OBS + BlackMagic ATEM Mini

GM Rod

Member
Hello everyone!
I'm starting to plan out an exciting new venture I'll be diving in, with my band.
So a part of it is figuring out what software and hardware I'll need to get, to make it work as intended.
I've been a streamer on Twitch for a few years now, and have used OBS since day one, so naturally, I'd like to keep using it.

Now, here's the scenario:
It'll be a full band in a room, with multiple cameras. Individual shots AND room shots.
I need a computer in there to run all of it, but to keep it simple and mobile, I'll be getting a laptop.
Now, this means I'd have two options, from what I can think of.
One, I'd get USB capture cards;
Two, I'd get a switcher like the BlackMagic ATEM Mini.

I'm leaning towards the switcher because that makes it HELLA light on the laptop, since it's technically only taking in ONE webcam input, and the switcher itself is doing all the cuts, shot changes etc. It also provides theoretically infinite ways to add more cameras, whereas if I had capture cards, I'd be increasing the load on the laptop with each additional one I added.

Now the caveat with this is...
I really want a feature where the audience can switch camera shots. I'd of course lock this behind being a subscriber or at least having enough chat points to use the commands, etc.
I have already figured out how to do this via a chatbot, but it only works in Windows so the laptop will have to be a Windows machine.
The question for YOU guys, then, is:

Is there a way to get OBS to "talk" to the ATEM Mini, and issue commands to it, to change cameras?
Because the way the bot works, is it will take commands from chat and change OBS scenes/sources.
But, if I'm using the ATEM, then OBS is only seeing ONE source.
Maybe there's a way to get the laptop to see the separate stuff that's going into the ATEM?
The other reason I want to do this, is that I'm going to design my own graphics and animations for transitions, and AFAIK, that'll only work if they're happening inside OBS, unless the ATEM can accept custom made transitions?

Help.

Thanks in advance!
 
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