OBS Studio Integration

OBS Studio is a free, open-source encoder widely used for live streaming and recording. This guide walks you through connecting OBS Studio to WAVE using either RTMP or SRT, configuring optimal output settings, and resolving common issues.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• OBS Studio 30.0 or later installed (obsproject.com )
• A WAVE account with an active stream channel (see Your First Stream)
• Your WAVE Ingest URL and Stream Key, found in the WAVE dashboard under Streams > [Your Stream] > Ingest Settings
• A stable internet connection with at least 5 Mbps upload speed for 1080p streaming

RTMP setup

RTMP is the simplest way to connect OBS Studio to WAVE. It works out of the box with no additional configuration.

{% stepper %} {% step title=“Open Stream settings” %} Launch OBS Studio and navigate to Settings > Stream. {% /step %}

{% step title=“Select Custom service” %} Set Service to Custom… from the dropdown menu. {% /step %}

{% step title=“Enter your WAVE ingest URL” %} In the Server field, enter your WAVE RTMP ingest URL:

rtmp://ingest.wave.online/live

If your organization uses a regional ingest endpoint, use the URL shown in your WAVE dashboard instead. {% /step %}

{% step title=“Enter your stream key” %} Paste your WAVE Stream Key into the Stream Key field. You can find this in the WAVE dashboard under Streams > [Your Stream] > Ingest Settings.

{% callout type=“warning” title=“Keep your stream key secret” %} Your stream key grants full ingest access to your stream channel. Do not share it publicly or commit it to version control. {% /callout %} {% /step %}

{% step title=“Start streaming” %} Click OK to save, then click Start Streaming in the main OBS window. Your stream should appear as Live in the WAVE dashboard within a few seconds. {% /step %} {% /stepper %}

{% callout type=“tip” title=“Use RTMPS for encrypted transport” %} For encrypted RTMP, change the server URL to rtmps://ingest.wave.online:443/live. This wraps the RTMP connection in TLS, protecting your stream content in transit. OBS Studio 28.0+ supports RTMPS natively. {% /callout %}

SRT setup

SRT provides lower latency and better error recovery than RTMP, especially over unreliable networks. OBS Studio 25.0+ includes built-in SRT support.

{% stepper %} {% step title=“Open Stream settings” %} In OBS Studio, navigate to Settings > Stream. {% /step %}

{% step title=“Select Custom service” %} Set Service to Custom… from the dropdown menu. {% /step %}

{% step title=“Enter the SRT URL” %} In the Server field, enter your WAVE SRT ingest URL with your stream key as the stream ID:

srt://ingest.wave.online:9710?streamid={stream-key}

Replace {stream-key} with your actual WAVE stream key. The full URL should look like:

srt://ingest.wave.online:9710?streamid=sk_live_abc123def456

{% /step %}

{% step title=“Leave the Stream Key field empty” %} When using SRT, the stream key is embedded in the URL. Leave the Stream Key field blank. {% /step %}

{% step title=“Configure SRT options (optional)” %} For additional SRT parameters, append them to the URL:

srt://ingest.wave.online:9710?streamid={stream-key}&latency=200000&pbkeylen=16

• latency — Receive buffer in microseconds (200000 = 200ms). Increase for lossy networks.
• pbkeylen — Encryption key length: 16 for AES-128 or 32 for AES-256. Omit for no encryption.
• passphrase — Encryption passphrase. Must match the passphrase configured in WAVE.

See SRT Configuration for detailed latency and encryption guidance. {% /step %}

{% step title=“Start streaming” %} Click OK to save, then click Start Streaming. Your stream should appear as Live in the WAVE dashboard. {% /step %} {% /stepper %}

{% callout type=“info” title=“SRT requires UDP connectivity” %} SRT uses UDP, which is blocked by some corporate firewalls. If OBS reports a connection timeout, verify that outbound UDP traffic to port 9710 is allowed on your network. See Connection Issues for firewall testing steps. {% /callout %}

Recommended settings

These output settings are optimized for WAVE’s ingest pipeline. Adjust based on your available upload bandwidth and content type.

