To broadcast an online radio station to YouTube, route the station audio into OBS, add a video track, then send OBS’s encoded feed to YouTube Live. BUTT and OBS do different jobs: BUTT is for sending live computer audio to supported radio servers, while OBS can encode the audio and video feed YouTube expects. An existing BUTT connection does not automatically provide either the radio playback inside OBS or the YouTube output.
This guide assumes your Liquidsoap source already plays as intended. First confirm that source; then choose whether Liquidsoap or OBS will handle the YouTube-facing output. The right configuration depends on your installed Liquidsoap version and existing setup, so treat any version-specific settings as something to check against the documentation for your installation, not as a universal recipe.
Confirm the Liquidsoap source works
Before adding YouTube to the chain, check that your station audio is actually reaching its intended listener or output. Listen to the station stream from a separate player if possible. Confirm that it starts, continues, and has the expected programme material; a process running without errors does not prove that listeners can hear it.
If your Liquidsoap source feeds Icecast or Shoutcast, test that public or local stream at the point where you normally monitor it. Check for silence, repeated audio, unexpected gaps, or a programme that stops when a playlist or input changes. Keep this test separate from YouTube so that you can tell whether a fault starts in the station source or later in the video-encoding path.
Write down what provides the audio and where it plays: a browser, desktop player, physical mixer, or another device. Also note which computer and operating system run OBS. Those details determine how the audio can be captured. A browser on the same computer may be capturable as application audio; a mixer may already feed an interface; a player on another device needs a route that brings its output to the OBS computer. There is no single capture method that fits all of these arrangements.
BUTT may still have a place in the wider workflow, but do not treat its usual station-server connection as a YouTube encoder connection. Its official description of supported audio streaming destinations covers live audio from a computer microphone or line input and lists Icecast, Shoutcast and WebRTC support. YouTube’s encoder workflow is different: the encoder sends a feed to YouTube using a server URL and stream key. If your goal is to use OBS for YouTube, make the station audio available to OBS independently and check that OBS receives it.
Why YouTube Live needs a video track
A radio station can be audio-only in its usual form, but an encoder feed to YouTube Live needs video as well as audio. A waveform, logo, or still image can provide a visual track, but the presence of an audio source alone is not enough. If OBS shows audio activity but its video canvas is blank or not producing a picture, solve that before starting the YouTube test.
For a simple station broadcast, the video can be a still graphic containing the station name and other details you have permission to display. A slowly changing visual or a visualiser is another possibility, provided it produces continuous video and does not distract from the programme. Make the scene legible on a phone as well as a desktop, and avoid text so small that it disappears at the size viewers commonly use.
This is also a useful distinction when considering a direct Liquidsoap output. A Liquidsoap configuration that produces only audio does not meet the video-track requirement for YouTube Live. A documented YouTube output route may be available in your installed version and configuration, but you still need to establish how that route supplies video. Consult the Liquidsoap documentation that matches your installed version before adapting an example; do not assume that a configuration written for another release will work unchanged.
If you are building a longer-running station, the visual has its own failure modes. A still image is simple, but it can be the wrong image, have an incorrect aspect ratio, or disappear if its source file becomes unavailable. A playlist or rotating video can add movement, but gaps or frozen playback can leave the channel looking broken even while the audio continues. For more on that particular risk, see how to avoid frozen video playback in a 24/7 stream.
Choose Liquidsoap output or an encoder handoff
There are two broad paths. You can configure a YouTube-facing output in Liquidsoap if the installed version and its available configuration support the route you need, including a video track. Or you can keep Liquidsoap responsible for the station source and hand the resulting audio to OBS, which combines it with a scene and encodes the YouTube feed. Neither path is automatically right for every installation.
| Path | What it can simplify | What you need to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Liquidsoap YouTube output | Keeps more of the station workflow in the existing audio setup | Your installed version supports the documented output and can supply continuous video as well as audio |
| Liquidsoap or station playback into OBS | OBS provides the scene and YouTube-facing encoder workflow in one place | The station audio reaches an OBS source reliably, and the computer can sustain the selected output |
| BUTT plus OBS | BUTT can serve a separate live-audio destination while OBS handles the YouTube feed | The audio route into OBS is configured separately; a BUTT-to-Icecast/Shoutcast connection is not itself an OBS capture route |
For many readers who already use OBS, the handoff is easier to diagnose: first verify the station source, then check the audio meter in OBS, then check the video scene, and finally check YouTube’s preview. That separation helps locate the point where a signal goes missing. A direct Liquidsoap output may suit an existing deployment better, but only if the documented features in that installation cover both the YouTube ingest route and the required video output.
