Encoder settings for Wirecast

Before you start

In Recast for Business, open Stream Inputs and choose + Stream Input. Pick RTMP or SRT — the choice is fixed once the input is created.

Recast then shows the values your encoder needs. Copy them from there rather than retyping them:

RTMP STREAM URL — SRT STREAM URL
STREAM KEY — STREAM ID
SRT input shows: PASSPHRASE

Note that an SRT input labels its credential STREAM ID, not Stream Key. It is the same value, under the name SRT uses for it.

Then confirm all three of these, or your stream will be refused:

The stream input exists and you have its credentials
The stream input is attached to a video
That video is not a draft

A new stream input is switched off. Recast switches it on only when it is attached to a live, non-draft video.

Settings for Recast

Great — Resolution: 1080p · FPS: 30 · Video bitrate: 5000 kbps
Good — Resolution: 720p · FPS: 30 · Video bitrate: 3500 kbps
Works — Resolution: 480p · FPS: 30 · Video bitrate: 1000 kbps

Video codec — H.264
Profile — Main
Rate control — CBR
Keyframe interval — 2 seconds
Audio codec — AAC
Audio bitrate — 128 kbps
Audio sample rate — 48 kHz
Audio channels — Stereo

Use no more than 50% of your measured upload bandwidth.

Where these go in Wirecast

Encoding is configured in Output → Output Settings, then Encoding. Start from a Wirecast preset near your tier, choose New Preset to make it editable, and set:

Encoder — Main Concept H.264 or a hardware encoder
Frames per Second — 30
Average Bit Rate — From the table above
Profile — Main
Key Frame Every — 60 frames at 30 fps (2 seconds)
Audio Codec — AAC
Audio Target Bit Rate — 128 kbps
Audio Sample Rate — 48.000 kHz

Wirecast expresses the keyframe interval in frames, not seconds. At 30 fps that is 60; at 25 fps it is 50.

RTMP setup

Which URL? Recast displays rtmp://global-live.mux.com:5222/app as your RTMP STREAM URL, and that works. This guide uses rtmps:// on port 443 instead: it is the same Mux ingest wrapped in TLS, so your stream key is not sent in clear text, and port 443 passes through restrictive venue networks that block port 5222. Use whichever your encoder supports.

Go to Output → Output Settings.
Set Destination to RTMP Server.
Fill in:
- Address — rtmps://global-live.mux.com:443/app
- Stream — Your Recast Stream Key

Leave username and password blank.
Click OK, then Output → Start / Stop Broadcasting → Start.

European users can use rtmps://eu-west.live.mux.com/app. If your version rejects rtmps://, use rtmp://global-live.mux.com:5222/app.

SRT setup

Wirecast uses separate fields rather than a single connection URL.

Go to Output → Output Settings.
Set Destination to SRT.
Choose Caller mode. Mux listens; Wirecast calls.
Fill in:
- Address / Host — global-live.mux.com
- Port — 6001
- Stream ID — Your Recast STREAM ID
- Passphrase — Your Recast PASSPHRASE
- Encryption / Key Length — 128-bit
- Latency — 500

Click OK and start broadcasting.

Set the key length to 128-bit. Mux requires it. Where Wirecast expresses this as pbkeylen, the value is 16. A 256-bit key fails the handshake with an error that gives no hint of the real cause — this is the most common SRT mistake.

Wirecast version 14.1 is the minimum version that uses SRT. If your Destination list has no SRT entry, your version predates it — use RTMP, or update Wirecast.

Confirm you're live

Start broadcasting. Wirecast shows a broadcast indicator in the main window.
Open the Output → Output Statistics window. You want a steady bitrate near your target and no growing error count.
Open the video in Recast. Allow 20 to 30 seconds — standard latency means that delay is expected.

Known quirks

Presets are read-only. Wirecast's built-in encoding presets cannot be edited. You must choose New Preset and copy the settings before you can change the keyframe interval or profile. People frequently think they have changed a setting when they have not.

Keyframes are counted in frames. 2 in the Key Frame field means every two frames, which is catastrophic. It must be 60 at 30 fps.

Audio sample rate. Wirecast defaults vary by capture device. Confirm 48 kHz explicitly in the encoding preset.

Do not chase low latency. Recast streams run at standard latency (20–30 seconds) by design.

One protocol per stream input. A Recast stream input is created as either RTMP or SRT and cannot be switched afterwards.

Troubleshooting

Wirecast is broadcasting, but Recast shows nothing

Check the stream input is attached to a video and that the video is not a draft. Wirecast will report a healthy broadcast while Recast rejects it.

Then wait a full 30 seconds before concluding anything.

Broadcast fails to start

Stream input not attached to a live, non-draft video
Wrong stream key — copy and paste it again
Trailing whitespace in the key
Protocol mismatch — an SRT Recast input will not accept RTMP
For SRT: key length not 128-bit
Port blocked — try RTMPS on 443 if plain RTMP on 5222 fails

Stream drops repeatedly

Usually bandwidth. Halve the bitrate and see whether it stabilises.

Wirecast is also demanding on disk if you are recording at the same time. Recording to the same drive as your media assets can starve the encoder — use a separate drive.

You have 30 minutes to reconnect before Recast treats the stream as ended.

Viewers see stuttering

Check Output Statistics for dropped frames. If frames are dropping, reduce the bitrate or drop a tier.

If they are not, check Wirecast's CPU usage. A complex shot layout with several live sources will bottleneck the machine before the network.

Audio missing or out of sync

Confirm AAC at 48 kHz stereo in the encoding preset.

For drift, Wirecast offers an audio delay per source in the source's audio properties. Prefer audio embedded in the video signal where your capture device supports it, so both share a clock.

Getting help

Include your Wirecast version, the encoding preset in use, the protocol, your bitrate and resolution, and your measured upload speed.

More detail: Recast live ingest reference

Sources

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