If you want one video or scene to appear at 1:00 pm and another at 2:00 pm, you can build those clock-time changes in OBS with Advanced Scene Switcher. The plugin provides date and time conditions together with scene-switch actions, but you should treat the setup as something to rehearse rather than a guaranteed broadcast scheduler.
If your real aim is to play recorded videos one after another, a playlist may be the better starting point. That follows the end of each clip, whereas a clock-time schedule follows the computer’s date and time.
Decide whether the schedule should follow the clock
Start by deciding what should cause the change. This choice matters more than the individual OBS settings because it determines how the stream behaves when a clip is longer, shorter or delayed.
| What you want | Better starting point | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| A programme begins at a particular hour | Date and time condition | Computer time, time zone and the scene active at the boundary |
| The next video starts when the current one ends | Media playback or media-ended trigger | End detection, transition and what happens if playback stops early |
| A library plays in a defined order | VLC source playlist, with scene automation if needed | File order, looping and behaviour after the final item |
| A daily pattern repeats | Several timed events or a playlist designed around clip order | Whether the current plugin version repeats the intended pattern as expected |
For example, a devotional channel might want a morning prayer scene at 6:00 am, a bhajan block at 7:00 am and a still information scene at 8:00 am. Those are clock events. A study channel that wants each lesson to begin immediately after the previous lesson is using completion-based playback instead.
A VLC source with files added as a playlist is one community-described approach for sequential video playback. Advanced Scene Switcher can then respond to media state or a clip ending and move to another scene. The free playlist options for YouTube Live are worth considering before you build a large clock-based macro.
Do not assume that a list of timed events is interchangeable with a playlist. If the 1:00 pm video runs for longer than expected, a second timed event may still fire at 2:00 pm. That could switch scenes while the first item is still playing. A completion-based arrangement usually matches the content more naturally, while clock-time scheduling gives you tighter control over the broadcast timetable.
Install or check Advanced Scene Switcher
Before creating macros, check that your OBS installation and the plugin are compatible. The OBS Project Forums listing for Advanced Scene Switcher 1.36.1 listed OBS Studio 31.1.1 as the minimum version, with Windows, macOS and Linux supported, as listed on the OBS Project Forums in September 2026. Recheck the listing before installation because plugin and OBS requirements can change.
Use the resource page’s download route rather than an old installation command copied from a forum reply. The Advanced Scene Switcher resource page is the primary place to check the current release details and download link.
The project repository describes installers for Windows and macOS. It also documents a Flatpak route for Linux users whose OBS installation came through Flatpak. The project’s installation notes on GitHub are more useful than guessing where a plugin file belongs.
After installation, open OBS and look for Advanced Scene Switcher in the relevant dock or menu area. If it is missing, stop there. Do not create a schedule around a plugin that OBS has not loaded. Close and reopen OBS after installation if the project’s current instructions require it, then check the plugin version shown by your installation.
Keep the first test simple. Create two ordinary scenes with visibly different names and backgrounds, such as TEST A and TEST B. Once the scenes switch correctly, add media sources. This separates a plugin-loading problem from a source, transition or file-path problem.
The plugin does not start your YouTube Live broadcast merely because a macro is active. OBS still needs to be configured for streaming, and YouTube still needs its own live-stream setup. Before tuning automation, review the best OBS settings for a 24/7 YouTube event replay stream, especially if the same computer will encode and play several large files.
Create a date and time condition
Advanced Scene Switcher macros pair a condition with an action. For a clock-based change, create a macro using the date and time condition type, then set the intended date or time value in the controls provided by your installed version.
The important distinction is between the building block and the complete schedule. The plugin listing documents date and time conditions, but that does not by itself prove that every daily, weekly or timezone-specific arrangement will behave as you expect. Treat the controls as tools you must validate in your own installation.
Begin with one event in the near future rather than a full day. If it is currently 10:20, test a change at 10:25. A short interval lets you observe the boundary without leaving the computer running overnight. Use a scene with a clear visual marker, such as a large label showing the scene name, so that a change is obvious in the OBS preview.
Pay attention to which clock the condition uses. Your operating system’s date, time and time zone affect a clock-based trigger. A schedule written for India Standard Time will not produce the same local result if the computer is configured for another time zone. Confirm the system clock and time zone before blaming the macro.
