Can't Hear Alerts or TTS on OBS and TikTok LIVE Studio - Step by Step Diagnostics

Determine where the sound is produced

The alert graphics may come from an overlay, and the sound from a separate panel or program. In other configurations, both elements are recreated by the browser source. Name the actual playback location first, rather than adding all possible sources.

Close or silence unnecessary copies of the test. Leave one player and prepare a short, moderately loud signal. This will let you see which meter is responding and whether the problem is with the entire audio or just one tool.

A dictionary without difficult abbreviations

Step by step · 1–4

1. Action

   Leave one TTS test or alert and stop the music for a while.

   ✓ After this step you will see

   You are not confusing several playing sources.

2. Action

   Check the listening in the playback program itself.

   ✓ After this step you will see

   You know if sound is produced at all.

3. Action

   Check the card mute and application mixer in the system.

   ✓ After this step you will see

   The program is not muted separately.

4. Action

   Check the output: headphones, speakers or HDMI.

   ✓ After this step you will see

   You listen to the device that receives the signal.

Enlarge the screenshot ↗

Step by step · 5–8

5. Action

   Observe the OBS mixer during a single trial.

   ✓ After this step you will see

   A specific strip responds, not a random source.

6. Action

   If the bar is standing, fix the app or device you are capturing.

   ✓ After this step you will see

   OBS receives local program sound.

7. Action

   Check the mute on this source.

   ✓ After this step you will see

   The meter is not just a visual confirmation of the signal.

8. Action

   Check advanced properties and transmission path.

   ✓ After this step you will see

   The source goes to the output, not just to listening.

Enlarge the screenshot ↗

Step by step · 9–12

9. Action

   Record 20 seconds and play the file.

   ✓ After this step you will see

   You confirm the complete audio track.

10. Action

    On the echo, mute the public player of your own LIVE.

    ✓ After this step you will see

    Stream doesn't fall back to desktop capture.

11. Action

    Verify that the application is not captured separately and by the desktop at the same time.

    ✓ After this step you will see

    You recognize two ways of the same sound.

12. Action

    Check the second tab, phone and chat overlay.

    ✓ After this step you will see

    Only the intended playback destination TTS works.

Enlarge the screenshot ↗

Step by step · 13–14

13. Action

    In LIVE Studio, check the corresponding audio source independently of Link.

    ✓ After this step you will see

    The visible overlay image does not replace the audio track.

14. Action

    Restore music and record conversation with microphone.

    ✓ After this step you will see

    Speech, TTS and effects remain understandable.

An example you can reproduce

The voice is heard in the headphones, but the OBS meter is standing: you are checking the capture of a program or device. The meter responds but the recording is silent: you check mutes and tracks. The TTS voice changer is not the first fix for either of these cases.

Check the application and system device

1. Confirm that the sound has indeed been assigned to the alert and saved. A visible listen button alone does not prove that the rule uses this file.
2. Check the app volume and selected headphones or speakers. When you connect a new device, the system may have changed the default output.
3. If your browser panel blocks autoplay, use its test or sound button.
4. Check a regular file or a test voice in the same program. If you don't hear it either, start with your device and app settings.

OBS: from meter to transmission path

Check the mixer when running the test. If no correct meter responds, the OBS is probably not picking up the sound. If the meter responds, check the mute, level, and assignment to the track used by the broadcast.

For browser sources, review the OBS audio control options. For audio from a separate program, select app capture or the appropriate system device. OBS versions may present monitor and output differently; focus on the purpose of the setting, not just the position of the button.

LIVE Studio: check the selected source, not the image itself

Adding a Link source may provide an overlay image, but the audio may still come from a program running alongside it. Don't show an entire private panel on stage just to get audio. Select the capture method available in your version of the program.

1. Run the test in an application or source that supports the alert.
2. In LIVE Studio, check the mixer and available audio capture settings.
3. Make sure you are pointing to the correct program or device and not a similarly named inactive window.
4. Record a short fragment or perform a controlled listening of your own broadcast on a second device.

Echoing and reading twice

Two copies can be created before the mixer: two cards with a reader, a panel and a separate reading overlay or a second device. They can also arise in the capture itself, e.g. when the same program goes to a separate source and to the desktop audio.

Disable individual tracks and repeat the same test. If, after muting one source, the correct single voice remains, you have a specific clue. Listening to a public broadcast in a browser can additionally revert to the microphone or system audio.

The music stops when you speak and returns after a pause

If you are using auto mute, select the correct microphone and check the response to normal speech. Setting the threshold too sensitive may treat the fan or keyboard as continuous speech.

In Thunderstream, check the microphone detection in the music queue part. In the OBS, a similar goal can be achieved with a compressor filter with an appropriate control source. Use one consciously selected method and check the volume returns after you stop speaking.

What do you see on the screen and how to fix it

Fix one thing at a time and try the same thing again. If you change several options at the same time, it will be difficult to determine what solved the problem. Don't delete a working source or entire configuration just because one widget isn't responding.

If you still need help, write down the program name and version, platform, approximate time of trial, expected result, and what actually happened. Attach a dump without passwords, keys and full private links. This description is much more useful than just the "not working" message.

Last attempt before use on LIVE

1. Save the changes using the button assigned to the edited function. If there are separate forms, check each changed part separately.
2. Open the settings again and compare the most important values. Simply moving the slider does not always mean a permanent save.
3. Check the result outside the editor itself: on the target scene, in the recording, or in the reopened configuration.
4. If the function uses the platform, separately acknowledge the new handled event during the active LIVE. Don't expect the appearance test to confirm account authorization.
5. Save the working values ​​and make a copy before the next major change. Next time you start up, start with a quick check.

Frequently asked questions