The trade-off is operational as well as technical. With OBS, the computer running it must remain on and maintain the connection for the duration of the broadcast. It also gives you a visible scene and meters to inspect. A direct output can reduce the number of applications in the path, but a configuration mistake may be less obvious if you are not already comfortable inspecting Liquidsoap logs and output settings.
Do not add an audio interface, mixer, or other hardware just because a guide mentions one. If the station already plays on the OBS computer, software capture may be sufficient. If the audio comes from a physical mixer, using its existing output may be the cleanest route. Decide based on the signal you have, not on a shopping list.
Add a still image or other video track
In OBS, create a scene that produces a continuous picture. For a first test, use a still station graphic as a visual source and confirm that it fills the canvas. A logo can be enough, though a station name or programme information can make the stream recognisable. You can also use a visualiser or video source if you have checked that it loops or continues without leaving a black interval.
Now add an audio source that receives the actual station playback. The source type depends on where the sound originates and on the operating system. If it is a browser or player, look for a way to capture that application or its output; if it comes from a physical device, use the route already connected to the computer. Avoid turning on both a system capture and a microphone or interface that carry the same programme unless you have a reason to mix them.
Watch the OBS audio meter while the station is playing. Then listen to the signal you intend to send, using headphones or another monitoring route that does not feed its output back into the capture. Check that speech and music are audible, that levels do not clip, and that there is no doubled or delayed copy. An audio meter moving is useful evidence that a signal reaches OBS, but it does not by itself confirm that the sound is clean or that YouTube receives it.
Keep the first scene uncomplicated. A single still image and one confirmed station-audio source make a better diagnostic test than a collection of browser sources, transitions and playlists. Once the basic broadcast works, you can add movement or programme information and test each change separately. If you want a more elaborate rotation, the guide to adding an OBS video playlist without black gaps covers a related continuity concern.
Configure YouTube ingest details securely
In YouTube Studio, open Create → Go Live and create or select the stream in Live Control Room. YouTube’s encoder setup guidance tells you to use the server URL and stream key shown for the stream in your encoder. In OBS, select YouTube if that option is available, or enter the server URL and key in the relevant destination fields. Check that you are using the details for the intended stream rather than an old test or another channel.
Treat the stream key as a credential. Do not include it in a screenshot, public tutorial, shared settings file, or message to someone who does not need access. If it may have been exposed, use the current controls in YouTube Studio to replace or reset it, then update the encoder. A third-party guide’s advice to treat the key like a password is sensible, but the precise controls can change; follow YouTube’s current instructions for your account.
YouTube recommends RTMPS for encoder delivery. Its published encoder settings also describe CBR, video codec options and keyframe guidance. The page recommends a two-second keyframe interval and says not to exceed four seconds. For stereo audio it lists 44.1 kHz and 128 kbps. These are YouTube’s published recommendations, not a guarantee that each setting is available with every OBS build, encoder, or Liquidsoap configuration. Check the current guidance and the controls your software actually offers.
Choose settings the computer and connection can sustain, rather than simply selecting the highest available output. YouTube advises testing under conditions similar to the intended stream. A short test at the time of day and on the network you plan to use is more useful than assuming a connection will behave identically overnight. If your channel is aimed at viewers in India or elsewhere, consider the reliability of the actual connection where the encoder will run, not the location of the audience alone.
Test the output and check Live Control Room
Before inviting viewers, run an unlisted or private test if that fits your channel plan. Start OBS streaming and confirm that YouTube receives the encoder feed. In Live Control Room, wait for the preview; check that the video is present and the radio audio is continuous, at a sensible level, and in sync with the picture. A successful connection in OBS is not the same as a verified preview on YouTube.
