How to Use EasyVerse with OBS & VMix for Livestreaming

Livestreaming has become essential for modern churches. Whether your members are homebound, traveling, or joining from another country, a quality livestream keeps your community connected.

But here's the challenge: how do you display Bible verses on your livestream so online viewers can follow along? The answer is combining EasyVerse with OBS Studio — both completely free.

This guide shows you exactly how to set it up.

What You'll Need

• EasyVerse — Download free
• OBS Studio — Download free
• OBS NDI Plugin — Download free
• A computer running Windows 10 or 11
• A camera (webcam, DSLR, or smartphone)
• Internet connection for streaming

Understanding the Setup

Here's how the pieces fit together:

Microphone → EasyVerse (speech-to-text → Bible verse)
                    ↓ NDI output
Camera → OBS Studio (combines camera + Bible overlay)
                    ↓
            YouTube / Facebook Live

EasyVerse listens to the sermon, detects Bible references, and sends the verse display to OBS via NDI (Network Device Interface). OBS overlays this on top of your camera feed and streams it to your platform of choice.

Step 1: Install and Configure EasyVerse

If you haven't already, follow our getting started tutorial to install EasyVerse and configure your Bible translations.

Key settings for livestreaming:

1. Open EasyVerse Settings
2. Go to Output → NDI
3. Enable NDI Output — this broadcasts EasyVerse's display over your local network
4. Set the output resolution to match your stream (typically 1920×1080)
5. Choose a transparent background if available, or use a solid dark background

Step 2: Install OBS Studio and the NDI Plugin

Install OBS Studio

1. Download OBS from obsproject.com
2. Run the installer
3. On first launch, run the Auto-Configuration Wizard:
   • Select "Optimize for streaming"
   • Choose your streaming platform (YouTube or Facebook)
   • Accept the recommended settings

Install the NDI Plugin for OBS

1. Download the OBS NDI plugin from GitHub
2. Run the installer (it will also install NDI Runtime if needed)
3. Restart OBS Studio
4. You should now see "NDI Source" available when adding sources

Step 3: Set Up Your OBS Scene

Create the Main Scene

1. In OBS, click + under Scenes to create a new scene called "Worship Service"
2. Add your camera source:
   • Click + under Sources → Video Capture Device
   • Select your camera
   • Adjust to fill the canvas

Add the EasyVerse NDI Overlay

1. Make sure EasyVerse is running with NDI output enabled
2. In OBS, click + under Sources → NDI Source
3. Name it "Bible Verses"
4. In the properties, select the EasyVerse NDI feed from the dropdown
5. Click OK

Position the Overlay

Now you have two layers — camera on the bottom, Bible verses on top. Arrange them:

Option A: Lower Third (Recommended for Livestreams)

• Right-click the NDI source → Transform → Edit Transform
• Resize it to cover the bottom third of the screen
• This creates a professional "lower third" scripture display

Option B: Full Screen Overlay

• Keep the NDI source at full resolution
• When no verse is displayed, the overlay is invisible (if using transparent background)
• When a verse appears, it overlays on top of the camera

Option C: Side Panel

• Resize the camera to 70% width
• Place the Bible verse panel on the remaining 30%
• Good for study-style streams

Step 4: Configure Audio

Your livestream needs clear audio:

1. In OBS, go to Settings → Audio
2. Set your Desktop Audio to disabled (prevents computer sounds from streaming)
3. Set your Mic/Auxiliary Audio to your main audio source:
   • If using a USB mixer: select the mixer's USB output
   • If using a USB microphone: select the mic directly
4. Click Apply

Audio Monitoring Tip

Use headphones to monitor your stream audio. In OBS:

• Click the gear icon next to your audio source
• Select Advanced Audio Properties
• Set monitoring to "Monitor and Output" for your main audio

Step 5: Connect to Your Streaming Platform

YouTube Live

1. Go to YouTube Studio
2. Click Go Live → Stream
3. Copy the Stream Key
4. In OBS, go to Settings → Stream
5. Select "YouTube - RTMPS"
6. Paste your stream key
7. Click Apply

Facebook Live

1. Go to your Facebook Page
2. Click Live Video
3. Click Use Stream Key
4. Copy the stream key
5. In OBS, select "Facebook Live" and paste the key

Step 6: Test Everything

Before going live on Sunday:

1. Start EasyVerse and enable speech recognition
2. Open OBS and verify the NDI source shows the EasyVerse output
3. Start a test stream (YouTube allows unlisted test streams)
4. Speak some Bible references near the microphone
5. Check the stream on another device — verify:
   • Video quality is good
   • Audio is clear
   • Bible verses appear as overlays
   • Text is readable on a phone screen (this is important — many viewers watch on mobile)

Pro Tips for a Better Livestream

Visual Quality

• Lighting matters more than camera quality — face a window or use two softbox lights ($50 for a pair on Amazon)
• Frame the shot with the pulpit/stage centered and some headroom
• Avoid backlighting — don't put the camera facing a bright window behind the speaker

Bible Verse Readability

• Use a large, bold font in EasyVerse — remember, viewers may be on phone screens
• Choose high contrast text colors (white text on dark semi-transparent background works best)
• Keep the verse on screen for at least 8–10 seconds so viewers can read it

Stream Stability

• Use a wired ethernet connection instead of WiFi for both the streaming computer and EasyVerse computer
• Set your OBS output bitrate to 4500–6000 kbps for 1080p (or 2500 kbps for 720p if your internet is slow)
• Close unnecessary programs to free up CPU

Troubleshooting Common Issues

NDI source not showing in OBS:

• Make sure the NDI plugin is installed and OBS was restarted
• Verify EasyVerse NDI output is enabled
• Both computers must be on the same network
• Check that your firewall isn't blocking NDI (allow mDNS traffic)

Bible verses not appearing:

• Check EasyVerse speech recognition is running
• Verify the microphone input is correct
• Try speaking a verse reference manually in EasyVerse's search bar to test the NDI feed

Laggy or choppy stream:

• Lower your output resolution (try 720p instead of 1080p)
• Reduce bitrate in OBS settings
• Close other programs consuming CPU
• Use hardware encoding (NVENC if you have an NVIDIA GPU)

Audio echo or feedback:

• Make sure Desktop Audio is disabled in OBS audio settings
• Use headphones for monitoring, never speakers
• Check that the same audio isn't being captured twice

Advanced: Multi-Computer Setup

For larger churches, you might want a dedicated setup:

• Computer 1: Runs EasyVerse + microphone input (near the pulpit)
• Computer 2: Runs OBS + camera input (at the back or sound booth)
• Connected via ethernet switch on the same network
• NDI carries the Bible verse video over the network cable

This separates concerns and reduces CPU load on each machine.

What Your Viewers Will See

With this setup, your online congregation sees:

1. Live camera feed of the service
2. Bible verses appearing automatically as the pastor references them
3. Professional lower-third overlay that looks like a broadcast TV production
4. Clear audio from your mixer or microphone

All of this using 100% free software.

Ready to Start?

1. Download EasyVerse and set up Bible translations
2. Download OBS Studio and the NDI plugin
3. Follow the steps above to configure your scene
4. Run a test stream mid-week before going live on Sunday

Need help? Our community forum has experienced church tech volunteers ready to assist. You can also browse our knowledge base for more guides, or watch our video tutorials.

If this guide helped your church start livestreaming, consider supporting EasyVerse so we can continue building free tools for churches worldwide.