For one lofi track, add an OBS Media Source, choose the audio file and enable Loop. For a playlist of tracks, use VLC Video instead; its Loop Playlist control repeats the list rather than a single file.
The setting that often interrupts music during a visual scene change is Restart playback when source becomes active. Leave it off when the intended behaviour is for the same source to keep moving through the track as scenes change, then test the full scene collection before broadcasting.
Choose between a single track and a playlist
Start with the way you want the audio to behave, not with a checkbox. A Media Source is the straightforward choice when one file should repeat. VLC Video is the choice when you want several files to play in sequence, or in a shuffled order, and then repeat as a playlist.
| Need | OBS source | Relevant control | What to account for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Repeat one local track | Media Source | Loop | The selected file starts again when playback completes. |
| Play several tracks in turn | VLC Video | Loop Playlist | VLC must be installed, and the source uses a playlist. |
| Randomise a multi-track run | VLC Video | Shuffle Playlist | The order is shuffled rather than kept as a fixed sequence. |
| Keep music moving across scene changes | Either, with its visibility behaviour considered | Media Source activation restart setting or VLC visibility behaviour | The result depends on how sources are shown in the scenes; test the exact arrangement. |
These controls solve different problems. Loop is not a general instruction to keep music alive through every scene transition. It repeats a Media Source file after that file finishes. The activation setting determines whether a Media Source begins again when it becomes active in the output. For a playlist, VLC Video has its own playlist controls and visibility behaviour.
If you are deciding how an always-on channel will be operated as well as how its audio is arranged, the practical considerations in this guide to continuous prerecorded streaming on YouTube in India may help frame that wider setup. The OBS controls described here still need to be configured and tested in the scene collection you will actually use.
Add a Media Source and select the audio file
In OBS, open the scene where the lofi audio should be available. In the Sources area, add a Media Source. Give it a name that makes its role clear, such as “Background track”, particularly if the scene also contains artwork, a visualiser or other audio sources.
In the source properties, select the local audio file. OBS documents audio formats including MP3, AAC, OGG and WAV, as well as video formats such as MP4, MOV, MKV and WebM. For an audio-only track, the file can be a supported audio format; there is no need to wrap it in a video simply to use Media Source. See the OBS Media Sources documentation for the source’s controls and supported formats.
Check that the file path points to the copy you intend to use. If you move or rename the file later, revisit the source properties and select it again. This is a small detail that matters on a long-running channel: a project can appear correctly arranged while a source still points to an old location or a different version of the track.
Once the source is added, confirm that it is not muted in the OBS audio mixer and that its level is visible during playback. Listen through the stream’s monitoring path or a local recording rather than assuming a moving meter alone means the audience hears the intended mix. If you are combining music with a spoken introduction, check their balance before starting the broadcast.
Enable Loop for a single track
For one file that should repeat, enable Loop in the Media Source properties. OBS describes this setting as replaying the file after playback completes. It does not mean “restart each time this source becomes active”; that is a separate control with a separate effect.
After enabling Loop, let the file reach its end during a local test. A short sample or a point near the end can help you confirm that playback returns to the beginning. Listen for a gap, abrupt change in level or an unwanted silence at the boundary. Looping repeats the file as it is encoded; it does not edit the audio to create a seamless musical transition. If a track has a long fade-out or a deliberate pause, that behaviour will happen on every cycle.
For a long lofi broadcast, use a file whose ending and beginning are suitable for repetition, or prepare an edit that makes the transition work for your material. Do not infer that an audio file is continuous merely because the checkbox is enabled. Check the actual hand-off between the end and start, preferably while monitoring the same output listeners will receive.
Keep the distinction in mind when troubleshooting. If the track plays once and then stops, check Loop. If it begins from the start when you change scenes, investigate the activation behaviour and source visibility, not the loop checkbox. For broader pre-broadcast checks, the live-streaming checklist covers the kind of end-to-end review that catches mistakes a properties window cannot.
Understand Restart playback when source becomes active
The option Restart playback when source becomes active controls what happens when that Media Source becomes active in the output. When enabled, OBS restarts the file when the source is in the current scene and visible. That can be useful when every appearance should begin at the track’s start, such as a short sound cue. It can be disruptive when the source represents continuous background music.
For the common lofi arrangement, where the same music should keep progressing as you switch visual scenes, leave the restart option off. This avoids requesting a fresh start merely because the source becomes active again. It does not promise that every scene arrangement will preserve playback in the way you expect: source visibility and how it is included in scenes matter, so verify the outcome in OBS rather than relying on the checkbox name alone.
If each scene has a separate copy of the Media Source, those are separate sources and can have separate playback states. A copy in one scene may not behave like one source shared across the scenes. Consider keeping the audio source available consistently in the intended scenes, or arranging your scene collection so that the same source’s visibility does not trigger an unwanted restart. The setting is not a substitute for planning how sources are organised.