Do not create several events until the single event behaves correctly. First verify that the condition becomes true at the intended time and that it remains usable after the transition. Then test a second event with a different target scene. This makes it easier to identify whether the problem is the condition, the action or the content inside the destination scene.
If the interface offers choices that appear to describe daily or recurring behaviour, record exactly what you selected. Take a screenshot or write down the settings before adding more macros. A clear record helps when you return to the project after a plugin update or when another person has to maintain the channel.
Choose the scene-switch action
The action should match the outcome you want at the scheduled boundary. For a normal clock-time change, use the switch-scene action and select the destination scene. The destination scene might contain a media source, a camera, a static graphic or several sources arranged together.
Keep the first destination scene deliberately plain. If MORNING BLOCK contains one media source and a visible label, you can tell whether the scene changed and whether the file began playing. A complicated scene with browser sources, audio filters and several media files can hide the real cause of a failure.
Decide what should happen to the source in the scene you are leaving. Some media sources may restart when their scene becomes active, while others may retain their position depending on the source and OBS settings. Your test must establish the behaviour of the actual files you plan to use. Do not infer it from a different source type.
Also decide how the change should look and sound. A cut is easier to test because the boundary is unmistakable. A fade may be more suitable for devotional, ambience or local-news content, but it can make timing less obvious. Start with a cut during rehearsal, then choose a transition after confirming that the correct scene is selected.
If the next scene needs to begin at the top of a file, check its media-source restart behaviour. If it should continue from a saved position, check that instead. A scheduled scene change and a scheduled media restart are separate questions, and a correct scene switch does not automatically prove that playback starts at the position you intended.
For a short-term test, use labelled dummy files or copies of the real files. That avoids confusing an old media position, missing file or muted audio source with a scheduling fault. Once the macro works, replace the test content and repeat the boundary test.
Configure each scheduled event
Create one macro for one clear event, at least while you are learning the arrangement. A useful naming pattern is 06:00 - Morning scene, 07:00 - Bhajan block or 14:00 - News loop. Names do not control OBS, but they make a long list understandable when you need to diagnose it.
For each event, define four things:
- The date or time condition.
- The destination scene.
- The playback behaviour expected in that scene.
- The fallback if the media is missing, late or unable to play.
The fallback does not need to be elaborate. A static holding scene with a message such as Next programme loading is easier to monitor than a black screen. For a news loop, you might use an information card. For a bhajan channel, you might use a simple still background with a continuous audio bed, provided you have separately checked the rights and source behaviour for that material.
Avoid scheduling two scenes for the same boundary until you have a reason to do so. If two actions are eligible at nearly the same time, the result may be difficult to interpret. Keep one intended action per time point, use distinct names, and leave enough separation between test events to see which one fired.
Build the schedule around the actual content duration. If a 30-minute recorded talk begins at 1:00 pm and the next talk must begin at 1:30 pm, check the file’s real duration rather than relying on its filename. If a video has an intro, outro or variable playback speed, the visible programme boundary may not match the nominal length.
For a daily schedule, first test two adjacent events in one short window. Then test the same arrangement across a date boundary if the condition includes a date. Finally, test the full day in an offline or private arrangement. The point is not to prove a theoretical macro; it is to observe the exact combination of OBS version, plugin version, media sources and operating-system clock that you will rely on.
Make a written event table before you build the macros:
| Time | Scene | Main media | Expected result | Fallback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06:00 | Morning prayer | Prayer video | Scene changes and file starts | Holding card |
| 07:00 | Bhajan block | Playlist or long video | New block appears | Previous scene or holding card |
| 08:00 | Information | Channel notices | Graphic remains visible | Static backup scene |
This also gives you a maintenance document. When you replace a file, change a time or add a festival programme, update the table before editing OBS.
Check recurrence and plugin compatibility
A recurring schedule is where cautious testing matters most. The available date and time condition and scene-switch action show that clock-based automation can be assembled, but the sources reviewed do not establish one universal, tested configuration for every repeating daily schedule, timezone or recovery case.
