This guide is for the clerk or AV staff who run a meeting's stream. It assumes OBS Studio 30 or later and a channel already set up in Clerkcast (Admin → Channels).
What you need from Clerkcast
Open the channel (Admin → Channels → your channel). Under Connect an encoder you'll find:
- Server:
rtmp://ingest.clerkcast.app:1935/live(or the RTMPS server,rtmps://ingest.clerkcast.app:443/live, if your network blocks port 1935). - Stream key: hidden until you choose Reveal. Revealing it is recorded. Treat it like a password: anyone with it can stream to your channel while a meeting holds it.
If the key leaks, an Admin can use Emergency revoke on the channel: the old key stops working at once, even mid-meeting, and you then enter the new one in OBS.
Set up OBS once
Settings → Stream
- Service: Custom…
- Server: the server above
- Stream Key: the key above
Settings → Output (Output Mode: Advanced, Streaming tab)
- Video Encoder: x264, or your hardware encoder (NVENC, QuickSync, Apple VT) using H.264
- Rate Control: CBR
- Bitrate: 4,500 Kbps for 1080p, 3,000 Kbps for 720p
- Keyframe Interval: 2 s
- Profile: high (main is fine)
Settings → Audio
- Sample Rate: 48 kHz
- Channels: Stereo
- Audio bitrate (Output → Audio): 160 Kbps
Settings → Video
- Output (Scaled) Resolution: 1920×1080 or 1280×720
- Common FPS Values: 30
Clerkcast re-encodes what you send into the sizes viewers need, up to 1080p, at 30 frames a second, so sending more than 1080p30 only costs upload bandwidth. Plan for your upload speed to be at least twice the bitrate.
On meeting day
- A few minutes before the meeting, press Start Streaming in OBS. The meeting's event console (Admin → the meeting → Live) shows Signal present and a private preview. Nothing is public yet.
- When the meeting starts, choose Go Live in the event console (or let the meeting go live by itself at its scheduled start, if it was set up that way). The public stream starts at the next keyframe; the preview before it is never published.
- If OBS or the network drops, just start streaming again with the same settings. The event console shows Reconnecting; viewers see the stream pause, and the replay marks a gap. After 10 minutes without a signal the meeting ends on its own.
- When the meeting ends, choose End in the event console first, then stop streaming in OBS. Anything after End is never published.
Captions are produced automatically from the audio. Clear audio (a mixer feed rather than a room microphone) makes noticeably better captions.
Troubleshooting
- OBS can't connect: check the server and key (no spaces); try the RTMPS server if port 1935 is blocked. A key works while a scheduled meeting holds the channel (from 30 minutes before its start until it ends). If your town allows unscheduled meetings, streaming at another time starts a draft "Untitled meeting" instead; otherwise it's refused.
- Signal present but the preview is black or silent: check the OBS scene and the audio mixer levels; Clerkcast shows what it receives.
- "Dropped frames" in OBS: your upload can't keep up; lower the bitrate or the resolution.
Using different equipment? See all setup guides, or the encoder settings on your channel's page in the admin.