OBS Setup for Your Stream

OBS setup for streamers is the work of getting OBS Studio ready to go live: scenes, sources, audio and video output tuned to your platform. At Epik Streamer it’s a standalone piece at $30, and it comes included in the Creator and Epik packs. Here we walk through what each part is and what Twitch, Kick and YouTube recommend.

What OBS is and who this piece is for

OBS Studio is the software many streamers use to broadcast to Twitch, Kick and YouTube. It’s powerful, but the first time you open it there are a lot of options. A la carte setup makes sense if:

• Your overlays are ready and you still need to set them up and tune the output.
• Your stream cuts out, looks pixelated or overloads your machine, and you want a correct starting point.
• You’re switching platforms and need the settings to match what the new one asks for.

What’s included

The service is OBS setup, one piece. This page doesn’t break it down beyond what’s published, because the detail depends on your platform, your hardware and your content. What is clear: it’s one piece, with one revision included; the Creator pack (a single platform) and the Epik pack (multiplatform) include it. Any other piece or format you didn’t order is treated as an additional service.

The OBS pieces worth understanding

• Scenes. According to OBS, you start with a blank scene. In a scene you build the layout of your stream.
• Sources. What you add to each scene: game capture (Windows only), window or display capture, a video device like a webcam or capture card, images, text, media and color.
• Browser source. Used to show a web page in the scene. OBS describes it as the source used mainly for alerts and chat boxes. Its default size is 800 x 600.
• Scene collections. They save all your scenes and sources, and you can have several. They don’t save output settings, which belong to profiles.
• Auto-Configuration Wizard. OBS offers it at startup and you can reopen it from Tools. It optimizes based on your hardware and, if you’re streaming, your connection. OBS recommends a test of a few minutes before your first stream.

Settings each platform recommends

• Twitch. For 1080p at 60 fps: 1920 x 1080, 6000 kbps, CBR and a keyframe every 2 seconds. For 720p at 60 fps: 1280 x 720 at 4500 kbps.
• Kick. Maximum 1920 x 1080, 60 fps and 8000 kbps. You must use CBR (VBR isn’t supported) and only H.264 is supported, not H.265. With x264, it recommends the veryfast preset, main profile, zerolatency tune and a 2-second keyframe. In OBS, the service is set to Custom, and you paste the server URL and the stream key shown in your Creator Dashboard. Also, 1080p may not be shown to viewers until the channel reaches a certain level of engagement.
• YouTube. CBR, with a recommended keyframe of 2 seconds (no more than 4). For H.264: 6 to 17 Mbps at 1080p and 60 fps, 5 to 14 Mbps at 1080p and 30 fps, and 3 to 8 Mbps at 720p. Audio in AAC or MP3.

These are each platform’s starting values, and your connection has the final say: with an unstable upload, a lower, steady bitrate beats a high one that drops. If you want the step by step, read the guide on how to set up OBS Studio for streaming.

How it works

1. You buy on PayPal. One-time payment, in full.
2. You send your brief over WhatsApp or Discord. For OBS, the most useful things are your main platform, the games or content you make, your schedule and how you want your channel to look.
3. Production and delivery. They start once the brief is complete and the payment is made.
4. Revision and approval. One revision included per piece; from the second, there’s a charge.

Common mistakes when setting up OBS

• Using VBR. Kick requires CBR, and the others recommend it.
• Going over your upload speed. If your internet can’t sustain the bitrate, your stream drops.
• A resolution that doesn’t match. If your base is above the platform’s maximum, you need to downscale the output.
• Not checking audio. Check the mixer meters before going live.
• Not testing. Do a recording or a test stream of a few minutes.

A single piece or a pack

If you only need OBS, this piece is the direct route. If you also need graphics, look at the Creator pack, which includes it along with a logo, 5 overlays, 5 panels, a banner, 8 emotes and 6 badges, or the Epik pack for several platforms. To set up your graphics afterward, overlays and alerts are the pieces used most inside OBS. And if you’re unsure where to start streaming, the comparison of Twitch, Kick and YouTube helps.

Start with your brief

Buy your OBS setup, tell us which platform you stream on and get your stream ready to go.