That means you should not write “set it once and forget it” into your operating plan. Confirm what happens after the first occurrence, after OBS is restarted, after the computer wakes, after a missed time and after a stream interruption. A macro that works while you watch it may behave differently when OBS starts after the scheduled time has already passed.
Check whether the condition is intended to fire once, repeatedly or according to another date rule in your installed version. Read the current plugin notes and test the exact recurrence rather than relying on a tutorial made for an older release. Version details are important here because a setting name or control may change.
Also test what happens when a source fails. Rename a test file temporarily, remove a test source or use another safe failure method, then observe the result. Restore the source afterwards. You want to know whether OBS shows a blank area, keeps the previous frame, switches scene successfully but cannot play the file, or provides another result.
A clock schedule can also be affected by a computer restart, an operating-system update, sleep or a changed time zone. Preventing sleep is a separate part of a 24/7 setup, so use the OBS sleep-prevention checklist alongside the schedule rather than treating the macro as protection against power or operating-system events.
If the schedule is business-critical, keep a human-readable run sheet and a fallback scene. A person checking the stream should know what should be on air at the current time and what to select if automation stops. This is especially useful for local news, community announcements and religious programming where a missed change is noticed quickly.
Rehearse before going live
Run the complete arrangement in a safe state before attaching it to an important public broadcast. A private or otherwise interruption-tolerant test lets you check the whole chain: OBS opens, the correct profile loads, sources are available, audio is present, scenes switch, files start, the loop returns correctly and the schedule continues after several events.
Set the test close enough to the present that you can watch every boundary. Do not test only the first switch. A schedule can succeed at 1:00 pm and fail at 2:00 pm because the second destination contains a missing file, a different source type or an action with a different setting.
Watch both the OBS preview and the actual YouTube output when the stream is connected. The preview confirms what OBS is producing; the public output confirms what reaches YouTube after its own processing delay. Do not use a visible delay as evidence that the macro fired late until you have checked the local OBS timestamp and scene state.
Keep notes for each event:
- the scheduled time and the computer’s local time
- the scene visible before and after the boundary
- whether the media restarted or resumed
- whether audio changed as expected
- whether the next event still fired
- what happened when a file was unavailable
Test recovery as well. Stop and reopen OBS if that is part of your normal operating procedure. Disconnect a non-essential test source. Restart the computer only when you have a safe recovery plan. If the schedule cannot recover cleanly, decide whether a simpler playlist, a manual run sheet or a hosted workflow better fits the channel.
For a computer that must remain on all night, check power settings, network stability, local storage and audio routing separately. The upload-speed guidance for YouTube Live covers one part of delivery, but a good upload connection cannot fix a sleeping computer, a missing file or a scene that contains no audio.
If the repeated maintenance is the real problem rather than the schedule itself, an uploaded-file workflow may remove the need to keep OBS running on your computer. StreamNeo is designed for the specific case where you upload a video, provide the YouTube stream key and let the continuous broadcast run without leaving your computer switched on, with monitoring and automatic restart for interruptions.
Before committing, compare the operating options on the pricing page. When the file and channel are ready, start free — 24-hour trial, no card.
FAQ
Can Advanced Scene Switcher change scenes at a specific time?
Its current OBS resource listing includes date and time conditions and a switch-scene action. That establishes the available building blocks, not a guarantee that every daily or recurring arrangement will work without testing. Create a near-term test event first and verify it with the OBS and plugin versions you actually use.
Should I use a playlist instead of clock-time macros?
Use a playlist when the next item should begin after the current item finishes. Use clock-time conditions when the broadcast must change at a particular hour. If both requirements matter, test carefully because a time-based action can arrive while a longer-than-expected video is still playing.
Will the schedule start my YouTube Live broadcast?
No. Advanced Scene Switcher changes OBS state according to its conditions and actions; it does not by itself start your YouTube broadcast. Configure and test OBS streaming separately, then verify the live output in a safe test arrangement.
What should I test before leaving the stream overnight?
Test every scheduled boundary, media restart behaviour, audio, looping, missing-file behaviour, computer sleep settings and recovery after an OBS restart. Confirm the operating system’s time zone and clock, and keep a fallback scene and written run sheet so a person can intervene if automation stops.