Beginner10 min read

OBS Studio Setup Guide

Learn how to configure OBS Studio to receive your IRL stream from a relay endpoint. This guide covers both basic setup for beginners and advanced NOALBS configuration for automatic scene switching.

How it works

Your phone or encoder sends your video to IRLServer. With SRTLA it can combine several connections, like two SIM cards, into one stream.
IRLServer receives your stream in the region you pick and passes it on to OBS.
OBS on your computer picks the stream up from IRLServer, adds your scenes and overlays, and goes live on Twitch or Kick.

When your signal drops, a scene switcher (IRLControl or NOALBS) moves OBS to a BRB scene, so your broadcast stays up until you are back. This guide covers the OBS part.

Prerequisites

OBS Studio installed (version 28.0 or later recommended)
An IRLServer account with an active endpoint (get one at irl.ac)
Your stream URL from the dashboard (RTMP or SRT/SRTLA)

Choose Your Setup

Simplified Setup

Just one LIVE scene. Best for beginners who want to get started quickly without automatic scene switching.

Recommended for beginners

Advanced Setup (NOALBS)

Multiple scenes (LIVE, LOW, BRB, REFRESH) with automatic switching when your connection drops or has low bitrate.

Recommended for regular streamers

Step-by-Step Setup

Launch OBS Studio

Open OBS Studio on your computer. If this is your first time, complete the auto-configuration wizard or click Cancel to set up manually.

Create Your Scenes

For simplified setup, create one scene:

LIVE - Your main streaming scene

For NOALBS setup, create these scenes:

LIVE - Main stream view
LOW - Low bitrate warning scene
BRB - Disconnected/be right back scene
REFRESH - Connection refresh scene

Right-click in the Scenes panel → Add Scene. Use EXACT names (case sensitive) for NOALBS compatibility.

Add Media Source

In your LIVE scene, add a Media Source:

Right-click in Sources panel → Add → Media Source
Name it something like "IRL Feed" or "Stream Input"
Uncheck "Local File"
Check "Show nothing when playback ends"
Check "Restart playback when source becomes active"
Check "Close file when inactive"

Configure Your Stream URL

In the Media Source properties, paste your stream URL from the IRLServer dashboard.

For RTMP endpoints:

rtmp://rtmp.region.irl.ac:1935/publish/YOUR_KEY

For SRT/SRTLA endpoints:

srt://srt.region.irl.ac:4000?streamid=play/stream/YOUR_KEY

Your actual stream URLs are available in your dashboard at irl.ac/dashboard/endpoints

Set Network Buffering

Configure network buffering for stable playback. In the Media Source properties:

Network Buffering: 1 MB (recommended) or higher for unstable connections
Reconnect Delay: 3 seconds
Restart playback when source becomes active: on
Close file when inactive: on
Show nothing when playback ends: on
Use hardware decoding when available: off

Higher buffer = more stable but more delay. Start with 1 MB and increase if you see stuttering.

Stretch to Screen

Make the media source fill your canvas:

Right-click on the media source in the preview
Transform → Stretch to Screen

Or press Ctrl+F with the source selected to fit to screen.

Copy to Other Scenes (NOALBS)

If using NOALBS, copy your media source to other scenes:

Right-click your media source → Copy
Go to LOW scene → Right-click → Paste (Reference)
Repeat for REFRESH scene

Using "Paste (Reference)" ensures all scenes use the same source. Changes to one will apply to all.

Test Your Setup

Start streaming from your encoder (Belabox, Moblin, etc.) to your IRLServer endpoint. You should see your stream appear in OBS within a few seconds.

If the stream doesn't appear, check that your encoder is connected and streaming to the correct URL. You can verify connection status in your IRLServer dashboard.

Next Steps

Setup NOALBS

Automatic scene switching

NOALBS Config Generator

Generate config.json

Bitrate Calculator

Calculate optimal stream settings

Mobile Streaming Guide

Stream from your phone with SRTLA

Resources

OBS Wiki IRLServer Discord