An audio visualizer makes a stream scene feel alive — it moves when you talk, pulses with your music, and fills the empty space around a webcam. Here are three ways to get one into OBS Studio (the same steps work in Streamlabs Desktop), from the cleanest to the most flexible.
Option 1: A transparent WebM loop
Best for: music beds, BRB and intro scenes, anything that loops.
- Open AudioVisualize, upload the track you'll loop, and pick a style. Mirror and Circular read well at overlay sizes.
- Under Background, choose Transparent.
- Under Export, choose WebM and press Export video. Chrome or Edge gives the best results for transparent WebM.
- In OBS, add a Media Source, select the file and tick Loop.
- Resize and position it. If you see a black box instead of transparency, your browser recorded the clip without an alpha channel — use Option 2.
Option 2: Green screen
Best for: maximum compatibility, any editor, any browser.
- In AudioVisualize choose Green screen as the background and export MP4 or WebM.
- In OBS add a Media Source with the file.
- Right-click the source → Filters → + → Chroma Key. The default Green key color matches the #00B140 background; raise Similarity slightly if any green fringe remains.
Option 3: Live and reacting to your mic
Best for: a visualizer that reacts to your voice or whatever you're playing, in real time.
- Open AudioVisualize in its own browser window (not a tab in your main window) and choose Green screen.
- Press Microphone and allow access — or System audio to react to music playing in another tab.
- In OBS add a Window Capture source and select that browser window. Crop to the stage area with Alt + drag on the source edges.
- Add a Chroma Key filter as in Option 2.
- Keep the browser window visible on screen (it can sit behind OBS on a second monitor). Browsers throttle minimized windows, which makes the visualizer stutter.
Tips
- Size: an overlay works best at a third of the canvas width or less. Use 720p in AudioVisualize for live capture — it's lighter on your GPU while streaming.
- Sensitivity: voice is quieter than music. Push Sensitivity up for mic-reactive overlays so the movement is visible.
- No echo: the microphone input is never played back through your speakers, so it won't create a feedback loop.
