream keys as being like the stream’s password and address. Do not put it in a public screenshot, share it in a group chat or include it in a tutorial recording. If it is exposed, use YouTube Studio to reset it and update OBS with the replacement. The current stream settings page explains where to manage it.
Choose an OBS output configuration that follows YouTube’s current encoder guidance for your resolution and connection. YouTube recommends RTMPS for an encrypted connection and publishes settings for video, audio, frame rate and bitrate. Use a suitable YouTube preset in OBS where available, and check the official encoder settings rather than relying on a configuration copied from an unrelated setup.
Your upload connection needs room for the outgoing stream. YouTube recommends 20% upload-bandwidth headroom above the stream bitrate in its streaming tips. That is guidance, not a promise that a variable or congested connection will stay healthy. Test the connection at the time and place you plan to broadcast, especially if other people share the home or business internet connection.
OBS software encoding is a documented way to send a local-file programme; this basic workflow does not inherently require a separate hardware encoder. Hardware may suit a higher-production setup or a dedicated operating environment, but the relevant comparison is whether it can play your files, mix the programme, meet YouTube’s ingest settings and be monitored when something goes wrong. For a channel where the recurring problem is leaving a computer on and responding to local interruptions, StreamNeo removes that specific burden by turning an uploaded file into a YouTube-only broadcast that runs without your computer switched on; it does not change the need to prepare the content and check the channel’s own requirements.
Preview the combined programme
Before going live, start the encoder and check the Live Control Room preview. Confirm that the preview shows the intended scene and that the audio is audible. Watch for unexpected borders, a blank frame, duplicate sound or a source that appears in OBS but not in the outgoing preview. OBS’s Quick Start Guide also recommends testing output and audio before relying on a setup.
Run a rehearsal that includes the loop boundary. Check the start of each file, the ending, the restart and the transition between sources. If the video and audio lengths differ, listen and watch long enough to see whether their independent loops create a noticeable change in timing. A short preview at the start cannot reveal a problem that only appears when a longer file reaches its end.
Keep an eye on YouTube’s stream health indicators as the encoder sends the programme. YouTube advises configuring a stream well ahead of its scheduled start and starting the encoder before the event; its live streaming tips give current preparation guidance. For an unattended or overnight broadcast, plan how someone will notice a drop, a loss of sound or an OBS warning. A loop setting repeats media; it does not itself monitor the internet connection or guarantee that the encoder stays connected.
If you need a local recording for review, test that separately and make sure the recording contains the scene you expect. OBS’s multiple audio track controls are primarily useful in recording and editing workflows; they are not a way to make YouTube’s ordinary live viewer choose between your separate audio and video files. Likewise, do not assume a continuous broadcast will create one complete archive indefinitely. YouTube’s encoder guidance says streams under 12 hours are automatically archived; check its current documentation and plan a stop and restart if your archive workflow depends on the recording.
When the file and channel are ready, how to keep a 24/7 YouTube lofi stream running after Windows updates is relevant if you are operating OBS on a Windows computer and want to think through update interruptions. Whatever the content, make a practical monitoring plan before leaving the stream unattended.
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
Can viewers switch between the separate audio and video files?
No. The files are separate sources inside OBS, but OBS encodes the scene as one outgoing programme for YouTube Live. Viewers receive the combined picture and sound, not two independent files to select.
Do I need VLC for one video and one audio file?
No. Add each as a Media Source and enable Loop on each. VLC Video is the alternative when you want a playlist of video files; VLC must be installed for that source to appear in OBS.
Why do the audio and video drift at the loop boundary?
Each source repeats when its own file finishes, so files with different durations restart at different moments. Align their durations and starts if timing matters, or make a single synchronised master file and test the transition before broadcasting.
Will YouTube archive an endless loop as one complete video?
Do not assume that it will. YouTube’s encoder setup guidance says streams under 12 hours are automatically archived, so check the current official guidance and plan the broadcast and archive around your intended stopping point.