How to add a music visualizer to OBS
No OBS plugins, no overlay subscription, no rendered loops. vizz.fm runs in a browser window, reacts to the same music your stream hears, and OBS captures it like any other window. The whole setup takes about two minutes.
What you need
OBS Studio (or Streamlabs, or XSplit; the steps are the same) and a Chromium browser: Chrome, Edge, or Brave. On macOS you'll want Chrome 141+ and macOS 14.2+ for system audio capture. That's it; the visualizer itself is free and needs no account.
Step 1: Set up vizz.fm in a browser window
Open the vizz.fm app, click the audio source button, and choose System audio so the visuals react to whatever your computer plays. In the share dialog, pick a window or your entire screen, switch on Also share system audio, and click Share (screenshots of every step here).
Then pick a scene, tune the colors to your brand, and press U to hide the controls so the window is nothing but visuals. Keep this browser window open; it doesn't need to be in front, it just needs to stay unminimized.
Step 2: Add a Window Capture source in OBS
In OBS, click the + under Sources and choose Window Capture, then select the browser window running vizz.fm. Window Capture is the right tool here: it keeps rendering even when the browser sits behind your game or other windows.
A note on Browser Source: OBS's built-in browser can render vizz.fm, but it cannot open the system-audio picker, so the visuals would have nothing to react to. Capture a real browser window instead.
Step 3: Size and layer it in your scene
For music-focused streams, DJ sets, or BRB screens, stretch the capture to fill the canvas and let it be the show. As a background layer, drop it behind your webcam and alerts, and crop it by holding Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) while dragging an edge; a strip along the bottom or a corner panel adds motion without competing for attention.
Step 4: Check your stream audio
Nothing changes about how your music reaches the stream: OBS picks it up through Desktop Audio exactly as before. vizz.fm only analyzes the audio, it never plays it back, so you won't get echo or doubled sound. Mute the OBS capture source's own audio if your OBS version added one.
Tips for a clean look
Match your brand. Every scene's colors are editable. Set them to your stream palette and save the result as a preset; you can also save one look per mood (chill, hype, BRB) and switch between them live with a click.
Keep it smooth. The visualizer renders on your GPU. If you're streaming a demanding game alongside it, pick a lighter scene (waveforms, dot grid) and make sure hardware acceleration is on in your browser. For music-only streams, set OBS to 60fps and enjoy it.
Use a second monitor if you have one. Park the vizz.fm window there fullscreen (press F) and capture that; you get a clean 16:9 feed and can still see your chat on the main display.
More stream-specific ideas live on the music visualizer for streaming and Twitch visualizer pages.
Give your stream something to look at.
Free, real-time, and reacting to your music before your next segment starts.