When streaming multiplayer games live on Twitch, it can sometimes be difficult for viewers to tell who’s talking off-screen. With the Discord Streamkit Overlay, viewers can see vital server information (such as who’s talking when), without too much on-screen real estate being taken up. It’s also a really useful cross-collaboration tool, especially when participating in larger lobbies and streams.
Let’s jump in and take a look at how to add the Discord voice overlay to your stream.
How To Add Discord Overlay To OBS
To add a Discord overlay to your stream you will need to install Discord Stream Kit on Discord and then add it as a browser source to OBS or Streamlabs. This allows your viewers to see who is talking in your Discord chat.
Follow the steps below to set it up.
Step 1 – Installing and Authorizing Discord Overlay
To begin, open your Discord app and then visit https://streamkit.discord.com/overlay. You’ll see the option to install the Overlay for OBS.
Clicking Install will allow the Overlay to access your Discord client (allowing control to certain aspects of it). You can double-check that this has been authorized correctly under User Settings > Authorized Apps. (The information should be updated to show access).
The permissions granted allow the overlay to perform actions within your client, such as generating an invite to use in the status widget or to show the Discord chat via the chat widget.
Step 2 – Customizing your Overlay
Now that you’ve authorized the overlay in your client, you should be able to preview and customize your widget settings. If you look directly under the OBS logo, you should see the option to customize Status, Chat, and Voice. Each separate widget has several different customization options, and can all be used simultaneously If you so choose.
To start customizing your overlay, you need to select which server and voice channel the overlay will be displaying. Do this by selecting your chosen server in the “Server” dropdown menu at the top of the Voice Widget tab. From here, select the voice channel you would like to capture using the “Voice Channel’ dropdown menu.
To check that the overlay is connected correctly, try talking into the selected voice channel whilst previewing the overlay (you should see a green circle around your profile picture when talking, as shown below).
Now it’s time to edit the overlay how you see fit with many options to alter text size/color/background and more. These update the overlay preview in real-time, so you can double-check the overall look of your overlay before adding it to OBS.
Step 3 – How To Add Discord Overlay to OBS
Once you’ve finished setting up your overlay, copy the link from the installation panel, seen to the right hand of the overlay editor.
To add the overlay into OBS, you need to create a new browser source within your preferred scene. To do this, click the Add Source icon, and add a “Browser”.
Next, name your browser source. (We advise naming it accurately in case you need to make any amendments later on).
Paste the widget link into the URL box and adjust the height and width to match the dimensions given by the overlay website. (It’s important to use the exact dimensions given, which can be seen directly under the browser source link on the widget page).
After you click “OK”, you should be able to see the active overlay in OBS. From here, you can drag and adjust it as you need.
Once you have everything set up, you can share the overlay link with your collaborators so that they can add it to their streams (ensuring that everyone can be seen across each channel). Just to make sure to also share the correct dimensions with them.
Note: To make sure that everything works correctly, you’ll need to have the latest version of OBS Studio installed. Head over to the OBS website and grab the latest updates if you haven’t already.
Why You Should Add A Discord Overlay To Your Stream
The Discord Streamkit Overlay is incredibly useful, for several reasons:
- For any streams with more than 2 people, this overlay is vital. With some games (such as Among Us, or Dread Hunger), having upto 10 people in one game, it’s a good way to show who’s saying what. Especially when multiple people are talking at any one time.
- Youtube and podcast recording. Similar to Twitch, the overlay helps viewers distinguish between off-screen speakers. Many Youtubers (such as Disguised Toast and videogamedunky) often edit closeups of this overlay to inject humour when off-screen players are talking.
- Collaboration and cross promotion. By seeing each speaker’s name within the overlay, viewers are more likely to check out your collaborators’ content. By sharing your overlay link with your collaborators, you’re not only helping their viewers but cross-promoting yourself.
- Differentiation between similar voices. Some people sound similar, which can cause viewer confusion (Who made that joke? Who said that?). The overlay helps clear this up.
Other Discord Overlays in Streamkit
As mentioned above, there are 2 additional overlays that you can add to your stream: the Status and Chat widgets. The setup of these is very similar to the Voice Overlay but make sure to follow the specific dimensions and links provided on each widget tab (as they are all slightly different).
The Status Widget
You can display your Discord invite link on your stream using the Status Widget, allowing your viewers to easily join your Discord channel (handy when you have community games and want to invite viewers to a certain channel so they can join the fun straightaway).
Simply specify the Server to apply the widget to (under the “Server” dropdown menu). Under “Invite Channel”, choose the channel where viewers will first land within your Discord server.
From here, customize it how you like, and add the widget to OBS as a new “Browser” source.
The Chat Widget
The chat widget has many possibilities. Perhaps you want to entice people to join your Discord channel by showing them the sheer meme-ery of your community? Or maybe you want to show a particular Discord channel alongside your Twitch chat on your BRB screen?
Whatever your reasons, this widget is incredibly easy to install. Again, specify the server you want to show from the “Server” dropdown menu, and under “Text Channel”, choose the right channel to display.
Once you’ve finished customizing the Text Overlay and added it to OBS, you are free to place and resize the widget as you see fit.
Wrapping Up
Hopefully, you can now set up your own Discord Voice Overlay in OBS. Collaboration is one of the strongest ways to grow on Twitch, and by adding and sharing your voice chat overlay, you can ensure that more eyes can see you when playing in multiplayer lobbies and collaborating on video content. By adding this overlay, you’re adding another professional element to your stream and making it easier for your viewers at the same time.
Read More From Get On Stream:
