VLC "Mutes" Audio When Skipping To Next Track

[UnusualMuse]

I am running on MacOS 14.1.2, VLC version 3.0.20.

VLC has a strange and frustrating behavior. Let's say I cue up 5 tracks. Track 1 will play normally, but when it is over and track 2 starts, it "plays" but there is no actual sound. When it plays all the way through track 2 and gets to track 3, track 3 will play normally. Then track 4 will play all the way through without sound, and track 5 is back to normal. A similar thing happens if I skip forward from a currently playing track; the track I skip to will play all the way through with but no sound. If I hit stop during a "muted" track and then hit play again, that track will play with normal audio. Any ideas?