Encoders

An encoder is whatever sends your video to WorshipMetrics: vMix or OBS on the booth computer, Tech Manager itself, a Blackmagic box such as an ATEM Mini Pro, or any device that takes a server address and a stream key. The Encoders page gives each encoder one permanent address and key and sets its quality. One encoder is all most churches need. A church that streams two rooms at the same time, or keeps equipment set up in another room, can add more: each one gets its own address, key, booth computer and watch page.

Where to find it

Go to Publish > Live Streaming > Encoders. It works in the web app and in Tech Manager. The Encoders and stream keys link on Live Streams and Show the address on a live stream's run screen also open it.

With more than one encoder, a list at the top right of the page picks which one the page shows. Your church's first encoder is marked Default there, and its top card says Default encoder.

Add your encoder

1. Go to Publish > Live Streaming > Encoders.
2. If the page says No encoder yet, click + Add encoder. You see "Your encoder is ready."
3. If the card says "This encoder has no ingest address yet", click Set up the ingest. That gives it one permanent address and key.

The top card shows the encoder's name and whether it is Online (and for how long) or Offline with when it was Last online. Offline on a weekday is normal.

Add a second encoder

Add one only when two live streams run at the same time (for example a youth room streaming during the main service), or when an encoder that stays set up in another room should keep its own address and key. Sunday and Wednesday services can share one encoder.

1. Go to Publish > Live Streaming > Encoders.
2. Click + Add encoder at the top right. It shows once your church has its first encoder, and until it has five.
3. In Add encoder, type a Name. Use the room's name, for example "Youth room", so everyone knows which is which. The name also makes the address of the encoder's watch page.
4. Click Save. You see the name followed by "added. Set up its encoder next.", and the page now shows the new encoder.
5. If the card says "This encoder has no ingest address yet", click Set up the ingest.
6. Click Set up the encoder, choose how this room sends video, and pick its Booth computer (see the next section).
7. Point that room's encoder at this encoder's own Server URL and Stream key in Address and key. They are different from your first encoder's key.

When you schedule a live stream for that room, pick this encoder on the form's Encoder line.

Choose your encoder, or see which one was found

1. Go to Publish > Live Streaming > Encoders, pick the encoder at the top right if you have more than one, and look at the Encoder card.
2. Click Set up the encoder (when it says "No encoder chosen yet") or Change encoder. Pick one of the five ways video can reach WorshipMetrics: Tech Manager encodes it, vMix, OBS Studio, Blackmagic hardware or Something else.
3. For Blackmagic hardware, pick the Model. For Something else, type a Name.
4. For Tech Manager, vMix or OBS Studio, choose the Booth computer: the computer running Tech Manager for this encoder. Each booth is listed with Online or Offline.
   • On your default encoder, Any booth works when you have only one booth.
   • On any other encoder, pick the computer in that room. Start sending, Send to OBS and Send to vMix for this encoder then reach that computer only. Until one is chosen (No booth chosen), they reach no computer, and you start this encoder from the encoder itself.
   • If none of your booth computers is listed, Booth computer is a box instead: type the computer's name, or leave it blank for your only booth.
5. Click Save. You see "Encoder set to" and the name you chose.

Your saved choice is what the Encoders page and each live stream's Booth card show from then on. Until you choose, WorshipMetrics guesses for your default encoder from your booth: with Tech Manager running on the booth computer, it shows vMix or OBS Studio when one is open there, otherwise Tech Manager. A Blackmagic model that streams by itself, listed in Patch > Devices, can also be recognised. Any other encoder shows "No encoder chosen yet" until you set it up. A saved choice always wins over the guess.

Rename an encoder

1. Go to Publish > Live Streaming > Encoders and pick the encoder at the top right.
2. On its top card, click Rename.
3. In Rename encoder, type the new Name and click Save. You see "Encoder renamed."

On an encoder other than your default one, renaming also changes its watch page address. The old link keeps working and sends viewers to the new one.

Remove an encoder

Remove an encoder you no longer use. Your default encoder can't be removed, so it has no Remove encoder button.

1. Go to Publish > Live Streaming > Encoders and pick the encoder at the top right.
2. On its top card, click Remove encoder. It is greyed out while the encoder is sending video.
3. The dialog says its address and key stop working at once and its watch page goes away, and that its past live streams and recordings stay where they are. Click Remove encoder to go ahead, or Cancel.
4. You see the name followed by "was removed."

It is refused while a live stream that hasn't ended is still set to use it, and the message names that live stream:

• "… is set to use this encoder. Move it to another encoder or cancel it, then remove this one." The live stream hasn't started yet. Give it another encoder (its Encoder line, under Live Stream Details), or cancel it on Publish > Live Streaming > Live Streams (More actions, then Cancel live stream). Then remove the encoder.
• "… is using this encoder right now. Remove the encoder once that live stream is over." The live stream is in preview or on air, so it can't be moved or cancelled. Wait until it is over, then remove the encoder.

Share a second encoder's watch page

Your church's watch page (with its Live stream link, the player embedded on your website and the live banner on series pages) plays only your default encoder. Every other encoder has a watch page of its own.

1. Go to Publish > Live Streaming > Encoders and pick the encoder at the top right.
2. On its top card, find Watch page and click Copy. The button says Copied.
3. Send that link to the people it is for.

The address is your church's watch address followed by /live/ and the encoder's name in small letters with hyphens, for example ending in /live/youth-room. Only this encoder plays there. It isn't linked from your church's watch page, and search engines leave it out. It uses your church's watch page look, buttons and prayer requests; live chat is always off there. Like your church's page, it never shows a rehearsal, or a live stream's preview before Go Live. On your default encoder the card says "Your church's watch page plays this encoder." instead.

Point OBS, vMix or hardware at WorshipMetrics

1. Go to Publish > Live Streaming > Encoders.
2. In the Encoder card:
   • OBS Studio: click Send to OBS. Tech Manager must be running on the booth computer. It takes effect the next time OBS starts streaming.
   • vMix: pick a stream slot in the list beside Send to vMix (Stream 1 to Stream 5) and click Send to vMix. Tech Manager on the booth computer fills that slot in with this encoder's address and key, so there is nothing to copy. You see, for example, "Stream 1 in vMix now sends to WorshipMetrics." vMix uses it the next time that slot starts streaming, and Start sending on a live stream then starts only that slot. If a slot already points at WorshipMetrics, Send to vMix fills in that one and the list is held on it. The slot has to be set to Custom RTMP Server in vMix's own stream settings, and Tech Manager must run on the same computer as vMix (see "See vMix's stream slots" and Troubleshooting below).
   • Blackmagic hardware (an ATEM Mini Pro, Web Presenter or similar): it streams by itself, but WorshipMetrics cannot reach it over the network. Address and key opens by itself. Paste both into its streaming settings (ATEM Setup or the device's setup utility), set the bitrate the Quality card shows, and start it from the switcher.
   • Tech Manager: nothing to copy. Open Tech Manager on the booth computer to choose the capture card or NDI feed it sends.
   • Something else: Address and key opens by itself. Paste both into the device and match the quality yourself.
3. In Address and key, copy the Server URL, click Reveal and copy the Stream key. Use the SRT URL and passphrase only if your encoder lists SRT; RTMP is the usual choice.

Treat the stream key like a password: it is what tells WorshipMetrics the video is yours.

Get a new stream key

Make a new key on the Encoders page if the old one was shared where it should not be. Do it between services: the old key stops working the moment the new one is made.

1. Go to Publish > Live Streaming > Encoders.
2. In the Encoder card, open Address and key.
3. Click Regenerate key. It is greyed out while the encoder is sending, and until the encoder has an ingest address (Set up the ingest).
4. The dialog Regenerate the stream key? says the old key stops working immediately. Click Regenerate key to go ahead, or Cancel.
5. The new key appears in Stream key, already revealed. A message says what to do next, for example "New key is live. Press Send to OBS to give OBS the new key."
6. Give the new key to your encoder:
   • OBS Studio: click Send to OBS again.
   • vMix: click Send to vMix again. It fills in the same stream slot, the one already pointed at WorshipMetrics.
   • Tech Manager: nothing to do. It picks up the new key by itself and uses it the next time it starts sending.
   • An ATEM, a Web Presenter or other hardware: paste the new Stream key where the old one was.

The Server URL stays the same. If your encoder uses SRT, copy the SRT URL and passphrase again too.

While a live stream on this encoder is listening for it, in preview or live, the page refuses: the message names that live stream and asks you to make the new key after it ends. If the encoder is sending, the message says so and asks you to wait until it stops. Either way nothing changes and the old key keeps working.

Choose the quality

1. Go to Publish > Live Streaming > Encoders and find the Quality card.
2. Pick a Resolution: 720p (lighter on the connection) or 1080p (full HD).
3. Pick a level: Standard (4.5 Mbps, safe on most church internet), High (6.0 Mbps, recommended), Highest (9.0 Mbps, needs a steady 15 Mbps upload) or Custom. For Custom, type a Custom bitrate between 1 and 20 Mbps; aim for about half the upload speed you measure at the booth.
4. Read the line under the tiles. Set exactly, Closest match, Applies at next restart or Match this yourself says how this lands on your encoder.
5. Only if you know you need it, open Advanced to set Keyframe interval, Encoder profile, Rate control, Audio bitrate and Audio sample rate. Reset advanced to defaults puts them back.

