Here we will go over a few tools you can use to help use and manage your live stream in OBS a little easier!
Using ProPresenter with OBS
Using ProPresenter with OBS
There are some known issues streaming from ProPresenter directly to Subsplash that can cause a poor experience for both streamers and stream-viewers, and at this time Subsplash does not recommend using it with Subsplash Live.
If you don’t want to risk these performance issues, which are often experienced when streaming directly from ProPresenter to Subsplash Live, an alternative approach is to combine ProPresenter with OBS, allowing ProPresenter to handle all your graphics and OBS to handle the actual encoding of the stream. If you are not familiar with OBS, you can read more about why we recommend it here. This allows ProPresenter to shine doing graphics, and OBS to shine with its encoding and control over a stream.
Connecting ProPresenter to OBS will rely on a third-party technology from NewTek known as NDI. NDI essentially allows the creation of virtual cables connecting one point to another. With an NDI connection, you can connect a ProPresenter output from one computer to OBS on either the same or a different computer. Running both ProPresenter and OBS on the same computer does put more strain on that computer, but most newer machines are still able to handle running both well so it’s worth a try before attempting to set up a second computer.
To set this up, you'll need an installed copy of both OBS and Propresenter, along with NDI Runtime/NDI Tools and DistroAV for OBS.
To start, navigate Screens-->Configure Screens in the toolbar of ProPresenter:
Within the next screen, select the + button next to Audience.
Select New NDI Source:
We recommend naming your source something memorable to make later changes easier! I named mine "NDI for OBS". Here you can also select the output channel you would like to use.
Next, navigate to OBS, and create a new source with the + button in the Sources section:
Select NDI Source in the source picker that pops up:
Name your NDI source something memorable; I normally name mine "ProPresenter" to make later edits easier:
Select the output channel you specified earlier in ProPresenter to tell OBS where to receive the feed from:
Once that is selected, you are good to go! Depending on how you have your layouts set up in ProPresenter, they will display differently. Here is how I have mine set up:
Using a OBS' Audio Processing/Plugins
Using a OBS' Audio Processing/Plugins
OBS has some built in audio capabilities, beyond just controlling the volume! You have the ability to use plugins (both ones built-in to OBS and ones you have downloaded, as long as they are VST 2 plugins) to add effects to your audio.
To use these, make sure your audio source is selected and navigate to the Filters option in OBS, here:
This will open up this menu, where you can see any already existing filters and add new ones as well:
The Active Filters section will show you a list of filters already being used; by default, there will not be any filters added:
You can use the plus button in the bottom left of the Filters screen to add new filters:
The first few options are built in plugins like equalizers and compressors. These can help you attain a more crisp and produced sound in your stream.
At this time, when adding an audio interface or soundboard, only the first two channels of that source will be recognized by OBS. This is great, as you can have a stereo mix coming into OBS, but effects will control all audio coming through the source you are adding the filter to, instead of affecting individual audio channels.
Here you can also add VST 2.x Plug-Ins as a filter. This means that if you have any VST 2 plugins installed on your computer, you can use them inside OBS.
OBS does not currently allow you to monitor the audio after the effects have been added, only before. If you would like to monitor your audio with the effects, we recommend using the Stream Preview window in your Subsplash Dashboard. This is visible under Media-->Live:
Using OBS' MultiRTMP Plugin
Using OBS' MultiRTMP Plugin
The DistroAV plugin for OBS allows you to stream to multiple destinations, using RTMP or SRT streaming.
To set this up, download the plugin from the above link, as well as NDI Runtime/Tools. Make sure OBS is completely closed before starting the installation.
Once those are installed, navigate to the Docks menu in the OBS toolbar, and drag it to your OBS control panel at the bottom of the screen. I have mine docked behind the audio mixer. Once added, it will look like this:
Make sure you have your first streaming destination added to OBS proper, in the Settings-->Streaming section. Once your first destination is added there, select the Multiple output docked window, and then Add New Target.
Name your target (we recommend naming this the streaming service you are adding here, so that you can easily see which destination you are editing in the future) and select your Protocol. For Subsplash Live, this will either be the RTMP option or SRT/RIST option. Next, enter your Stream URL and Key. Select OK to save your settings.
When you are ready to start streaming, select Start Streaming in the OBS control panel, and then select Start on the Target you want to stream with or Start All if you want all destinations within the Multiple output section to all start streaming!:
When you are ready for your stream to end, select Stop Streaming in the OBS control panel, and then select Stop on the Target you want to stream with or Stop All if you want all destinations within the Multiple output section to all stop streaming!:
All destinations added in the Multiple output window will use their own separate bandwidth. It is recommend to run a speed test to make sure your network can handle multiple streams at once before going live for a service or event using the DistroAV plugin.
Using OBS' Studio Mode and Multiview Monitor
Using OBS' Studio Mode and Multiview Monitor
The Studio mode and Multiview Monitor will allow you to control and see your sources in a more exhaustive way than the traditional layout.
Studio Mode
To enable Studio mode, select the Studio mode button in OBS' Controls section:
This will open up a new window in OBS' canvas, and gives you some settings to transition between two sources:
Multiview Monitor
The Multiview Monitor will allow you to see all of your video sources at once.
To set up the Multiview Monitor, select View in OBS' toolbar.
Select either Multiview Monitor (full screen) or Multiview Monitor (windowed):
The multiview monitor will remember what screen it was opened on previously, and will open there automatically once selected in the future.
Locally Recording Streams in OBS
Locally Recording Streams in OBS
Subsplash recommends recording all of your streams locally! Check out the video below on how to set this up within OBS: