Settings

The General tab in Meld Studio's Settings allows you to configure essential settings for your streams and recordings. This includes:

• Canvas
• Encoder
• Stream Outputs
• Recording
• Clipping
• Screenshots

The Canvas setting defines the base resolution for the Main Canvas, which determines the dimensions at which the content is captured for streaming or recording.

When Multi Canvas is enabled, the Portrait Canvas is also activated and uses a fixed resolution of 1080×1920 (Portrait 1080p). Settings such as framerate, encoder, and overall quality will automatically match the Main Canvas, except for bitrate, which can be configured separately.

Meld Studio supports a variety of resolutions for the Main Canvas, including:

• 4K UHD
• 1440p
• 1080p (Default)
• 864p
• 720p
• Portrait 4K
• Portrait 1080p
• Portrait 720p

1. Navigate to Settings → General → Main Canvas → Canvas
2. Choose the Canvas resolution using the dropdown menu.

Framerate refers to the frequency at which frames are captured/displayed consecutively. Meld supports streaming/recording framerates of 30fps or 60fps.

1. Navigate to Settings → General.
2. Choose the Framerate using the dropdown menu.

When hardware encoding is disabled, Meld Studio defaults to using x264.

Video bitrate represents the amount of data processed per second to determine the quality of your video stream or recording. A higher bitrate ensures smoother playback and greater quality, while a lower bitrate may result in reduced quality, such as pixelation or visual artifacts.

1. Navigate to Settings → General.
2. Choose the video bitrate using the dropdown menu.

Audio bitrate measures the amount of data used to transmit audio per second. Higher bitrates result in clearer, more detailed sound.

Check the platform's recommendations for Audio Bitrate to ensure compatibility and avoid unnecessary strain on your setup.

The selected Quality Preset determines the balance between encoded video quality and CPU/GPU resource utilization. The Meld Studio defaults are good for most streaming workloads. However, you can adjust the Quality Preset to optimize resource usage and quality based on your setup and streaming preferences.

Meld supports 7 quality presets for both the NVIDIA hardware encoder and the X264 software encoder. The macOS hardware encoder currently does not provide quality presets.

1. Navigate to Settings → General → Encoder Settings.
2. Choose the quality preset using the dropdown menu.

Add and edit all of your stream outputs. We have dedicated documentation for the Stream settings here.

Meld Studio automatically detects and utilizes NVENC (NVIDIA Video Encoder) when Hardware Encoding is enabled, and a compatible NVIDIA GPU is available.

Meld Studio leverages platform-specific hardware encoders based on your device. This includes Apple Silicon (M1/M2), Intel Quick Sync Video (QSV), or AMD hardware encoders.

Meld Studio will auto-update. Easily check for updates anytime to ensure you're running the latest version.

1. Navigate to Settings → Updates
2. Click the Check for Updates button.

If an update is available, download it and restart Meld Studio.

If Meld Studio isn't updating automatically, reach out to our team for assistance.

The Advanced tab provides access to WebSocket Server settings. Enable this feature to allow external machines or services to connect to Meld Studio for advanced integrations.

B-frames (bi-directional frames) are a type of video frame used for efficient compression. They rely on both the previous and next frames to encode motion, which improves quality at lower bitrates, but can increase latency.

To disable B-Frames:

1. Go to Settings → Advanced.
2. Under Advanced Encoder Settings, toggle on Disable B-Frames for Encoders.

This prevents the encoder from using B-frames (bi-directional frames).

Some ultra-low latency platforms may not support B-frames.
Enable this option only if you’re streaming to a service that requires B-frames to be disabled.

This setting allows you to set encoder options per output track (audio/video) individually, instead of using global settings across all tracks.

Set up your Output device in the Audio settings in Meld.

To make updates in the Audio Output device:

1. Navigate to Settings → Audio.
2. Select the output device by clicking on the dropdown menu.
3. Restart Meld Studio to apply the changes made.

The Smart Guides tab customizes the Snap guidelines:

• Adjust the Snapping Line Color to a preferred color.
• Set the Snapping Threshold (px) to control alignment sensitivity on the canvas.

The Transition tab configures the global scene transition:

• Choose from transitions like Cut, Fade, Morph, Move, and Stinger.
• Adjust parameters like the Easing curve, Transition duration, and other settings.
• Set up a separate transition for the Portrait Canvas, or mirror the Main Canvas.

To manage your Global Scene transition, navigate to Settings > Transitions.

Meld currently offers the following transition options:

Instantly switches between scenes without any visual effect.

Smoothly dissolves one scene into another gradually.

Dynamically transforms layers between scenes.

Moves layers to a new position during scene transition, creating a fluid animation when switching scenes.

Layers are reordered immediately when the transition begins.

Layers are reordered halfway through the move transition.

Layers are smoothly reordered based on their position throughout the transition.

A stinger transition is a short animated video that plays when switching from one scene to another. While the animation covers the screen, Meld Studio swaps the scenes behind it. The old scene disappears, the cut stays hidden, and the new scene is revealed as the animation clears.

Stinger transitions are built into Meld Studio, so no third-party plugins are needed.

Stingers usually use a video format that supports transparency, such as a WebM file with an alpha channel. You also configure the exact point where the scenes switch, in frames or milliseconds, with the Midpoint setting.

To add a stinger transition as your global scene transition:

1. Navigate to Settings → Transitions.
2. Select Stinger from the transition options.
3. Click the Browse button.
4. Locate the stinger transition file saved on your computer, select it, and confirm.

Once the file loads, Meld Studio sets the Duration to match the length of the video and places the Midpoint halfway through it. Check that the Midpoint lines up with the moment your video covers the whole screen.

Track Matte modes let you use stinger videos that do not have a built-in alpha channel.

The video is drawn using its own transparency. Use this for WebM files with an alpha channel, or for videos that cover the entire screen at the midpoint.

The video file contains the color on the left half and the matte on the right half. Bright areas of the matte reveal the next scene.

The video file contains the color on the top half and the matte on the bottom half. Bright areas of the matte reveal the next scene.

The whole video is used as a matte. Bright areas reveal the next scene, and the video itself is not shown.

Removes the Key Color from the video, making it transparent. Use this for videos with a solid green or blue background.

What is a stinger transition used for in streaming?

A stinger transition creates a smooth, animated scene change during a live stream. It replaces a plain cut with a short branded animation, making transitions between scenes look more professional.

How do I add a stinger transition in Meld Studio?

Navigate to Settings → Transitions and select Stinger. Click the Browse button and select your stinger file from your computer. Meld Studio sets the Duration and Midpoint automatically.

Can I use my own custom stinger transition file?

Yes. Browse your computer and select any compatible stinger transition file you already own or have created.

When does the stinger transition play?

Your stinger transition plays automatically every time you switch between scenes during your stream.

Is this feature free in Meld Studio?

Yes. Stinger transitions are a built-in feature of Meld Studio, and adding your own transitions from a file is free.

When the Portrait Canvas is enabled, its scene transition is configured in the Portrait Transition section of Settings → Transitions:

• Turn on Mirror main canvas transitions to use the same transition on both canvases.
• Turn it off to set up a separate transition for the Portrait Canvas, with the same transition options and settings as the Main Canvas.

The Chat Dock runs in a browser view, so you can load any custom chat URL, such as Streamer.bot, LumiStream, a Twitch Stream Manager link, or pop-out chat panel URLs.

1. Go to Settings → User Interface.
2. Enable Use Custom Chat Dock.
3. Paste your chat URL in the Chat URL field.

Your custom chat will now appear in the dock, replacing the default one.

The Hotkeys tab lists the commands in Meld Studio that can be customized, followed by a Scenes section with one row for each scene in your session.

To assign or edit a Hotkey command:

1. Double-click on the Hotkey field, or right-click and select Edit.
2. Press the key combination.
3. Press Enter to save the Hotkey combination.

The Scenes section lists every scene in your session. Assign a hotkey to a scene to switch to it instantly.

1. Navigate to the Hotkeys tab in Settings.
2. Scroll down to the Scenes section.
3. Double-click the Hotkey field for the scene, or right-click and select Edit.
4. Press the key combination.
5. Press Enter to save the Hotkey combination.

A global hotkey works even when Meld Studio is not the active app. This lets you trigger commands and switch scenes while you play a game or work in another application.

To make a hotkey global:

1. Navigate to the Hotkeys tab in Settings.
2. Locate the command or scene row.
3. Click the checkbox in the Global column.

Global works on both command hotkeys and scene hotkeys. Leave the checkbox off to keep a hotkey working only while Meld Studio is in focus.

If the Global column will not turn on for a hotkey on Windows, reassign it with Ctrl:

1. Right-click the hotkey and select Edit.
2. Press a combination that includes Ctrl, for example Ctrl + F5 or Ctrl + Shift + 1.
3. Press Enter to save the Hotkey combination.
4. Click the checkbox in the Global column.

Pick a combination that no other app is already using. Windows gives the hotkey to whichever app registered it first, so an overlay, a game, or another capture app can take it before Meld Studio does.

The disable feature temporarily deactivates a Hotkey command. To do so:

1. Navigate to the Hotkeys tab in Settings.
2. Locate the Hotkey you'd like to disable.
3. Click the checkbox on the right to disable it.
4. Repeat the process to enable the Hotkey back.

Right-click on the hotkey and select the corresponding action:

• Edit: assign a different key combination
• Remove: clear the key combination currently assigned
• Restore: return the command to the key combination it ships with

Restore appears only for commands that have a default key combination. Commands without one, and scene hotkeys, offer Edit and Remove.