guides / obs-browser-source-audio
Find the missing phone audio.
A Fracktron Camera feed has an observable audio path: phone permission, phone mute state, WebRTC publication, the dedicated OBS URL, Browser Source audio control, and the OBS mixer. Check it in that order.
1. Prove the phone captured a microphone
- Select the intended microphone on the phone before starting the feed.
- Press Preview and watch the microphone meter. The details should report Audio: captured.
- After publishing, check that the phone control says Mute mic. If it says Unmute mic, the feed is currently muted.
The phone preview is intentionally muted. Hearing nothing from the preview itself does not prove microphone capture failed. Use the meter and capture status.
If microphone permission is denied or capture fails, Fracktron deliberately continues with video only. Messages such as Preview ready without microphone or Microphone unavailable identify that condition. Re-enable microphone permission in the browser or operating-system settings, then preview again.
2. Verify the receiving URL
OBS must use the URL labeled OBS Browser Source. The phone URL is a publisher credential and cannot act as the receiver. Return to the setup page and compare the copied URL if there is any doubt.
Inspect the OBS URL for an audio=0 option. That option explicitly mutes the receiving video element. Remove it or copy the normal OBS URL again.
The setup page has separate status indicators for the phone and OBS. If the phone is present but OBS is absent, the problem is on the receiving side rather than with camera permission.
3. Expose the audio to the OBS mixer
- Open the Browser Source properties in OBS.
- Enable Control audio via OBS.
- Confirm the Browser Source appears in the Audio Mixer.
- Check that the source is not muted and its fader is not at the bottom.
- Use OBS Advanced Audio Properties if you need local monitoring as well as stream output.
Control audio via OBS makes the remote microphone available to the normal OBS audio pipeline. It does not automatically guarantee audible desktop monitoring or choose your stream track configuration.
Fast diagnosis by symptom
The phone meter does not move
Resolve phone microphone permission or device selection first. OBS cannot recover a track the phone never captured.
The phone meter moves, but no OBS mixer source appears
Confirm you used the OBS URL and enabled Control audio via OBS in that Browser Source.
The mixer moves, but you hear nothing locally
This is usually monitoring configuration, not transport failure. Set the desired monitoring mode and verify the desktop monitoring device in OBS settings.
Audio worked and then stopped
Check whether the phone control is muted, whether the phone browser suspended capture, and whether both connection indicators remain active. Reloading the OBS Browser Source triggers its reconnect path.