Video Switchers and Routers

OBS automatic camera switching for radio

VRA does the automatic camera switching in OBS with the scenes you built. When a presenter's microphone opens, OBS changes to their scene, and the recording can start and stop with the show.

Book a demo Setup guide

Watch it work.

What VRA does with OBS.

Your scene list, mirrored

VRA reads the active OBS scene and every scene name, so commands and the operator panel use the names you gave them in OBS.

Scenes change on the microphones

A microphone trigger, camera angle, dashboard button or macro can change the OBS scene, the same way it would cut a hardware switcher.

Graphics over NDI

The Render Engine sends VRA graphics over NDI and OBS picks them up with an NDI input plugin. The picture and the scene control travel on separate connections.

Recording follows the show

VRA starts and stops OBS recording through a media connection, and Clips shows the recording state with its timecode and file size.

How to set it up.

Requirements

OBS Studio 28 or newer with obs-websocket v5 enabled.
VRA Core with network access to the OBS host and websocket port.
The websocket password when authentication is enabled.
Scenes already created and named in OBS.
An OBS NDI input plugin when receiving VRA graphics over NDI. Scene switching alone does not require it.

Install OBS Studio 28 or newer and build the scenes required for the production.
In OBS, open Tools, WebSocket Server Settings. Enable the server, note the port and set an authentication password. The default port is 4455.
In VRA Cloud, add a Live Switcher, choose OBS and enter the OBS machine's host, port and password.
Save the connection and confirm that VRA shows the current program scene and available scene names.
Test a scene change. Then assign OBS scene commands to camera angles, macros or automation.

Full setup guide

OBS questions

Can OBS switch cameras automatically? +

Not on its own. VRA watches the studio microphones and changes the OBS scene when a presenter starts talking. You build a scene per shot in OBS, and VRA decides when each one goes to program.

Which OBS version does VRA need? +

OBS Studio 28 or newer, which includes obs-websocket v5. OBS 27 and older use the older websocket protocol and do not connect.

What port do I enter for OBS? +

obs-websocket v5 uses port 4455 by default. If you changed it in OBS, enter the port OBS shows.

Can VRA show and hide OBS overlays like an ATEM downstream key? +

No. The OBS connection works in scenes. Build a scene with the overlay and one without it, and switch between them from VRA.

Does OBS have to run on the same PC as VRA? +

No. OBS can run on another machine, as long as VRA Core can reach its websocket host and port through the firewall.

OBS Project

About OBS.

OBS Studio is open-source software for switching, recording and streaming. Since version 28 it ships with obs-websocket v5, which is the connection VRA uses.

VRA reads the scene list and the active scene, then changes scenes from microphone triggers, camera angles, dashboard buttons and macros. That is automated camera switching on OBS, without a second person at the desk. OBS still renders the picture. Scene changes are the whole vocabulary: OBS has no equivalent of an ATEM downstream key in VRA, so overlays you want to toggle belong inside your scenes.

Visit obsproject.com