To broadcast an online radio station on YouTube with BUTT and OBS, route the station’s audio into OBS, use OBS as the encoder that sends the stream to YouTube, then verify the feed in YouTube Studio. BUTT’s documented role is streaming live audio from a computer microphone or line input to services such as Icecast and Shoutcast; it does not automatically route an existing online station into OBS or send OBS’s video stream to YouTube. The audio-capture setup depends on your operating system, player, and audio devices.
How the broadcast path works
For this workflow, OBS sends the broadcast to YouTube using YouTube’s server URL and stream key. The station audio must first reach an audio source OBS can capture. A visual scene—such as a station graphic, logo, or visualizer—provides the video portion of the YouTube stream.
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BUTT is an audio streaming tool. Its official feature description covers live audio from a computer microphone or line input and lists Icecast, Shoutcast, and WebRTC support, with versions for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Those destinations are distinct from YouTube’s encoder workflow. Do not assume a BUTT connection to an Icecast or Shoutcast server will, by itself, feed your station playback into OBS or send OBS to YouTube. BUTT’s official site describes its role and supported destinations.
The Tool Desk
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- The station audio source: identify whether it plays in a browser, desktop player, physical mixer, or another device.
- The computer and audio route: determine whether the audio already reaches the computer running OBS, and which audio devices or routing options are available.
- An OBS scene: prepare a suitable visual, such as a still station graphic, and an audio source that captures the actual station playback.
- YouTube live access: first-time activation of live streaming may take up to 24 hours, according to YouTube’s encoder setup guidance.
- A private stream key: treat it like a password. Anyone who obtains it may be able to broadcast to your channel; do not show it in screenshots or tutorials. OBS’s stream-key guidance explains the credential analogy.
Get the radio audio into OBS
- Identify where the station plays. Note the operating system, the browser or application playing the stream, and whether the signal comes from a physical device. These details determine the capture method; there is no single reliable set of click instructions for every setup.
- Add an appropriate audio source in OBS. Configure a source that receives the station playback, using the audio-routing option available on your system. If the station comes from a physical mixer or interface, use the input path already carrying that signal. Do not assume audio audible through speakers is also being captured by OBS.
- Check the OBS audio meter. Play the station and confirm that the source’s meter responds. Listen to the signal through OBS monitoring or another suitable check before going live. Confirm that the station is continuous and at a sensible level.
- Build the video scene. Add a station image or other appropriate visual. If you use a visualizer, test it with the actual audio and motion before streaming.
The exact audio-source labels and capture steps vary by operating system, player, and available devices. If the meter stays silent, troubleshoot the route that captures the application, system audio, or physical input rather than changing YouTube settings first.
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Connect OBS to YouTube
- In YouTube Studio, choose Create → Go Live, then create or select a stream in Live Control Room. Follow YouTube’s encoder setup to obtain the server URL and stream key. The labels may vary with YouTube’s current interface; use the values shown for the selected stream. See YouTube’s setup instructions.
- In OBS, open the stream settings. Select YouTube if that option is available, or enter YouTube’s server URL and stream key in the applicable server and key fields.
- Keep the key private. If you think it has been exposed, replace or reset it through the stream setup controls in YouTube Studio; check YouTube’s current interface for the exact control.
- Set the stream’s visibility and other available details in YouTube Studio. For a scheduled broadcast, start the OBS encoder and wait for the feed to appear in Live Control Room. Check the preview and audio, then select Go live.
OBS output settings to check
YouTube’s current encoder guidance recommends RTMPS, constant bitrate (CBR), and a two-second keyframe interval; the interval should not exceed four seconds. Its settings guidance lists H.264, H.265 (HEVC), and AV1 video options, and AAC or MP3 audio. For stereo audio, the table lists a 44.1 kHz sample rate and 128 kbps bitrate. These are YouTube’s published recommendations, not a guarantee that every codec or option appears in every OBS build, encoder, or ingestion mode. Check the active options in OBS and YouTube’s encoder settings guidance.
- Connection: use RTMPS when the YouTube setup and OBS options support it.
- Rate control: use CBR where available.
- Keyframes: set a two-second interval, and do not exceed four seconds.
- Audio: use a compatible AAC or MP3 option; for stereo, YouTube’s table lists 44.1 kHz and 128 kbps.
- Stability: choose an output your computer and upload connection can sustain. Test under conditions similar to the intended broadcast.
Start, monitor, and end the broadcast
- Start streaming from OBS.
- Confirm that Live Control Room receives the encoder feed. Check the preview and listen for clear, continuous station audio.
- If the stream is scheduled, select Go live in Live Control Room after the preview arrives.
- To finish, stop the encoder in OBS and end the broadcast in Studio as appropriate for the stream.
YouTube says streams shorter than 12 hours are automatically archived. That published behavior does not promise automatic archiving for streams lasting 12 hours or longer. YouTube’s setup guidance also notes that first-time live activation may take up to 24 hours.
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Troubleshoot common problems
YouTube receives video, but there is no radio audio
Check whether the OBS audio meter moves for the source intended to capture the station. Playback through speakers does not prove OBS is receiving the signal. Revisit the application or system capture route, or the physical input path actually in use.
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Check whether both an application or system-audio source and a microphone or interface are capturing the same signal. Disable the duplicate path and listen again.
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OBS connects, but the broadcast does not appear live
Verify that the selected stream in YouTube Studio matches the server URL and key configured in OBS. For a scheduled stream, wait for the preview and select Go live in Live Control Room.
The broadcast is unstable
Check that the output uses compatible settings, including the recommended keyframe interval, and that the computer and upload connection can sustain the chosen output. YouTube recommends testing under conditions similar to the intended stream; consult its encoder settings guidance.
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The stream key may have been exposed
Treat the key as compromised and replace or reset it through YouTube’s stream setup controls. Do not rely on hiding or cropping the old key in a screenshot.
Copyright and radio content
Before broadcasting, make sure you have the rights or permissions needed to transmit the station’s music, spoken material, and other content on YouTube. A station’s permission to play a track on its own service does not, by itself, establish permission to rebroadcast it on YouTube. Review the applicable rights and YouTube rules for your content and territory before scheduling a stream.
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Or let it run in the cloud
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Quick Recap
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