Make a deliberate test: start playback, note where it is in the track, switch through the scenes you expect to use, and listen for whether it restarts, pauses or continues. Do this with the final scene collection and the final source arrangement. If you alter source visibility, scene nesting or duplicate sources after the test, repeat it. This is the setting behind the practical question of how to have background music continue while changing scenes, but your OBS layout determines the answer in your own project.
Use VLC Video for multiple tracks
When one file is not enough, add VLC Video and populate its playlist with the tracks you want. The source type supports playlist controls that a single Media Source does not provide. Enable Loop Playlist to return to the start of the playlist after it reaches its end. Enable Shuffle Playlist only if you want a randomised order rather than a predictable sequence.
A playlist gives you a convenient way to run several tracks without manually replacing the file in a Media Source. It also adds choices to check: the playlist order, whether the tracks play through as intended, and what happens when a source becomes visible or hidden. OBS documents a VLC visibility behaviour option for controlling playback when the source is not visible. Select the behaviour that fits your scenes, then test a scene switch while the playlist is in progress.
Keep the playlist itself organised. Use filenames that make the intended order easy to recognise, and check that each entry points to a file that is still available. If you want a fixed sequence, verify that shuffle is off; if variety matters more than order, check the shuffle behaviour during a test. Neither setting guarantees that each track has a seamless ending or a consistent loudness. Listen to several transitions and adjust the audio material if they are distracting.
VLC Video is not just a Media Source with more files. It is a different source type with a VLC dependency and playlist-specific controls. If VLC is absent or the OBS and VLC architectures do not match, you may not see the source type or be able to use it correctly. If a single track is all you need, Media Source avoids that added dependency.
Check VLC installation and matching OBS architecture
VLC Video appears in OBS only when VLC is installed. The OBS documentation specifies that a 64-bit OBS installation requires 64-bit VLC. Installing a different architecture can leave you looking for a source type that is not available, even though you have installed VLC. Check the architecture of your OBS installation and install the matching VLC build before troubleshooting the playlist controls.
After installing VLC, restart OBS and check the add-source menu again. If VLC Video is available, add it and confirm that the playlist opens and plays the intended files. If it is still missing, verify both the installation and the architecture match before rebuilding your scene. Avoid changing unrelated audio or encoder settings to solve a missing source type.
This dependency is one reason to choose based on need. A single track that repeats needs only Media Source and Loop; it does not require VLC. A multi-track rotation benefits from VLC Video’s playlist controls, but you need to account for installation and matching architecture as part of setup and maintenance.
Test the stream before relying on it overnight
A local OBS preview is useful, but it is not the whole broadcast path. Check that the audio is present in the YouTube Live Control Room preview, that the visual scene changes appear as expected, and that no unintended restart or silence occurs. YouTube recommends testing with audio and movement similar to the intended event, then monitoring stream health and messages during the broadcast. Its streaming tips are a useful reference for the test and monitoring process.
For an encoder preflight, YouTube recommends settings appropriate to the connection and encoder, and its guidance includes codec-specific bitrate ranges. As listed in YouTube Help in October 2026, the recommendation for 1080p at 30 fps using H.264 is a 5 Mbps video bitrate, with 128 Kbps stereo audio bitrate. These are platform recommendations, not a guarantee that a particular computer, connection or OBS configuration can sustain them. Consult YouTube’s current encoder settings guidance and test the settings you plan to use.
Use the actual scene changes, audio file or playlist, and stream output in the test. If you change from a static artwork scene to a visualiser and back, confirm that the music behaves as intended throughout. Then check the stream health notices and listen for the result. For cases where resolution is also in question, this guide to confirming YouTube receives the intended resolution addresses a separate part of the broadcast check.
Technical playback settings do not establish permission to broadcast music. YouTube’s livestream terms place responsibility on the content provider to have necessary rights for live content, including relevant music rights. Confirm that you have permission for each recording and composition you plan to use; a track being available as a local file or capable of looping does not answer that question.
If repeated manual restarts or an overnight computer setup are the wider pain, StreamNeo turns an uploaded video into a YouTube live stream that can run with your computer switched off and is monitored and restarted if it drops. That does not change the need to prepare the media, check music rights and test the resulting stream.
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 Loop restart the track when I change scenes?
No. Loop repeats the file after playback completes. Restart playback when source becomes active is a separate setting, so check that setting and the source’s visibility in your scene arrangement if a scene change starts the file over.
Should I enable Restart playback when source becomes active for continuous lofi music?
Usually not when you want the same track to keep moving through visual scene changes. Leave it off, then test the final scenes and source arrangement; do not assume the checkbox alone determines every visibility or scene behaviour.
Why can’t I find VLC Video in OBS?
VLC must be installed for the VLC Video source type to appear. OBS also requires 64-bit VLC when you use 64-bit OBS, so check the installation and architecture match, then restart OBS and look again.
Can I use VLC Video for one track?
You can, but it adds a VLC installation dependency when a Media Source is simpler for one file. Use VLC Video when you need its multi-track playlist, Loop Playlist or optional Shuffle Playlist controls.