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BUTT

How to Route BUTT Audio into YouTube Live with OBS

BUTT’s documented destinations are Icecast and SHOUTcast, not YouTube Live. Use OBS to capture BUTT audio, add a visual source and connect the scene to YouTube’s encoder workflow.

By DocumentaryTube Team 6 min read
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To get live audio from BUTT into YouTube Live, capture BUTT’s output in OBS and send the OBS scene to YouTube. BUTT’s documented job is streaming microphone or line audio to an Icecast or SHOUTcast server; its manual does not describe it as a YouTube Live encoder. OBS provides the bridge: it captures the audio, pairs it with a visual source, and connects to YouTube using the stream URL and key from YouTube Live Control Room.

Can BUTT stream directly to YouTube Live?

BUTT’s manual describes sending live microphone or line input to an Icecast or SHOUTcast server. It also says BUTT is not itself a server and is not intended to automatically stream a set of audio files. YouTube’s encoder workflow, by contrast, calls for a YouTube server URL and stream key to be entered in an encoder. Those documented workflows point to using OBS between BUTT’s audio and YouTube; they do not establish a native direct YouTube output from BUTT.

This method is for a live audio feed. It does not mean that BUTT turns an Icecast or SHOUTcast stream into a YouTube broadcast, nor does it establish that every third-party bridge or plugin is impossible. The steps below use the separately documented OBS-and-YouTube encoder path.

What you need before starting

  • BUTT configured to produce the microphone or line audio you want to broadcast.
  • OBS installed and able to access an audio capture method that can receive BUTT’s output.
  • A YouTube channel with access to YouTube Live Control Room and a stream created or selected for this broadcast.
  • A visual element for the OBS scene. YouTube Live here is a video stream, so an audio feed alone is not the complete OBS scene.
  • A suitable test stream or other non-public test arrangement before you broadcast publicly.

Route BUTT audio to OBS and YouTube

  1. Create or select the YouTube stream. In YouTube Studio, open Live Control Room and create or select the stream you intend to use. Copy its server URL and stream key. Keep the key private: anyone who has it may be able to send a stream to that destination.
  2. Create an OBS scene and add a visual source. In OBS, create a scene, then add an image, text, video, display capture or camera source as appropriate. For a radio-style broadcast, a still image with useful identifying text can provide a simple visual while the audio plays. Check that the scene displays as intended in OBS’s preview.
  3. Choose how OBS will capture BUTT’s audio. The right method depends on your operating system and how BUTT sends audio to it. You can capture an audio device, use per-application audio capture where supported, or route BUTT’s output through a virtual audio device and capture that device as an input. OBS documents Audio Input/Output Capture for Windows and macOS and ALSA/PulseAudio sources on Linux. Its per-application audio guide covers Windows 10 version 2004 or later and Windows 11; some applications may need another capture method. Do not assume the same source names or menu choices apply on every system.
  4. Check the audio path before connecting. Start audio in BUTT and watch OBS’s audio meters. If the intended meter does not move, verify that BUTT is sending audio to the output device you selected, then check that OBS is capturing that same device or application route. If your setup requires selecting a device manually in OBS, do so rather than relying on an automatic selection.
  5. Enter the YouTube connection details in OBS. Open OBS’s streaming settings. Select YouTube if it is offered as a service, or enter the server URL and stream key copied from Live Control Room. Use RTMPS if your selected encoder offers it and the YouTube server details support it. Do not share or display the stream key in the scene.
  6. Start the encoder, then check YouTube’s preview. Start streaming from OBS. For a scheduled YouTube stream, wait for the preview in Live Control Room and click Go live there when you are ready. A running OBS stream does not by itself mean that a scheduled YouTube broadcast has been made public.
  7. Test the full path and monitor it. Before a public broadcast, test representative audio and video. Confirm that the picture appears in YouTube’s preview, that the audio is audible, and that YouTube reports acceptable stream health. Watch for silence, clipping, delayed or missing picture, and interruptions before relying on the setup.

Choose the right audio capture route

Route When it may fit What to check
Per-application audio capture When you want OBS to capture BUTT directly and your Windows version and application are supported by the OBS method. OBS documents this option for Windows 10 version 2004 or later and Windows 11. Confirm that BUTT’s audio appears in the capture and that its level meter moves.
Audio device capture When BUTT’s output is available through an audio device OBS can capture. Available source types and labels vary by operating system. Check that the chosen device is the one receiving BUTT’s output.
Virtual audio device When direct application capture is unavailable or does not capture BUTT reliably. Route BUTT’s output to the virtual device, then choose that device as OBS’s audio input. OBS describes virtual-device routing for certain application-audio cases; setup steps are platform-specific.

There is no single best route for every computer. Prefer the simplest method that reliably moves BUTT’s audio into OBS without capturing the same signal twice.

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Set video and audio properties deliberately

YouTube’s encoder guidance lists H.264, H.265/HEVC or AV1 for video and AAC or MP3 for audio. It recommends constant bitrate (CBR), a two-second keyframe interval and no more than four seconds between keyframes. YouTube recommends RTMPS where the encoder supports it. These are YouTube platform recommendations, not evidence that BUTT itself produces a YouTube-compatible video stream.

Use settings that your computer, OBS output and available upload connection can sustain. There is no single bitrate that suits every resolution and connection. Test using the actual scene and audio you plan to broadcast, then check YouTube’s stream health rather than assuming a setting is suitable because it worked on another system.

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Troubleshoot common failures

  • OBS’s audio meter stays still: Confirm BUTT is playing audio and sending it to the output you intended. Check the capture source selected in OBS and the operating system’s device routing. If application capture does not work, try a supported audio-device or virtual-device route.
  • You hear an echo or doubled audio: Check whether the same device or signal is captured both as a global OBS audio device and as a scene source. Disable the unintended duplicate capture, then test again.
  • YouTube receives a stream but the preview is blank: Check that the OBS scene contains an active visual source and that the correct scene is selected. This workflow sends an OBS video stream, not an audio-only connection.
  • YouTube does not receive the OBS stream: Verify that OBS has the server URL and key for the intended stream, that the key was copied correctly, and that OBS has an available network connection. If you changed the stream in Live Control Room, make sure OBS is using that stream’s current connection details.
  • The stream connects but YouTube reports poor health: Test with representative audio and video, review the encoder settings against YouTube’s guidance, and reduce output demands if your computer or upload connection cannot sustain them. Monitor stream health during the test.
  • The scheduled broadcast has a preview but is not live to viewers: For a scheduled stream, start OBS’s encoder first, wait for the YouTube preview, then select Go live in Live Control Room when ready.

Copyright and broadcast readiness

Before broadcasting music, recordings, images or other material, confirm that you have the rights or permissions needed for YouTube distribution. An audio feed working technically does not establish that its contents are cleared for streaming. Keep private tests private or otherwise appropriately restricted, and check the content and visual source before making a broadcast public.

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Or let it run in the cloud

StreamNeo is a separate option for keeping a YouTube channel live from uploaded videos: upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live. It does not capture a live microphone or line feed from BUTT, so it is not a replacement for the OBS route above when the broadcast must carry live BUTT audio.

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