For a scheduled stream, YouTube’s workflow is to start the encoder, wait for the preview in Live Control Room, and then select Go live. Do not assume that starting OBS alone makes a scheduled broadcast public. Set visibility and schedule details in Studio deliberately, and confirm the stream title and destination before you begin. YouTube notes that first-time live streaming may take up to 24 hours to activate, so do not leave activation until the moment you intend to broadcast.
Use a checklist rather than relying on memory:
- Liquidsoap or the station player produces the expected programme when checked separately.
- The audio source carrying that programme is visible in OBS and its meter responds.
- You can hear the captured signal without echo, clipping, or silence.
- The OBS scene produces a continuous picture, even if it is only a still graphic.
- OBS is sending to the intended YouTube stream with the current server details.
- Live Control Room shows the expected preview, with both picture and sound.
- For a scheduled event, you have selected Go live in Studio after the preview arrives.
A short test can reveal routing mistakes, but it cannot establish that a long broadcast will never fail. For a station meant to run through the night, leave enough time to observe the setup and check the relevant computer, power, and connection arrangements. A spare-PC workflow has different practical constraints from an encoder that runs on your everyday workstation; this guide to a 24/7 channel on a spare PC in India can help you think through that operating choice.
YouTube says streams shorter than 12 hours are automatically archived. Treat that as its published behaviour for eligible streams, not a promise about longer sessions or a substitute for keeping your own source material. If you need a recording, confirm the archive after the broadcast and keep the original audio or video files you may need.
Troubleshoot audio, video and connection issues
If YouTube shows video but no radio sound, start at OBS rather than changing the Liquidsoap source immediately. Check whether the audio meter for the intended source moves while the station plays. If it does not, the issue is likely between the station playback and the selected OBS capture route. Revisit how that browser, application, device or mixer reaches OBS; sound coming from the computer speakers does not prove that OBS is capturing it.
If the sound is doubled, delayed or echoing, look for two sources carrying the same programme. A system or application capture and a microphone or interface can both include the signal. Mute one source at a time during a private test to identify the duplicate. Avoid monitoring a captured source through speakers that are also picked up by a microphone, since that can create feedback.
If the picture is black or frozen, confirm that the active OBS scene contains a working visual source and that it is not hidden or pointing to a file that has moved. Test the still image on its own before returning to a playlist or visualiser. If OBS appears to send video but the YouTube preview does not update, check that the correct stream is selected in Studio and that the encoder is using its current ingest details.
If OBS connects but the stream does not appear live, distinguish the encoder feed from the public broadcast state. Confirm the server URL and key against the stream selected in YouTube Studio. For a scheduled event, wait for the preview and use Go live there. Also check visibility and scheduling; a stream that is private or not yet started can be mistaken for a connection failure.
If the connection is unstable, check the encoder settings against YouTube’s current guidance and assess whether the computer and upload connection can sustain them. Reduce complexity in the test scene and avoid changing several settings at once. Keep notes on what changed and what the preview did; otherwise, it is easy to mistake a coincidental recovery for a fix. For an always-on channel, see the OBS and Airtel Xstream Fiber settings guide for network-related considerations, while checking your own router and connection rather than assuming the same conditions.
If a key has appeared in a recording, screenshot or public post, treat it as compromised. Replace it through the current YouTube Studio controls, update OBS or Liquidsoap as applicable, and test with the new details. Do not paste keys into troubleshooting posts. If you need help, share the error message and relevant settings with the credential removed.
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FAQ
Can I send audio-only Liquidsoap output to YouTube Live?
No. YouTube Live encoder delivery requires a video track as well as audio. Add a still image or another continuous visual source, and confirm the resulting preview in Live Control Room.
Does BUTT send my online radio playback into OBS?
Not by itself. BUTT’s documented role includes sending live audio from a computer input to supported radio destinations, but that does not establish an audio-capture route into OBS. Configure the playback or device path to an OBS audio source separately and verify it with the meter and a listening test.
Should I configure Liquidsoap or OBS to send the YouTube feed?
Use the route your installed software and existing setup can support and that you can monitor reliably. Check version-matched Liquidsoap documentation if you want a direct output; if you use OBS, verify that it receives station audio and has a continuous video scene before connecting to YouTube.
What if I cannot go live immediately after setting up the channel?
YouTube says first-time live-stream activation may take up to 24 hours. Check the channel’s current eligibility and status in Studio, and allow for activation before scheduling a first broadcast.