Inconsistent Media Source Audio — Plays in Some Scenes, Cuts Out in Others (Even in Recording)

[Podcaster_Mike]

OBS Version 32.0.1
Windows 11 (current version as of this date)

The Problem​

I'm having a persistent issue with MP3 files used as Media Sources in OBS. They play back inconsistently — sometimes I can hear them and they’re captured in recordings, but other times:

• The MP3 cuts out mid-playback, or
• It plays in preview only, but is missing from the recording, or
• It never plays at all after switching scenes

This happens even when no other sources are involved.

Example Behavior​

• Scene A: contains a Media Source with an MP3 file
  ▶️ Audio plays normally
• Switch to Scene B: another Media Source with a different MP3
  ❌ Audio is silent (no monitoring, and not captured in recording)
• Switch back to Scene A:
  ❓ Sometimes audio returns, sometimes not
  
  
  

  What I’ve Already Tried​

  • ✅ “Restart playback when source becomes active” — enabled
  • ✅ “Close file when inactive” — enabled
  • ✅ “Monitor and Output” set in Advanced Audio Properties
  • ✅ OBS and system sample rate both set to 48kHz
  • ✅ Tried with both short and long MP3 files
  • ❌ No audio input or output devices in use — just pure MP3 media sources
  • ❌ Not using the same source across scenes — each scene has its own media source
  • Issue reproduces with clean scenes and clean installs
  • MP4 videos (with or without audio) work perfectly

OBS Log Messages​

When the issue occurs, OBS logs show:

warning: Could not update timestamps for skipped samples.

Even though the MP3 files are local and not corrupted. in fact this has happened with just the mp4s in my scene (which are soundless, btw, and i even re-endoded them to a consistent 30 FPS framerate in handbrake, so the timestamp issues are not mp3 related. I have even removed the mp4s to just load the mp3, and the issues are the same)

What I’m Trying to Figure Out​

• Why does MP3 playback cut out or stop completely between scenes, even with clean, separate sources?
• Why is audio sometimes missing from recordings, even when it plays in the preview? I tried recording locally, and some scenes that i could not hear while live, could be heard in recording, BUT others that started for a second and stopped, (still showing as active in the mixer but silent on my desktop) would not be heard in the recording. now the problems are differing, but they are consistent in each scene.
• Is this a known limitation with MP3s as media sources in OBS?
• Would converting to a different format (e.g. WAV or MP4 with static image) be more stable?

Any insight or workaround is appreciated!

I’m happy to share logs, screenshots, or test cases if needed.
Thanks in advance!