A personal repository with notes about installing, configuring, and using Linux applications. This is all part of the learning and documenting process!
tags: #streaming, #twitch, #recording
To install OBS, refer to the installation instructions for Linux which can be found here. It can either be installed through the PPA (Ubuntu-based only) or as a Flatpak. FFMPEG is necessary to run OBS on Linux. It will be installed at the same time as OBS if you follow the instructions from the website.
What makes OBS a fantastic streaming application is its’ modularity through Plugins. At this point, some plugins are installed by default on Linux (such as Browser source), but here is a short list of some I like to add.
Installation for this plugin is as simple as downloading it from the Releases section and drag & drop in the ~/.config/obs-studio/plugins directory. Make sure you place the entire folder in there, and not just the files. Restart OBS, and it should load on startup.
OBS is an powerful streaming application which can encode a wide range of resolutions and bitrates without using too much CPU power if you have the right hardware. In my case, my PC is approximately 5-6 years old with a Nvidia GTX 980 and an Intel i7 5930K. I can stream at 1080p 30 FPS depending on the game, but 720p30/60FPS is much more comfortable. Here are the settings I use:
Automatically record when streaming ON.OBS allows the user to stream to a wide variety of services, including Twitch, Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, Restream and more! Depending on the service you choose, you can also log in in OBS to retrieve some of the Docks for that service (I know this is the case for Twitch at least).
For myself, I usually stream on Twitch. Log in, then select the server of your choice (usually the one closest to you), or leave it on Automatic.
I usually enable the Twitch Chat Add-ons, as they’re quite popular nowadays.
Advanced.1, and Twitch VOD track to 2. This allows the Twitch VODs to cut out Copyrighted music from the livestreams.CBR (Constant BitRate).4500 Kbps.Keyframe Intervals at 0, or increase to 2.Quality.High.0.2.48 kHz.Stereo.pipe_sink, WebMusic_OUT, and the Mic to your selected Microphe.1920x1080.1280x720, or whatever you’ll be streaming at. If you’re streaming at 1080p, then leave at the original resolutionBicubic.30 or 60.I’m not going to share my hotkeys as this can change per person and per setup. However, it’s a good idea to set some hotkeys to hide/show your overlay, to (un)mute your microphone and music, and some more hotkeys to change scenes.
NV12.709.Full.The Linux version of OBS differs in some ways to the Windows version.
If you’re like me and use Voicemeeter Banana on Windows, then you might realise that you can’t simply use the Cable Output as a “microphone” in the Linux version. In fact, it’s almost always preferable to add the device you want as a Source in OBS.
If you followed the instructions for Pipewire, then add Discord as a Source in your scenes and set it as Discord_OUT so your viewers can listen to the conversation on Discord. It’s always a good idea to set a hotkey to (un)mute your Discord conversation.
TODO: Create Streamelements.md For Alerts, the two major services who offer alerts for donations, subscriptions, hosts, follows, etc. are Streamlabs & StreamElements. I personally use StreamElements, but the choice is ultimately yours. Streamlabs is more “feature-rich” and have their own version of OBS which integrates with their own features if you prefer (albeit a little bloated for my taste).
To start, pick one of the services and sign-in to your Twitch account. Then, set up your alerts as you desire.
A fun type of alert which uses the Twitch Channel Points system to make audible rewards. Simply add the sound effect of your choice, and link it to the Channel Point reward of your choice. Then, add a Browser Source in OBS to Triggerfyre so people can hear the sound effect when they redeem a Channel Point reward.