Your First Stream
A quick 5-step guide to going from zero to a live stream with 4thRock overlays active.
Step 1: Connect Your Platform
Log in to the dashboard, click your account icon, and connect your streaming platform (Kick, Twitch, YouTube, or TikTok). This is what feeds live chat and events into your overlay.
See Connect Your Platform for details.
Step 2: Build Your Overlay Layout
Open the Compositor from the left sidebar. Add the widgets you want:
- Chat — shows live chat on screen
- Alerts — pops up for follows, subs, raids, donations
- TTS — reads viewer chat messages aloud
Position and resize each widget on the canvas until the layout looks right. The canvas is 1920×1080.
Step 3: Add the Overlay to OBS
Copy your overlay URL from the top of the Compositor. In OBS:
- Add a Browser Source.
- Paste the URL.
- Set size to 1920 × 1080.
- Click OK.
Your overlay is now live in OBS. It updates automatically whenever you change settings in the dashboard.
Step 4: Test Before You Go Live
In the dashboard, most widgets have a Test or Preview button. Use these to fire test alerts, send a test TTS message, or preview a chat message without actually going live.
Check the overlay in OBS to confirm everything appears where you expect it.
Step 5: Go Live
Start your stream in OBS. As viewers join and chat, the overlay responds in real time — chat messages appear, alerts fire, and TTS reads queued messages.
Watch the Control Panel in the dashboard to monitor the TTS queue, audio mixer levels, and live activity feed during the stream.
Tips for a Smooth First Stream
- Test your audio — TTS plays through the OBS browser source. Make sure OBS is monitoring the browser source audio (right-click the browser source → Audio Mixer).
- Check alert timing — alerts play one at a time by default with a short queue. Adjust the queue settings if you expect a high volume of events.
- Save a preset — once your layout looks good, save it as a Compositor preset so you can restore it easily.
- Keep the dashboard open — you can adjust settings, skip TTS messages, and monitor activity while streaming.