Fix VLC Converter “No Audio” Error During Conversion
VLC is the go to app for playing any and all types of media files. It can play both audio and video files, and many obscure file formats are supported.
While VLC player is best known as an excellent media player, it does a great deal more than just play videos and music. It can stream a live feed from the internet, record the screen, and also convert files.
VLC player supports different formats for file conversion and during conversion, you can also reduce the framerate of a video, and the bitrate of the audio on the file. The UI is nothing to write home about and it is rather unintuitive but it works nevertheless.
VLC Converting Without Sound?
Video conversion with VLC is a complicated process with lots of options to enable. You should make sure you’ve checked all the boxes when you convert videos.
VLC Convert to [file_extension] NO Audio
If your converted video has no audio after conversion, it means something wasn’t checked or set up correctly. Here are a few fixes to try.
1. Check audio stream
VLC player treats the video and audio streams separately and it is possible that the audio stream wasn’t enabled during conversion. This will result in the video being converted without any audio.
- Open VLC player.
- Go to File>Convert/Save.
- Add the video you want to convert.
- Click the wrench icon next to the profile dropdown.
- Go to the Audio codec tab.
- Enable ‘Audio’.
- Complete video conversion and check the converted video for audio.
2. Change audio sample rate
Audio has a property called sample rate which determines its quality. If a file is processed with a lower or higher sample rate than it originally has, the audio may not play or convert correctly
- Open File Explorer.
- Navigate to the original video file that you’re trying to convert.
- Right-click the file and select Properties from the context menu.
- Go to the Details tab.
- Under the Audio section, check the current sample rate for the audio.
- Open VLC player and add the video you want to convert.
- On the Audio settings window, select a sample rate that is the same as the original file.
- Convert the file and the audio should play.
3. Change standard compliance
VLC users FFMPEG to convert files. It is the underlying codec for many of the files that it converts.
- Open VLC player.
- Go to Tools>Preferences.
- Enable the ‘All’ option to get the complete list of VLC preferences.
- Expand Input/Codecs.
- Expand Video codecs.
- Select FFMPEG.
- In the pane on the right, look for Strict standard compliance.
- Set its value to -2.
- Save the change.
- Convert the file.
Conclusion
VLC player is recommended for all sorts of media playback but it’s not the best app for video conversion. It uses FFMPEG but the UI is complicated and often the converted files have problems. It’s best to find an alternative if you can and use VLC only if there is no better option available.
