OBS is the go-to platform for livestreamers of all kinds. Here are the best plugins from 2022 that you should grab to maximize your load-out.
Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) is the brains of most livestreaming operations. The powerful, open-source software is accessible to anybody with a computer and an internet connection. OBS Studio is also free, making it most streamers’ first choice. But that’s not why OBS Studio is the best; that honor would go to the open-source nature of the software.
Being open-source means anyone can take the source code and improve the original software. For OBS Studio, improvements to the software are presented as plugins, which are mostly free to download and use. You can browse all available plugins on the website, which has a dedicated marketplace for plugins.
With hundreds of plugins, picking the right ones is no easy feat. But we’ve compiled a brief list of the 8 best OBS Studio plugins in 2022 to help you along.
Soundtrack by Twitch
That Twitch had to make Soundtrack really speaks to the volatile nature of using licensed music in streams. The problem has been so rampant that video game developers have added “streamer mode” options that remove all licensed music from games. The sheer popularity of streaming has forced record labels to breathe down the backs of Amazon-owned Twitch, which has banned or suspended dozens of high-profile streamers to placate the record labels. Though the problem still remains, Soundtrack is at least a temporary fix.
Soundtrack sidesteps licensed music headaches by providing streamers with free-to-use music that’s been greenlit for streaming. The software, which looks a lot like Spotify, offers curated playlists like the upbeat and unabashedly pop “PogChamp” playlist. Alternatively, the app offers simpler genre-based playlists. The software works with OBS Studio via a plugin, which is automatically installed on OBS.
Soundtrack is great because it takes the hassle out of choosing music, but there’s a catch. When implemented correctly, Soundtrack music will not appear in recordings or clips. While viewers tuned in to the livestream won’t notice a difference, viewers who happen to catch the VOD (video-on-demand), will notice a lot of dead air and awkward silences.
Advanced Scene Switcher
Switching scenes in a livestream is the equivalent of cutting to commercials or a new segment; it breaks up the pacing of the stream and introduces new ways to play with the streaming medium. But streamers, who are most likely managing the entire operation on their own, can’t always have their hands on the controls to switch between scenes. Luckily, Advanced Scene Switcher automates the process.
With Advanced Scene Switcher, you can automatically change to a specific scene by either meeting a special condition or triggering an action. There are dozens of these conditions and actions. Some of my favorite conditions include setting a specific date and time, playing a certain song or audio clip, or moving the cursor to a certain location.
Nvidia Broadcast
In our list of best streaming gear for 2022, we recommended getting an Nvidia RTX GPU because it’s required for Nvidia Broadcast. This software, launched back in 2020, uses the AI cores in RTX GPUs to perform visual and audio effects in real-time. You can completely blur your background or replace it with another image as if you were using a green screen. Or, on the audio side, you can remove unwanted noise from your microphone, so your viewers don’t have to listen to the person blowing leaves outside your window.
While the Nvidia Broadcast software launched years ago, it only recently became compatible with OBS Studio as a plugin. If you have a compatible Nvidia RTX 2000-series GPU or newer, you need to download Nvidia Broadcast.
DroidCam
What do you do if your webcam stops working — or if you don’t have a webcam at all? Use this plugin, which turns your phone into a webcam for your streams. Despite its name, DroidCam works with Android and iOS devices.
To get this plugin working, you’ll also need to download the DroidCam app on your phone. Other than that, using this plugin is a breeze. Even if you have a nice webcam, using a second camera source could up the production quality of your streams.
It’s worth noting that a paid version of DroidCam is available. This version, which includes additional features, is not necessary.
OBS Virtual Cam
You won’t use the OBS Virtual Cam plugin when streaming, but it’s handy for outputting video from OBS Studio to videoconferencing software. The plugin allows you to output the preview video feed to Zoom, allowing you to take your Zoom call to the next level. Anything you would normally do on a stream, you can do when using OBS Virtual Cam. Just pick the “OBS Virtual Cam” video source on your teleconferencing app of choice to get started.
Unfortunately, this particular plugin doesn’t play nice with newer versions of the software. Alternatively, you can use this Virtual Cam Filter plugin, which lets you output either a final mix or a single source.
Closed Captioning via Google Speech Recognition
This plugin works to great effect. It can translate your speech in real-time, with a few seconds delay that won’t be noticeable to most viewers. The feature is optional for viewers, so not everyone has to see the closed captions.
This plugin can translate speech to any language that uses a western character set. Unfortunately, because of how Twitch works, it’s not possible to translate to languages such as Russian, Japanese, or Thai (just to name a few).
Color Monitor
Once you’ve color-corrected and color-graded your footage, it’s hard to go back. And if you haven’t, you should consider it, especially if you’re using a webcam.
On OBS Studio, you can color-correct and monitor your camera feeds with Color Monitor. In addition to a vectorscope, waveform, and histogram for monitoring video, the plugin also lets you make a correction to color on the fly. While not as robust as the color correction features on fully featured NLEs, such as DaVinci Resolve, this plugin is still a game changer.
StreamFX
This plugin often comes up in recommendation lists, and for a good reason: it does a little bit of everything. I could explain what you can do with StreamFX, or you could see it in action below.
Cover image via OBS.
Looking for some music for your projects? At Videvo, our library has everything from free ambient music to music for streams — perfect for any indie project:
- Royalty-free Christmas music
- Royalty-free meditation music
- Royalty-free upbeat music
- Royalty-free jazz music
- Royalty-free Halloween music
Need a break? Check out our videvoscapes — the ultimate reels for relaxation or concentration. Each videvoscape collects hours of high-definition nature footage and background video with downtempo chill beats for the ultimate escape from the grind.
