OBS Audio Meter Moves, but the Recording Has No Sound
Use one short test recording to separate a missing audio track from a playback app that is hiding the sound.
First play the file in a video editor or player that lets you choose audio tracks. If the sound is on another track, OBS recorded it; route every sound you want in ordinary playback to track 1. If every track is silent, check the source, mute state, and Recording track selection.
Start with a ten-second proof recording
Make a fresh recording while you speak and play a recognizable sound. Watch which OBS mixer meter moves. Stop the recording, keep the file, and test it before changing several settings at once. The moving meter proves OBS receives a signal; it does not prove that signal was written to the track your player is playing.
- Open the file in an editor or player that can select each audio track.
- Listen to track 1, then each additional track.
- If you hear sound on another track, keep that file and change the routing for future recordings rather than reinstalling OBS.
If the sound exists on another track
Open Edit → Advanced Audio Properties. Put the audio sources that should be audible in a simple player on track 1. Then open Settings → Output. In Advanced output mode, check that Recording includes track 1 and any separate tracks you need for editing. OBS explains that standard players generally play one track at a time; multiple tracks are most useful when an editor will handle them.
Do not rely only on the Windows preview player to decide that a multitrack recording is silent. Confirm the actual tracks first.
If all tracks are silent
Check that the source is not muted in the mixer and that its moving meter belongs to the scene being recorded. If the meter does not move in a new test, choose the intended desktop or microphone device under Settings → Audio. If it does move, inspect Advanced Audio Properties again and compare the checked boxes with the tracks enabled for Recording.
Make another ten-second recording. Change one routing choice at a time so you know which change fixed the missing audio.
What your test means
- Sound on track 2 but not track 1: the recording is not empty; its main playback track is missing that source.
- No sound on any track while the meter moves: the source may be muted or assigned only to a track that Recording is not writing.
- No meter movement: start with device and source selection before track routing.