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Live Producer

Streaming

RTMP and SRT: what each is, caller and listener, keys, ports, and the one encode shared by every target.

Streaming sends the program, picture and sound, to one or more targets at once while you switch. Live Producer speaks two protocols: RTMP for streaming platforms, and SRT for a receiver you control.

RTMP

Section titled “RTMP”

RTMP is what YouTube, Vimeo, LinkedIn, Facebook and Teams take. A target needs the server address and a stream key, both from the platform. YouTube and Vimeo fill in their server for you; Custom RTMP takes any server. For a server that puts the key in its address (rtmp://host/app/key), leave the key empty. A platform that refuses the key says so in the target’s state.

SRT

Section titled “SRT”

SRT sends to a receiver you run, such as vMix or a CDN ingest, and copes with a lossy network. An SRT target works one of two ways:

Mode This Mac Fields
Send to a Receiver (Caller) connects to a receiver listening at a host and port Host, Port, Latency, Passphrase, Stream ID
Wait for a Receiver (Listener) waits on a port until a receiver connects to it Port, Latency, Passphrase

Both ends use the larger of their two latencies (20 to 8000 ms). With a passphrase (10 to 79 characters) the stream is encrypted, and the receiver needs the same one. A listener that waits shows Waiting for Receiver; when its receiver leaves, it waits again.

Keys

Section titled “Keys”

The usual key or passphrase of a target is kept in this Mac’s keychain, never in the show or your account. A show can use a key of its own for one target instead (Key for This Show); it is kept in the keychain too.

One encode for every target

Section titled “One encode for every target”

The show type sets the encoding: video from 1 to 20 Mb/s in H.264, hardware encoded, the same size and rate as the program; a keyframe every 1, 2 or 4 seconds; AAC sound at 128 to 256 kb/s. One encode is shared by every target, so each extra target only adds upload. The settings estimate the upload the checked targets need. A change made while streaming applies the next time streaming starts.

States

Section titled “States”

Each target shows its state in a word and a symbol: Ready, Connecting (or Waiting for Receiver), Live with its time, Reconnecting and Failed. A target that drops reconnects by itself and says why. While live, the Stream popover shows the kb/s and any dropped frames.

Stopping ends the stream

Section titled “Stopping ends the stream”

Stopping is not a pause. Viewers see the stream end, and starting again begins a new stream; some services make it a new broadcast. That is why stopping always asks first.

Read more

Section titled “Read more”

Describes Live Producer 0.305 · 29 October 2026

Start here

IntroductionSupport

Studio

Introduction

Sources

Introduction

Audio

Introduction

Streaming and recording

Introduction

Captions

Introduction

Multiview and output

Introduction

Showrunner

Introduction

Platform

Introduction

Spelvin

Introduction

Video calls

Introduction

Remote

Introduction

Stream Deck

Introduction

Reference

Keyboard shortcutsPermissionsFile formatsVersionsGlossary

Release notes

Release notesLive Producer 0.305: the two ways to use Live ProducerLive Producer 0.304: new stand-in drawingsLive Producer 0.303: a new look for the documentationLive Producer 0.302: tooltips in one sentenceLive Producer 0.301: the inspector and the sheets get the ⓘLive Producer 0.300: a small ⓘ beside what it explainsLive Producer 0.299: quieter SettingsLive Producer 0.298: a Help menuLive Producer 0.297: sharper pictures of the inspectorLive Producer 0.296: the documentation, first versionLive Producer 0.295: the documentation site