Question / Help Beginner set up questions

[restfulsilence]

Hello everybody,

I am curious about streaming and would like to get used to the basics.
But while surfing the web and try to find out the different things I stuck at a few questions. I hope you guys can help me before I buy things I might not need or the other way, that I forget to buy something I need for sure.

I thought about to get a Elgato Game Capture HD, which should be perfect for my needs, I think.
Also I would like to use OBS and Skype/Discord for conversations.

The setup would be like:
- Game Console would be connected to the Elgato
- Elgato would be connected to Mac via USB and HDMI to my TV
- Game Audio and Skype would be redirected via Soundflower and Audio-Midi Setup to OBS, which already works

The problems I come across are:
- I read that the picture and audio from the Elgato are delayed and that it is not recommended to play via the image from the Elgato Software
- I would need to hear the sound from my TV via headphones/speakers and look at the TV screen.
- For the Skype calls I would also need to connect a mic and headphone/speakers to my Mac.
- If I use the speaker for the TV and headphone + mic for my Mac, doesn’t the mic pick up the speaker sound from the TV, which gives me an echo effect? And/Or the other way around?
- Actually the best would be to hear the sound from the game, which comes from the TV and the Skype conversation via headphone, but how do I split it from the game sound that the Elgato delivers via USB.
- Also, the sound for my mic needs to be delayed by OBS (which seems no problem), but what happens with the person on the other side of Skype? Do I need to delay him as well and if I do so, does the game audio will not be delayed as well and makes everything out of sync?
- Do I need an audio interface for this (if yes, any recommendations?), or can it all be done via software.

I hope someone understands my questions. If not, please feel free to ask.

Thank you in advance.

 

[Narcogen]

- I read that the picture and audio from the Elgato are delayed and that it is not recommended to play via the image from the Elgato Software​

There isn't any other way. Elgato does not supply a standard video device driver for OSX, so either doing a window or display capture while using their software, or sunning a Syphon Inject process on their software, are the only ways of using an Elgato device with OBS. No one will recommend using OBS and Elgato together on a Mac. It's fine on Windows, and will work with their software, but will not work well with OBS. You'd be better off with something from Magewell, BlackMagic or AJA.

I would need to hear the sound from my TV via headphones/speakers and look at the TV screen.
​

The latest build, version 18.0, has audio monitoring. In the advanced settings you choose an audio device to monitor with, and in the advanced audio properties (the mixer) you can turn monitoring and output on or off for each audio source.

- If I use the speaker for the TV and headphone + mic for my Mac, doesn’t the mic pick up the speaker sound from the TV, which gives me an echo effect? And/Or the other way around?​

Yes, it will. Connect headphones to your Mac, and turn on audio monitoring in OBS for the audio source from the capture device. You should hear the game audio in the headphones. As long as it is not too loud, your microphone should not pick it up.

 

[armoredmirage]

I'm basically looking into the same setup as OP.

I have not bought a capture card yet for my 2016 macbook pro. Narcogen do you or anyone else have a number 1 recommendation for best capture card to connect my PS4 to OBS and stream on twitch?

Thanks in advance

 

[Narcogen]

AJA UTAP HDMI.

 

[armoredmirage]

Thank you for the quick reccomendation.

Why is is so much more expensive than an elgato though? Is there anything worth using in the sub $200 range?

 

[restfulsilence]

Thank you Narcogen.
So maybe it would be the best to install Windows on my Mac, just for the scenario of using OBS, so that I don't have the problem with the delay, if I want to use the Elgato via USB?