Ok, I realize this is a few years late, but I just figured out how to do this.
The trick is:
- recognizing that "down arrow" and "up arrow" are the keypresses for "next" and "previous" slides while the Scene panel has focus.
- installing VoiceAttack, a macro software that can direct actions to a specific open window, even if it's not in focus.
- undocking the "Scenes" panel from the rest of OBS so it can be targeted separately from the rest of the application.
So, to do this:
1) Download and install VoiceAttack (
https://voiceattack.com)... if you just want to set two simple commands for "Next Scene" and "Previous Scene", the free version is all you need with a maximum of 20 commands and one profile. (If you need more than that, it's $10 USD. Worth it.)
2) Run OBS, then undock the Scenes panel by dragging it out of the window.
3) Run VoiceAttack, then edit the current profile. Rename the profile "OBS", optionally delete all commands that came with it.
4) Click the "Options" button next to the profile name. Under the "Profile General" tab --> "Send commands to this target", select the option to choose a window from the drop-down list, and choose "Scenes" (the window must be visible before you click the "Options" button to see it in the list)... do not use "OBS [version] [profile] [scene collection]", because that will no longer work when your OBS version, profile, or scene collection changes. Selecting "Scenes" should always work as long as you've undocked that panel. Click "OK" to return to the profile.
5) Select "New Command"... on the next screen, you can use the first checkbox option "When I say" to enter a phrase you'd like to use for voice control, or the second option "When I press keys" to use a keypress macro. You can enter "Next Scene" in the first box if you'd like to switch after saying that phrase.
6) Under "When this command executes, do the following sequence:" select the "Key Press" button.
7) Make sure the "Press and Release Key(s)" option is selected, and press the Down Arrow key. (The rightmost box should say "Down" afterwards. Note that there's a difference between the regular down arrow key, and the number pad down arrow key, you can use either or both.) Click OK, the command should show up in the list next to "Key Press" button now.
8) By setting the profile to always target the "Scenes" window, commands here *should* always default to that.... however, the arrow keys are an exception, since VoiceAttack uses those keys for simple navigation within its own interface. Executing the command right now just arrows down in VoiceAttack if "Scenes" isn't in active focus. To fix this and be sure that the "Scenes" window gets the arrow down, check the "Send command to this target:" option, and select "Scenes" from the dropdown list of windows. (Exactly the same as with the overall profile, except now you're providing a specific override.)
9) Make sure that "Stop command if target window focus is lost" is unchecked, and probably a good idea to check both options above that to ensure the command always runs: "Allow other commands to execute while this one is running" and "Always execute this command"
10) Repeat steps 5-9 for a "Previous Scene" entry.
11) If everything is set correctly, you should now be able to right-click a command in the Profile window, select "Execute", and see the scene change in OBS.
12) If you have a metric buttload of scenes that you want shortcuts for by names that you can remember, assign all them standard completely forgettable macro key shortcuts in OBS, then duplicate each macro key combination in VoiceAttack with a paired voice command.
Be aware that as long as the main OBS window is visible, executing a command usually brings it to the forefront, which could be annoying and disruptive. You can't minimize the application to the taskbar, because the "Scenes" undocked panel will also minimize, and then is no longer targetable by VoiceAttack. You can, however, click the OBS icon in the system tray, which hides the main OBS window to the tray, but leaves the "Scenes" panel visible on screen where VoiceAttack can control it. If you open a fullscreen or windowed projector for monitoring, it also does not minimize with the main OBS window to the tray.
I hope this helps someone else out there, it's certainly going to make some things easier for me.