Video output

Setting	1080p (Recommended)	720p (Low bandwidth)	4K (Professional)
Output resolution	1920x1080	1280x720	3840x2160
Frame rate	30 fps	30 fps	30 fps
Encoder	x264 or NVENC	x264 or NVENC	NVENC or QSV
Rate control	CBR	CBR	CBR
Bitrate	4500-6000 kbps	2500-4000 kbps	12000-20000 kbps
Keyframe interval	2 seconds	2 seconds	2 seconds
CPU preset (x264)	veryfast	veryfast	—
Profile	high	main	high

{% callout type=“warning” title=“Keyframe interval is critical” %} WAVE requires a keyframe interval of 4 seconds or less. Setting it to exactly 2 seconds ensures the fastest stream startup time for viewers and the best adaptive bitrate performance. OBS defaults to 0 (auto), which often produces intervals longer than 4 seconds. {% /callout %}

Audio output

Setting	Recommended
Audio bitrate	160 kbps
Sample rate	48 kHz
Channels	Stereo
Codec	AAC

Applying the settings

{% stepper %} {% step title=“Open Output settings” %} Navigate to Settings > Output and set Output Mode to Advanced. {% /step %}

{% step title=“Configure the Streaming tab” %} Under the Streaming tab:

• Set Encoder to your preferred hardware encoder (NVENC, QSV, AMF) or x264 for software encoding.
• Set Rate Control to CBR (Constant Bitrate).
• Set Bitrate to the value from the table above for your target resolution.
• Set Keyframe Interval to 2.
• For x264, set CPU Usage Preset to veryfast. Lower presets improve quality but increase CPU usage significantly. {% /step %}

{% step title=“Configure Video settings” %} Navigate to Settings > Video:

• Set Base (Canvas) Resolution to your source resolution.
• Set Output (Scaled) Resolution to your target output resolution.
• Set Common FPS Values to 30. {% /step %}

{% step title=“Configure Audio settings” %} Navigate to Settings > Audio:

• Set Sample Rate to 48 kHz.
• Set Channels to Stereo. {% /step %} {% /stepper %}

Troubleshooting

OBS shows “Failed to connect to server”

1. Verify the ingest URL is exactly rtmp://ingest.wave.online/live (RTMP) or srt://ingest.wave.online:9710?streamid={stream-key} (SRT).
2. Confirm your stream key is correct. Copy it directly from the WAVE dashboard — do not type it manually.
3. Check that your WAVE stream channel is not already receiving from another encoder. WAVE allows one active ingest connection per stream by default.
4. Test network connectivity using the WAVE connection test .

Stream connects but drops after a few seconds

1. Your upload bandwidth may be insufficient. Open Settings > Output and reduce the bitrate by 25%.
2. Check the Dropped Frames counter in the OBS status bar. If frames are dropping, your network or CPU cannot sustain the current settings.
3. If using SRT, increase the latency parameter in the URL (e.g. from 200000 to 500000).

Video is pixelated or blocky

1. Increase the bitrate. 1080p content generally needs at least 4500 kbps for acceptable quality.
2. Switch from veryfast to faster or fast CPU preset if your system can handle the additional CPU load.
3. Ensure the Output (Scaled) Resolution matches your target. Scaling from 4K to 1080p in OBS produces better results than streaming underbitrated 4K.

Audio is out of sync with video

1. Navigate to Settings > Advanced and set the Stream Delay to 0.
2. If using a USB audio device, add an audio offset under Edit > Advanced Audio Properties. Start with -50ms and adjust until sync is correct.
3. Ensure the audio sample rate in OBS matches your audio device (48 kHz is recommended).

OBS reports high encoding CPU usage

1. Switch to a hardware encoder (NVENC for NVIDIA, QSV for Intel, AMF for AMD) in Settings > Output > Encoder.
2. If using x264, change the CPU preset from faster to veryfast or superfast.
3. Reduce the output resolution from 1080p to 720p.

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