Your service.
One clear workflow.

01 · Get oriented

Controls are not the output.

The docks are your operator workspace. The installed output sources belong in your OBS scene. Viewers see the scene on OBS Program, not the dock you are clicking.

Before the service: rehearse a cue, check it on OBS Program, then hide it. Keep media and camera visibility separate from text. The dock Size slider changes the controls, not the output text size.

Real, locally rendered Emberstage UI—not mockups. All operator state, song text, media, names, and streaming data shown are examples. Camera thumbnails are illustrative; no camera hardware, OBS connection, or provider broadcast was used. Amber numbers match each screenshot’s caption. Select an image to view it full size.

02 · Scripture

Find the passage. Take the verse.

1. Search. Open Scripture, choose the Bible version, then enter a reference such as Psalm 23:1-3, a chapter, or words from a verse. Press Enter or choose Search.
2. Take. The first Enter searches and focuses the first result without showing it. Press Enter again on the focused result—or click a verse—to show it. Repeating the same live cue hides it.
3. Navigate. Prev/Next and left/right arrows select the next verse without taking it. Keep keyboard focus out of the search field; click or Enter takes the selected verse.
4. Set the look. Open Style → Scripture broadcast look, choose the mode and branding, then Apply broadcast look. Restore legacy returns to the legacy look. Use the top Show/Hide control to clear or reveal shared text.

03 · Songs

Load the song. Follow its parts.

1. Load. Use Import for one or more .txt files. A Title: line names the song; headings such as [Verse 1], [Chorus], and [Bridge] divide sections.
2. Select. Search the Library by Title, or choose Lyrics to search words across the library. Loading a song sends its opening cue and can replace text already on screen; hide shared text first if you are preparing privately. The separate Search lyrics… field searches the loaded song.
3. Take and move. Click a section or lyric line to show a cue. Repeating the same live cue hides it. Prev/Next and up/down arrows advance the output—not just selection. If text is hidden, click a cue or use Show to reveal it. Compact looks split longer sections into two-line parts—watch PART. With line-by-line mode enabled, cues stay single lines.
4. Choose the look. Use the song-look dropdown for Full screen, Clean lower-third, Soft gradient strip, Compact lyric card, or Side panel. To advance automatically, set a positive number of seconds and choose Play Lyrics; Stop stops the timer, not the text output.
5. Edit or delete. The pencil opens Edit Song; update the title/lyrics and choose Save. The trash button opens a confirmation before Delete. Both update the local library—not the original file or the already displayed output.

04 · Text

A quick message, with a deliberate take.

1. Write. Open Text and enter a message. Use B and I for formatting. Position prefixes such as [top-left] Welcome or [center] Prayer begins now place the message.
2. Style. Open Text style for Legacy, Lower third, or Full-screen card, church name/logo, and entrance/exit settings. Choose Apply broadcast look; Done closes the dialog. Restore legacy resets the look.
3. Take. Choose Take text to send the draft and make text visible. Taking the same already-live message again hides it. History loads the sent-message history into the editor; edit it and take the draft when ready.
4. Clear the screen, not the draft. Use the top Show/Hide toggle. It controls the same output used by Scripture and Songs, without hiding media or cameras.

05 · Media

Bring in a still or clip. Choose its frame.

1. Add. Choose Add media for JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP, MP4, or WebM files. The library lives in the local OBS browser storage context. Select a card, then Show media; selecting alone does not show it.
2. Size and play. Fit keeps the whole image visible; Fill covers the area and may crop edges. For a live video, use Play/Pause, Restart, or the seek bar. Mute video and Loop control sound and repetition.
3. Share with a camera. Open Layout: Full media, Media left, Media right, or Camera inset. Choose the inset corner where offered. For a live item, choose Apply layout live; otherwise the layout applies when you show it.
4. Hide. The live item’s action becomes Hide media. A media/camera layout needs a camera shown from the Cameras dock; choosing the layout does not select or start one for you.

06 · Cameras

One camera, or two in the same scene.

1. Find sources. Add your camera/capture inputs in OBS first, then Rescan. Video Capture filters normal camera sources; All sources also exposes other OBS inputs. The dock uses the local OBS connection, not browser camera permission.
2. Show one. Select a camera. In Settings, set Framing to Fit or Fill, plus Transition and Speed; then Show camera. It uses the full frame unless live media is sharing it. The same live single camera gets Hide camera. Selection/framing changes alone do not apply them.
3. Show two. Open Dual, choose 50/50 or Big + small, and assign two different cameras. Set the small-camera corner where offered, transition and speed; Swap cameras reverses assignments. Choose Apply 50/50 or Apply big + small.
4. Unapply or hide. When the settings match the active dual layout, its button becomes Unapply 50/50 or Unapply big + small; changed settings must be applied first. Unapply restores the prior single camera (or the left/big camera if none was saved); it does not hide cameras. If the saved camera is no longer available, the dual view stays active and a notice explains why. Hide all clears Emberstage’s camera output. These actions do not switch the OBS Program scene; unrelated OBS source visibility remains separate.

Not visible? Check the installed Emberstage output in OBS Program and its source visibility. A selected camera is not a shown camera. Text, media, camera composition, and the encoder each have separate controls.

07 · Managed streaming

Ready locally? Connect your destinations.

Only for a configured managed-streaming server. Local docks do not need pairing or a cloud login. OBS sends the video; Emberstage manages the approved destinations.

1 Open Portal and create a pairing code

Click Open portal in the Streaming dock and sign in to the correct workspace. Go to Devices → Pairing and device access, name the OBS computer, then click Generate code. Already paired to the right workspace? Skip to step 3.

2 Enter the code in the Streaming dock

Inside OBS, open Streaming, click Enter code, paste your portal code, then click Pair now. The code expires after ten minutes and works once. Check the paired workspace and device before continuing.

3 Approve only the destinations you want live

In Portal → Overview → Destinations, connect accounts available on your server, or add custom RTMP. For YouTube, open Broadcasts: choose the channel, click Use this on an existing broadcast or Create and bind broadcast, and check its privacy. Return to Destinations and enable only intended channels. Selecting a broadcast is not the same as approving its channel.

4 Configure OBS once

After pairing, open Portal → Overview → OBS setup and select this active device. Click Set up OBS if it has no key yet. In OBS Settings → Stream, choose Custom, paste the portal’s RTMP ingest server and stream key, and apply. Keep the key private; do not rotate a working key just to follow this guide.

6 End deliberately

Use the dock’s End action to end the managed session, and OBS Stop Streaming to stop the encoder signal. Neither the dock’s End nor Portal’s YouTube End broadcast stops OBS. Verify the destinations have ended and OBS is no longer sending.

Before going live: correct workspace/device, only intended destinations approved, correct YouTube broadcast and privacy, current ingest/key in OBS, and readiness checked. These locally rendered portal/dock captures use example data only—no real accounts, keys, or broadcasts.