Changes save as you pick. Every destination receives this same feed, so quality cannot differ between YouTube and Facebook. There is no frame-rate setting: WorshipMetrics sends what your encoder sends.

See vMix's stream slots

When the encoder is vMix, the Encoder card lists vMix's stream slots on that encoder's booth computer, under "vMix stream slots on" and the computer's name:

• the slot that sends to WorshipMetrics says WorshipMetrics;
• a slot set up for something else names the kind of service, for example YouTube, Facebook Live or Custom RTMP. Its address and key are never shown;
• an unused slot says Not set up;
• a slot streaming right now adds live now.

Which slots are live is what the booth last reported, a few seconds ago. Where each slot points comes from vMix's saved settings, and vMix saves them only when its Settings window closes, so the line under the list says when that was ("As of 10:42 AM, when vMix last saved its settings."). If you just changed a slot in vMix, close vMix's Settings window and the list catches up.

If there is no list, the line says why: no booth computer has reported vMix yet, the encoder has no Booth computer chosen, Tech Manager on that computer needs an update, or Tech Manager couldn't tell which slot is WorshipMetrics' (vMix has to run on the same computer as Tech Manager, and the encoder needs its address and key from Set up the ingest).

Start sending on a live stream only ever starts the WorshipMetrics slot. The run screen warns before you start when another slot is set up to stream elsewhere, and while you are live if another slot is streaming (see "Running a Live Stream").

Check vMix's stream settings

When the encoder is vMix, a vMix streams card shows what is loaded in each of vMix's five stream slots (Stream 1 to Stream 5, each with its settings or Not configured). On the web app this is what the booth last reported.

1. Click Shared settings to set the options vMix shares across all five streams: Keyframe (s), Stream delay (s), Threads, Network buffer (s), Audio codec, Strict CBR, NAL CBR and Keyframe aligned.
2. Click Save to store them, or Save & push to also write them into vMix now. Pushing reloads the vMix preset (about a second of black on the outputs), so never use it while streaming or recording. From the web app the booth must be online.

When two live streams overlap on one encoder

An encoder carries one live stream at a time. Sunday and Wednesday services can share one encoder, and each live stream picks its own destinations; open When would we need a second encoder? at the bottom of Publish > Live Streaming > Encoders for the full answer.

1. If two scheduled live streams overlap on one encoder, the Encoders page warns "Two live streams overlap on one encoder." It names both live streams and the encoder they are on, for example ""Youth night" and "Youth worship" are both scheduled on Youth room at the same time." The warning covers all your encoders, so it can name one other than the encoder picked at the top right. A live stream with no encoder chosen counts as on your default encoder.
2. Move one of them to a time that doesn't overlap, or put one of them on another encoder (the Encoder line in its details).
3. If they really run at the same time in different rooms, click + Add encoder in the warning (offered while your church has fewer than five) and follow "Add a second encoder" above.

Troubleshooting

The encoder shows Offline before the service

It is not sending yet. Start streaming from the encoder, or, for OBS or vMix, press Start sending on the live stream's run screen. If it still shows Offline, check the device has the right Server URL and Stream key.

The Encoder card names the wrong encoder

Click Change encoder, pick the one you use and click Save. Your saved choice replaces what was guessed from the booth, on this page and on every live stream's Booth card.

Send to OBS shows a message instead

The message says what happened, for example "No booth is online. Open Tech Manager on the booth PC and try again, or set the destination in your encoder yourself." Open Tech Manager on the booth computer with OBS running and try again, or copy the Server URL and Stream key from Address and key into OBS yourself.

Send to vMix shows a message instead

Nothing in vMix was changed. The message says why:

• "… uses its built-in YouTube setup, which can't take an address from Tech Manager. Set Stream 1 in vMix to Custom RTMP Server, or pick another slot." vMix fills in a slot from Tech Manager only when the slot is a Custom RTMP Server slot. In vMix's stream settings, change that slot's destination to Custom RTMP Server, or pick an unused slot and send again.
• "… is already set up to send somewhere else". A dialog asks "Replace Stream 2 in vMix?". Click its Replace button to send WorshipMetrics there instead (what the slot sent to before stops getting video from it), or Cancel and pick another slot.
• "Stream 1 is live in vMix right now, so nothing was changed." Stop that slot in vMix first; vMix uses the new address the next time it starts. "vMix is streaming right now and doesn't say which slot" means the same: send again when vMix isn't streaming.
• "This vMix has 3 stream slots": vMix before version 28 has Stream 1 to Stream 3 only. Pick one of those. Sending to vMix needs vMix 23 or newer.
• "Tech Manager on … needs an update before it can send to vMix": update Tech Manager on that computer, or paste the Server URL and Stream key into a Custom RTMP Server slot in vMix yourself.
• "vMix is set to …": vMix runs on a different computer from Tech Manager. Run Tech Manager on the vMix computer, or paste the address and key into vMix yourself.
• "Tech Manager can't reach vMix on this computer": open vMix and turn on its Web Controller (vMix Settings > Web Controller), then send again.
• "vMix has 2 stream slots pointed at WorshipMetrics": clear the one you don't use in vMix's stream settings, then send again.
• "Tech Manager on … drives OBS, not vMix": the encoder's booth runs OBS. If this encoder now uses OBS, click Change encoder and choose OBS Studio.

