PaneLiveGuide
PaneLive with OBS Studio
Set up PaneLive with OBS Studio and see what each connection offers. For tally, voice, countdowns and preferences, see the quick start guide.
Connect through PaneLive Companion (recommended for PaneLive)
Start OBS and PaneLive Companion, and connect PaneLive Companion to OBS. Then, in PaneLive, pair a new OBS Studio → PaneLive Companion profile and check that both the Companion and OBS connections are up. Choose Viewer to monitor, or Operator (once approved) to take control.
Setting up Companion for the first time? Follow the Installation manual for your platform and the OBS helper requirements, then continue with provider setup and device pairing.
Connect directly to OBS Studio
- 01
Enable the OBS WebSocket server
In OBS, open Tools → WebSocket Server Settings, enable the server and open its connection info.
- 02
Add a direct profile
In PaneLive, add an OBS direct profile. Enter the computer’s address, the WebSocket port and the password shown in OBS, or simply scan the OBS connection QR code.
- 03
Save and wait for state
Save the profile and wait for your scenes and output status to appear. Your device needs to be on the same trusted network and able to reach that port.
- 04
Check TLS and the port
Turn on TLS only if your OBS connection is set up for it. Use the OBS WebSocket port here, not the PaneLive Companion HTTPS port.
OBS WebSocket is built into OBS Studio 28 and later, and PaneLive uses its v5 API. The default port is 4455; if you changed it in OBS, use your own setting.
Your first scene change
- 01
Find Program
Open Dashboard and find Program, the scene that is live right now.
- 02
Change the live scene
With Studio Mode off in OBS, picking a scene under Program takes it live right away.
- 03
Use a Preview workflow
Turn on Studio Mode in OBS to work with Preview. In PaneLive, pick another scene under Preview, check its sources, then use a transition to take it live.
- 04
Confirm the result
Wait until Program shows the new scene and picture. If Preview and Program started with the same scene, check both.
- 05
Peek at a screenshot
Long-press a scene or source tile to see a still screenshot of it. It’s only a peek: the scene stays where it is.
The countdown procedure can take a prepared Preview to Program after ten seconds. It switches the scene only, so start recording or streaming separately.
Sound and outputs
Audio meters show you the signal, while faders and mute change the OBS input itself. OBS allows gain up to +26 dB. With PaneLive Companion, you can also set each input’s monitoring mode and listen to the producer monitor mix on your device.
Start recording or streaming with the output controls, then wait for the status to confirm it’s running. Whether you can pause a recording depends on your OBS recording settings.
Change the production setup (PaneLive Pro)
Stop recording and streaming first. Then use the OBS Profile or Scene Collection selector in the top bar, pick an entry and wait while OBS confirms the change and reloads.
After switching collections, check your project macros, scene and source list preferences and tally bindings.
Feature list
Explore PaneLive Pro by connection method. “Conditional” means it depends on your mode, setup or role. Compare direct connections with PaneLive Companion below.
| Property | OBS Direct | OBS via PaneLive Companion |
|---|---|---|
| Connection | Manual entry or OBS QR code, with password and TLS as set up | PaneLive Companion QR code, pinned TLS and device credential |
| Roles and client names | No | Viewer and Operator, named devices |
| Scenes, Program, Preview | Yes (Preview needs Studio Mode) | Yes |
| Sources, visibility and colors | Yes | Yes, with full source data from OBS |
| Scene and source thumbnails | Still screenshots | Still thumbnails, when available |
| Program video | Screenshots at 1, 2, 5 or 10 FPS | WebRTC video, up to 15 FPS |
| Preview video | Screenshots in Studio Mode | WebRTC video when available, at 1, 2 or 5 FPS |
| Fullscreen, PiP and guides | Yes | Yes |
| Transitions | OBS transitions, set up and run in Studio Mode | Quick and default transitions, set up and run; Fade to Black when prepared |
| Audio mixer, faders, mute, meters | Yes, -100 to +26 dB | Yes, -100 to +26 dB |
| Local monitor sound | No | Producer monitor mix, when set up |
| Input monitoring modes | No | Conditional |
| Solo and master volume | No | No |
| Recording and streaming | Start, stop and status | Start, stop and status, with critical actions handled in order |
| Pause and resume recording | Conditional | Conditional |
| Per-destination streaming | No | No |
| Hotkeys | OBS hotkeys by name or key sequence | Assigned hotkeys and targeted actions |
| Profile and Scene Collection switching | PaneLive, with outputs stopped | PaneLive Operator, with outputs stopped |
| Tally scene and output bindings | Yes | Yes |
| Flood and Bar source bindings | Sources in enabled scenes, including nested scenes and groups | Full nested membership, when available |
| Voice Cues, macros, countdowns | Yes, on this device | Yes, plus countdowns shown on other paired devices |
| Teleprompter | No | Private or shared scripts; see the teleprompter guide |
| Telestrator and Dual Output | No | No |
Troubleshooting OBS
- If status updates but Direct video feels slow, check the screenshot rate you picked and how busy your computer is. Direct video is built from screenshots.
- If PaneLive Companion sound is silent, check how the producer monitor mix is routed in OBS.
- After changing a collection, give resources and media a moment to load, then fix any tally selections that pointed to removed items.
- If a transition or output fails, check the current state before you try again.