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SIGNAL BROKER FOUNDER ALPHA
TRY FREE — 30 SIGNAL MINUTES

A repeatable pre-recording check: game, commentary, picture.

One checklist before every recording with the Broker: the game (running first, chosen, confirmed, Allow game capture ticked), the commentary (role, volume, Desktop Audio meter, Signal Time) and the picture (Browser source above the game, placement, HDR decision), then a short test recording. HTML and plain text.

How to use it

Run the three lists in order before every recording: the game first, because nothing else matters until he can see it; then the commentary, because his voice reaches OBS through Desktop Audio and not through the picture; then the picture. Each line says where to look and what passes. The lists do not say how long they take, because that depends on your scene; the only timing that matters is that the test recording happens before the real one.

The same items are in the plain-text file at the end, to keep beside OBS.

Game

CheckWherePasses when
[ ]The game is running before you choose itThe game, then the app’s Play screenYou pick the game window, not the launcher or store
[ ]The game is confirmedPlay screenThe app identified it, or you named it with Search; missing or partial knowledge does not prevent a session
[ ]Speech role chosenPlay screenSPECTATOR or PLAYER, the one you want for this recording
[ ]Allow game capture ticked, START BROKER pressedPlay screen, after reading the capture noticeThe game is brought to the front; the Broker Bar (Ctrl + Shift + Alt + B) shows LISTENING, THINKING or SPEAKING
[ ]The in-game overlay is where you want it on your own screenOverlay → Edit overlay layoutNot over anything you need; some exclusive-fullscreen games hide every overlay, and borderless or windowed is the reliable alternative
[ ]OBS shows the gameYour game source in the OBS previewGame Capture of the game’s window, or Window Capture of it in borderless or windowed mode; other overlays and capture tools closed

Commentary

CheckWherePasses when
[ ]Talkativeness and role set for this recordingThe appChanged one thing at a time since the last recording, so you know what you hear
[ ]Signal Time on the balancePlay screen or Broker BarEnough for the session; the app warns at one minute and at fifteen seconds, and the Broker will not start on zero
[ ]Windows plays him where you listenSettings → System → Sound → Output; Volume mixerThe default output device is the one you listen on; Signal Broker is not muted in the mixer and uses that device
[ ]Broker volume balanced against the gameApp: Settings → Voice & capture; the game’s own audio settingsYou hear both comfortably before OBS is involved
[ ]OBS captures that deviceOBS: Settings → Audio → Desktop AudioNamed device matches the one you listen on; Desktop Audio 2 disabled unless you mean it
[ ]The Desktop Audio meter moves when he speaksOBS mixerUnmuted, fader up, peaks out of the red
[ ]Monitoring and tracksOBS mixer gear → Advanced Audio PropertiesAudio Monitoring is Monitor Off for Desktop Audio (or monitors to a device OBS does not capture); Desktop Audio is ticked on every track you record and on the stream’s track
[ ]No second copy of his voiceWindows Sound control panel → Recording → microphone → Listen; your speakersListen to this device unchecked; headphones on if a microphone is open; nothing else playing on the desktop
[ ]You know PAUSE and STOPThe appPAUSE holds him without ending the session; STOP ends it; no in-session game switching

Picture

CheckWherePasses when
[ ]One Browser source, loading the current addressOBS source propertiesLocal file off; URL pasted from Copy OBS Source; Width 800, Height 600; Enable OBS overlay on in the app
[ ]The source is visible and on topOBS Sources listEye icon on; above the game source; the Broker shows in the preview
[ ]Preset and placementApp: preset; OBS: Edit TransformThe preset in the app matches where the source sits; bars, map and point of aim stay readable; captions off the bottom strip
[ ]Viewers see him onceYour capture choiceGame or Window Capture plus the Browser source; with Display Capture, the in-game overlay is also captured, so one of the two is left out
[ ]The key is not in the sceneEverything on the captured monitorNo Browser source properties dialog, no browser address bar from Preview preset, no app screenshot with the address
[ ]The HDR decision is madeWindows Display settings; OBS Settings → AdvancedWindows HDR and Auto HDR off for an SDR recording, or OBS’s documented HDR settings for an HDR one
[ ]Windows is not recording in the backgroundWindows Game Bar / Captures settingsBackground recording and Game Bar capture off; OBS documents conflicts with hardware encoders
[ ]Recording path and formatOBS Settings → Output → RecordingSpace on the drive; a format you chose knowingly (OBS recommends MKV, which survives an abrupt stop, and can remux to MP4 afterwards)

Record and review

  1. 01Record a short test.

    Start the recording, play until he has spoken at least once, stop the recording. It spends Signal Time exactly like playing without a recording.

  2. 02Watch the file, not the preview.

    The game is visible; he is visible once; the captions are readable at the output size; the HUD is readable while he speaks.

  3. 03Listen to the file.

    His voice is there, once per line, not doubled, balanced against the game, on the track your player plays.

  4. 04Fix one thing, record again.

    Voice missing: the decision tree. Doubled: the doubling checklist. Blank source: the flow. Washed out: the HDR routes. Covering the HUD: placement.

  5. 05Say it is AI.

    The commentary is generated by AI. Say so on stream or in your description; some platforms and countries require it. What you record and publish is yours to manage.

Check the tape before the tape checks you.

Editorial example, not a recording

Download the plain-text checklist

The same lists as a text file, to keep beside OBS or print: pre-recording-checklist.txt. It contains no personal data, no addresses and no keys, and it does not change with your settings. The app’s Help/About shows which build you are on.

Founder Alpha is early-access software; the commentary can be wrong, repeated or badly timed, and it is sold to customers in the United States only.

Limits

  • No timings are claimed: how long the check takes depends on your scene and your PC, and the test recording is as long as you make it.
  • The checklist cannot see your setup; it tells you what to look at, and a short test recording is the only proof that the game, the voice and the picture are all in the file.
  • Streaming a session spends Signal Time exactly like playing without a stream; the checklist does not change what a session costs.
  • Founder Alpha is early-access software; the commentary can be wrong, repeated or badly timed, and it is sold to customers in the United States only.

Ready when you are.

TRY FREE — 30 SIGNAL MINUTESDOWNLOAD FOUNDER ALPHA

Founder Alpha is available to customers in the United States. Founder Alpha is early-access software. Signal Broker is an AI system. The Broker's words and voice are generated using AI. No person is speaking or writing what he says.