A quality change is refused

"Your encoder is sending right now." Quality can only change when the service is over.

How do we test before Sunday?

The Encoders page has no test button. Schedule a live stream, open its pre-flight, choose Rehearsal and start sending. A rehearsal never goes public.

Regenerate key is greyed out

Hover it. "Not while the encoder is sending: the old key would stop working mid-stream." means video is arriving right now: wait until the service is over and the encoder stops. If the card says "This encoder has no ingest address yet", click Set up the ingest first.

The encoder stopped connecting after a new key

The old key stopped working when the new one was made. Paste the new Stream key from Address and key into the encoder (for OBS, click Send to OBS again). If you use SRT, copy the SRT URL and passphrase again too.

Start sending says vMix isn't set up to send to WorshipMetrics

The message reads "vMix isn't set up to send to WorshipMetrics yet — paste the address and key from Encoders into a Custom RTMP stream slot, then try again." Tech Manager found no vMix stream slot pointed at your Server URL. Click Send to vMix on the encoder's card, or paste the Server URL and Stream key into one Custom RTMP Server slot in vMix yourself and close vMix's Settings window so vMix saves it. Then press Start sending again. If the message says two or more slots point at WorshipMetrics, clear the one you don't use in vMix's stream settings.

Start sending or Send to OBS says to choose the booth computer first

The message reads, for example, "Choose the booth computer that runs Youth room first". That encoder isn't your default one and has no Booth computer chosen, so WorshipMetrics won't guess which computer to start. Pick the encoder at the top right of Publish > Live Streaming > Encoders, click Change encoder, choose its Booth computer and click Save. Until then, start that encoder from the encoder itself.

"Tech Manager on … needs an update before it can send …"

A second encoder needs the current Tech Manager on its booth computer; your default encoder doesn't. An older Tech Manager doesn't know how to send a second encoder, so nothing was started or changed. Update Tech Manager on that computer and try again, or start the encoder yourself (for OBS, copy the Server URL and Stream key from Address and key).

"OBS on this computer is set up for a different encoder"

Start sending for a second encoder starts OBS only when OBS already holds that encoder's own address and key. Pick the encoder on Publish > Live Streaming > Encoders, click Send to OBS, and start again. If OBS is already live to another encoder, stop that stream in OBS first.

Remove encoder is greyed out or refused

Greyed out means the encoder is sending video; remove it after it stops. "… is set to use this encoder" means a live stream that hasn't started yet still uses it: give that live stream another encoder or cancel it (Cancel live stream), then try again. "… is using this encoder right now" means that live stream is in preview or on air: remove the encoder once it is over. Your default encoder can never be removed, because your church's watch page plays it.

A name is refused

Each encoder needs its own name. "There is already an encoder called …" means another encoder has it. "… would get the same watch page address as …" means the names differ only by spaces or punctuation. A name also needs at least one letter or number, and "embed" can't be used. Names can be up to 60 characters.

The Watch page line has no link

"Your church's web address couldn't be loaded, so there's no link to share right now." Reload the page. If it keeps happening, ask on Pulse > Support.

Good to know

• The plain ATEM Mini cannot stream by itself (its only output is USB, as a webcam). Connect it to a computer and use OBS or vMix there; Set up the encoder offers Use OBS instead and Use vMix instead when you pick it. The Mini Pro, Extreme, Web Presenter and Streaming Encoder stream on their own.
• Only OBS and vMix can be started and stopped from a live stream's run screen. On vMix, that means only the one stream slot pointed at WorshipMetrics, so a slot you use for something else keeps its own state. An older Tech Manager asks to be updated first. For an ATEM, Tech Manager's own encoder or anything else, the run screen offers Listen now and you start the encoder yourself.
• Where the video goes is set on Publish > Live Streaming > Destinations.
• A church can have up to five encoders, the default one included. Each has its own address, key, quality and booth computer. A live stream that has no encoder of its own runs on the default one.
• Your default encoder is your church's first. Your church's watch page plays it, and it can't be removed. Set to Any booth, it is started on any booth computer that no other encoder has claimed.
• Removing an encoder keeps its past live streams and recordings. Only its address, key and watch page go away.
• Tech Manager finds WorshipMetrics' slot in vMix by the server address, which every encoder shares. Give each encoder that uses vMix its own computer: one vMix holding slots for two encoders can't be started from WorshipMetrics.