OBS Studio

Name: OBS Studio
Availability: InStock
Author: OBS Project

OBS Studio is a free, open source program for live streaming and screen recording. It sends your video feed to Twitch, YouTube, Facebook Gaming, and any platform that accepts an RTMP stream. It also records locally in MKV, MP4, or FLV without watermarks or time limits.

What it does

The workspace is built around scenes and sources. A scene is a layout you can switch to during a stream or recording. Each scene contains sources: display captures, window captures, game captures, webcam feeds, images, text overlays, and browser sources for third-party widgets like alerts from StreamElements. You add sources by clicking the + button in the Sources panel, pick the type, and configure it. Switching between scenes during a live stream is a single click in the Scenes panel, with optional transitions (fade, cut, slide) between them.

Audio controls sit in the Audio Mixer panel at the bottom. Each source (microphone, desktop audio, media files) has its own volume slider and mute button. Right-clicking a source opens Filters, where you can add noise suppression (RNNoise works well without much CPU load), noise gate, compressor, and gain. For streaming, you paste your stream key from the platform into File > Settings > Stream, pick your encoder (x264 or NVENC for NVIDIA GPUs), set your bitrate, and hit Start Streaming.

Recording settings live under File > Settings > Output. You can record in Simple mode (pick a quality preset and go) or Advanced mode where you control the encoder, bitrate, recording format, and file path separately from your stream settings. The Replay Buffer feature keeps the last N seconds in memory so you can save highlights on demand without recording the entire session.

Advantages

Completely free with no watermarks, no recording limits, no paid tier
Scene and source system allows complex multi-camera setups
Built-in audio filters (noise suppression, compressor, gate) replace standalone tools
Plugin ecosystem adds features like virtual camera, NDI input, and advanced scene switching

Drawbacks

Initial setup takes time if you have never configured streaming software before
No built-in stream alerts or chat overlay, you need third-party services
Preview can stutter on low-end hardware while the actual stream runs fine
Default recording format (MKV) requires remuxing to MP4 for some editors

Who it is for

I recommend OBS Studio to anyone who wants to stream or record their screen without paying for software. It handles everything from simple screen recordings for tutorials to multi-scene Twitch streams with overlays and webcam feeds. The learning curve is steeper than one-click recorders, but once you set it up, the flexibility is hard to match at any price point.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is OBS Studio free?

OBS Studio is completely free and open source. There are no paid features, watermarks, or recording limits. It is funded by sponsors and donations through the Open Broadcaster Software project.

Is OBS good for recording without streaming?

Yes. Many people use OBS purely for local recording. Set your recording format and quality under Settings, Output, then click Start Recording. You do not need to configure streaming at all.

Why does OBS record in MKV instead of MP4?

MKV is crash-resistant. If OBS or your PC crashes during recording, the MKV file is still playable up to the point of the crash. MP4 files get corrupted if the recording stops unexpectedly. You can remux MKV to MP4 losslessly through File, Remux Recordings after recording is finished.

Features & How-To Guide

#	Feature	How to use
1	Screen recording	Click Start Recording in the bottom-right corner. By default records the full screen to the Videos folder in MKV format.
2	Streaming scene setup	File › Settings › Stream › Service: Twitch › Paste the Stream Key from the Twitch dashboard › OK › Click Start Streaming.
3	IRC plugin expansion	In the Sources panel click + › Game Capture › Create new › OK. OBS automatically detects the game in full screen.
4	Emulator keyboard shortcut configuration	File › Settings › Stream › Service: YouTube - RTMPS › Paste the Stream Key from YouTube Studio › OK › Start Streaming.
5	Webcam recording	In the Sources panel click + › Video Capture Device › Create new › Select camera from the Device list › OK.
6	Stream overlays	In the Sources panel click + › Browser › Create new › Paste the overlay URL (e.g. from StreamElements) › Set width and height › OK.
7	Partition alignment	In the Scenes panel click + to add a new scene. Each scene has its own set of Sources. Switch between scenes by clicking the scene name.
8	Microphone noise filtering	Click the gear icon next to the microphone in Audio Mixer › Filters › + › Noise Suppression › Select RNNoise › Close.
9	Recording in MP4 format	File › Settings › Output › Recording Format: mp4 (or in Advanced mode: Output Mode: Advanced › Recording › Type: Standard › Recording Format: mp4).
10	Dual monitor recording	In the Sources panel click + › Display Capture › Create new › Select monitor from the Display list › OK. Add a separate Display Capture for each monitor.