Something broke. The stream is down, the audio is gone, or the video looks terrible. Don't panic — most church streaming problems have simple fixes. Here are the 10 most common issues and exactly how to solve them.
1. Stream Dropped Mid-Service
Symptoms: Viewers see a frozen frame or "stream offline" message. Your encoder (OBS/vMix/hardware) may still show it's "live."
Fix: Restart the stream in OBS (Stop Streaming → Start Streaming). If using an ATEM Mini Pro, press the ON AIR button off and back on. Check your internet connection — plug directly into the router if you're on a switch that might have lost link.
Prevention: Tally detects stream drops within seconds and can auto-restart your encoder before viewers notice.
2. No Audio on the Stream
Symptoms: Video looks fine, but viewers hear nothing (or only hear room noise from a camera mic).
Fix: Check the audio routing chain: soundboard aux send → audio cable → ATEM/audio interface → OBS audio input. Open OBS's Audio Mixer — if the meters aren't moving, the problem is upstream of OBS. Check the aux send level on your soundboard and make sure the cable is seated.
Prevention: Always test audio before going live. Have a volunteer listen to the stream on headphones from a phone in the lobby for the first 2 minutes.
3. Camera Feed Goes Black
Symptoms: One or more ATEM inputs show a black screen. The camera itself may still be working.
Fix: Check the HDMI/SDI cable at both ends. Unplug and replug. If the cable is long (>25 feet for HDMI), it may need a signal booster or replacement. Check that the camera hasn't gone to sleep mode. Immediately switch to a working camera for the stream while you troubleshoot.
4. Laggy or Choppy Video
Symptoms: The stream looks like a slideshow — frames dropping, stuttering, pixelation.
Fix: Your upload bandwidth is probably saturated. Lower your bitrate in OBS (try 3,000 kbps instead of 6,000). Close other applications using the internet on the streaming computer. If using Wi-Fi — stop. Run an ethernet cable.
Prevention: Run a speed test before every service. You need at least 1.5x your streaming bitrate as available upload speed.
5. OBS Crashes or Freezes
Symptoms: OBS window goes unresponsive, or the application closes entirely. Stream goes offline.
Fix: Restart OBS and click "Start Streaming" again. If it happens repeatedly, check your computer's CPU and RAM usage — OBS may be running out of resources. Disable any browser sources you don't need. Lower your output resolution from 1080p to 720p.
Prevention: Keep the streaming computer dedicated to streaming. Don't run presentation software, email, or web browsers on the same machine.
6. ATEM Disconnects from Network
Symptoms: ATEM Software Control says "searching for switcher." Remote control stops working. The ATEM itself still works locally.
Fix: Check the ethernet cable to the ATEM. Restart the ATEM by power-cycling it (unplug power, wait 10 seconds, plug back in). Check that your network switch hasn't lost power. Verify the ATEM's IP address hasn't changed (check in the ATEM's network settings via the physical buttons on the unit).
Prevention: Set a static IP address on your ATEM so it doesn't change. Tally monitors your ATEM connection and alerts you the moment it drops off the network.
7. Recording Failed
Symptoms: You thought you were recording, but the file is missing, corrupted, or only contains part of the service.
Fix: Check that the USB drive (ATEM) or hard drive (OBS) has enough free space. Format the USB drive as exFAT for ATEM recording. In OBS, check Settings → Output → Recording Path and make sure it points to a drive with space.
8. YouTube/Facebook Says "Stream Key Invalid"
Symptoms: OBS or ATEM says it can't connect to the streaming service. Error messages about authentication or invalid key.
Fix: Stream keys can expire or be reset. Go to YouTube Studio (or Facebook Live Producer) and copy a fresh stream key. Paste it into OBS or ATEM Software Control. Make sure there are no extra spaces before or after the key.
9. Echo or Feedback on Stream
Symptoms: Viewers hear a double or echo effect. The audio sounds hollow or reverberant.
Fix: You probably have two audio sources active — the soundboard feed AND a camera mic. In OBS, mute the camera's built-in mic (right-click the audio source → Properties → disable). In the ATEM audio mixer, mute the mic inputs on camera channels — only enable your external audio source.
10. "It Worked Last Week, Now Nothing Works"
Symptoms: Everything was fine last Sunday. Now multiple things are broken. Nothing changed (you think).
Fix: Something changed — you just don't know what yet. Common culprits: a software update ran overnight (OBS, Windows, macOS), someone moved a cable, the network switch lost power and devices got new IP addresses, or the streaming platform changed something on their end.
Start from the bottom: power, cables, network, software, platform. Check each layer systematically.
Prevention: Tally runs a full system check 30 minutes before every service. If anything changed since last week — a device offline, a connection dropped, a software version updated — you'll know before the service starts, not during it.
Most streaming problems come down to three things: cables, internet, and software that needs restarting. Fix those, and you'll solve 90% of Sunday morning issues. For the other 10%, having automated monitoring and recovery means your team can focus on the service instead of firefighting.