How to Convert VHS to Digital: VC500 & VC500SE OBS Setup Guide

This comprehensive guide provides step-by-step instructions for configuring the Diamond VC500 and VC500SE video capture devices with OBS Studio. For a visual walkthrough, you can follow our YouTube Video Tutorial here; the timestamps included in this guide correspond directly to the steps shown in the video. You can click the timestamps.

1. Hardware Requirements (0:03)

Before starting, ensure you have the following hardware ready:

• Computer: Windows PC or Mac.
• Capture Device: Diamond VC500 or VC500SE
• Cables: Composite (RCA) cables (Yellow, Red, White).
• Source: A VHS player (VCR) or camcorder with composite outputs.

Connecting the Hardware (0:18)

1. Connect the composite cables to the outputs on your VHS player.
2. Connect the other end of the cables to the corresponding colors on the VC500 adapter.
3. Plug the VC500 USB connector directly into a USB port on your computer.

2. Software Installation (0:34)

1. Visit obsproject.com and download the version compatible with your operating system.
2. Run the installer and launch OBS Studio.
3. When the “Auto-Configuration Wizard” appears, click Cancel to configure manually for best results (1:14).

3. Configuring Video Sources (1:30)

1. In the Scenes box, ensure at least one scene is created.
2. In the Sources box, click the + icon and select Video Capture Device.
3. Name it “VHS” and select the device listed as USB 2.0 DEVICE (1:44).
4. Change “Resolution/FPS Type” to Custom.
5. Set the Resolution to 720×480 and FPS to 30 (1:50).
6. Go to Settings > Video and ensure both the Base (Canvas) and Output (Scaled) resolutions are set to 720×480 (2:01).

4. Configuring Audio Sources (2:28)

1. Go to Settings > Audio.
2. Set Mic/Auxiliary Audio 2 to Microphone (USB 2.0 Mic) (2:48).
3. In the Audio Mixer, click the three dots next to your source and select Advanced Audio Properties (3:09).
4. Set “Audio Monitoring” to Monitor and Output to hear audio while recording (3:32).

5. Recording Settings (3:38)

1. Go to Settings > Output and change “Output Mode” to Advanced.
2. Under the Recording tab, choose your Recording Path and set format to MP4 (3:51).

6. Capturing Your Video (4:36)

1. Click Start Recording in OBS Studio.
2. Press Play on your VHS player.
3. When finished, press Stop on the VHS player and Stop Recording in OBS (4:52).