Skip to main content

​
Spout2 Issues

​
No Spout Senders Available in OBS

This is the most common Spout2 issue and usually occurs due to DirectX shared texture registry problems.Solutions:
  1. Restart your PC - This clears the DirectX shared texture registry and resolves most cases
  2. Ensure both HNode and OBS are running with the same permissions (both as admin or both as regular user)
  3. Check that you have the latest Spout2 for OBS plugin installed
  4. Verify HNode is actually running and outputting (check for the green status indicator)
  5. Try changing the Spout Output Name in HNode settings to something unique like “HNode_Custom”
If you’re running HNode and OBS with different permission levels, Spout2 shared textures won’t be visible between applications.
If Spout2 is connecting but showing a black output:
  1. Check that ArtNet data is actually being received (verify in HNode statistics panel)
  2. Ensure your serializer is configured correctly for your lighting system
  3. Verify the universe addresses match between your lighting console and HNode
  4. Check if channel masking is enabled and potentially hiding your output
When using Spout2 as a deserializer for transcoding:
  1. Verify the Spout Input Name in HNode matches the sender name exactly (case-sensitive)
  2. Enable Transcode mode in the configuration
  3. Set Transcode Universe Count appropriately for your setup
  4. Ensure the input resolution matches the source Spout sender’s resolution

​
ArtNet and Networking Issues

​
Lights Don’t Respond to DMX Commands

If HNode shows no incoming ArtNet data:Check Network Configuration:
  • Verify your lighting console is outputting ArtNet on the correct network interface
  • Ensure HNode’s ArtNet Address is set correctly (use 0.0.0.0 to listen on all interfaces)
  • Default ArtNet Port should be 6454 unless your system requires a different port
  • Check that no firewall is blocking UDP port 6454
Verify Console Settings:
  • Confirm ArtNet output is enabled in your lighting console
  • Check that the console is sending to the correct broadcast address
  • Verify universe numbers match between console and HNode expectations
Use the statistics panel in HNode to verify ArtNet packet reception in real-time.
If HNode receives data but lights don’t respond correctly:
  1. Verify serializer selection - Ensure you’re using the correct serializer for your world:
    • VRSL for VRSL worlds
    • Binary Stage Flight for BSF worlds
    • Binary/Ternary for custom implementations
  2. Check gridnode placement - The gridnode in your world must be positioned correctly
  3. Universe mapping - Verify the universe range matches your world’s expectations
  4. Video player URL - Ensure the streaming URL in your world is correct
On systems with multiple network interfaces:
  1. Set ArtNet Address to 0.0.0.0 to listen on all interfaces
  2. Or specify the exact IP address of the interface receiving ArtNet data
  3. Check your network adapter settings for conflicts
  4. Disable unused network adapters that might interfere

​
Performance Issues

​
Low Frame Rate or Stuttering

Performance optimization steps:Adjust Target Framerate:
  • Default is 60 FPS, but 30 FPS is often sufficient for lighting
  • Lower framerates reduce CPU/GPU load and can improve stability
  • Set Target Framerate in configuration to match your needs
Resolution Optimization:
  • Output Resolution: 1920x1080 is default, consider 1280x720 for better performance
  • Match resolution to your actual streaming requirements
  • Larger resolutions require more processing power
Reduce Universe Count:
  • Set Serialize Universe Count to only what you actually need
  • Don’t process more universes than your show requires
  • Each universe adds processing overhead
When experiencing streaming latency:OBS Encoder Settings:
  • Use hardware encoding (NVIDIA NVENC or AMD VCE) instead of CPU encoding
  • Set bitrate appropriately: 5000 Kbps for detailed visuals, 3000 Kbps for standard
  • Don’t set bitrate too high or too low - both cause issues
  • Keyframe interval: 1-2 seconds
Streaming Configuration:
  • Match OBS output FPS to your client’s typical framerate (usually 30 FPS)
  • If clients have lower FPS, they’ll experience stream delays
  • Use appropriate preset (P5/Slow for quality, P1/Faster for low latency)
Audio Settings:
  • Audio bitrate: 320 kbps is recommended
  • If experiencing audio issues, try 192 kbps
  • Sample rate: 48 kHz
To reduce system resource usage:
  1. Lower the target framerate to 30 FPS
  2. Reduce output resolution to 1280x720
  3. Limit the number of active generators
  4. Disable Graphy statistics monitor if not needed
  5. Close unnecessary background applications
  6. Use hardware encoding in OBS instead of software encoding

​
Configuration Issues

​
Serializer Configuration Problems

Each world type requires a specific serializer:VRSL Worlds:
  • Use the VRSL serializer
  • Configure output orientation (Horizontal Top/Bottom, Vertical Left/Right)
  • Enable gamma correction if needed (usually required)
  • RGB Grid Mode for specific VRSL setups
Binary Stage Flight Worlds:
  • Use the Binary Stage Flight serializer
  • Automatically handles CRC validation
  • 4x4 pixel blocks with 6 channels per column
Custom Implementations:
  • Binary: Standard binary encoding
  • Ternary: Three-state encoding
  • Color Binary: Color-based binary encoding
  • Spiral: Spiral pattern encoding
Always match the serializer to your world’s gridnode implementation. Using the wrong serializer will result in no output or corrupted data.
When using channel masking features:
  1. Define channel ranges properly with start and end values
  2. Check if Invert Mask is enabled - this reverses the masking behavior
  3. Auto Mask on Zero will automatically mask channels set to zero value
  4. Verify the channel numbers account for universe offsets (channel = (universe × 512) + channel_in_universe)
Show configuration issues:
  1. Ensure YAML file syntax is valid
  2. Check for proper indentation (YAML is whitespace-sensitive)
  3. Verify all referenced serializers and generators exist
  4. Look for error messages in the console log
  5. Try creating a new configuration from scratch

​
Streaming Issues

​
MediaMTX and Local Streaming

When using MediaMTX for local streaming:Server Side:
  1. Verify MediaMTX is running (mediamtx.exe on Windows)
  2. Check MediaMTX console for connection logs
  3. Default RTMP server should be rtmp://localhost/
  4. Default RTSPT playback should be rtspt://localhost:8554/
OBS Side:
  1. Set Service to Custom
  2. Server: rtmp://localhost/ (or your custom path)
  3. Stream Key can be any ASCII text, or leave blank
  4. Verify you can start streaming without errors
Client/World Side:
  1. Use the RTSPT URL: rtspt://localhost:8554/[your_stream_key]
  2. If you didn’t set a stream key, just use rtspt://localhost:8554/stream
  3. Replace localhost with your server’s IP if accessing remotely
For better stream quality:Bitrate Settings:
  • 5000+ Kbps for Binary/Ternary gridnodes (high detail needed)
  • 3000-4000 Kbps for standard lighting visuals
  • Too low = compression artifacts
  • Too high = buffering and delay
Encoding Settings:
  • Rate Control: Constant Bitrate (CBR)
  • Preset: Slow (Good Quality) or Medium
  • Multipass Mode: Two Passes (Quarter Resolution)
  • Profile: High
  • B-Frames: 2
Turn OFF these settings:
  • Look-ahead: Off
  • Adaptive Quantization: Off
  • Psycho-Visual Tuning: Off
Ultra low latency mode may cause more issues than it solves. Stick with standard settings for reliability.
To reduce streaming delay:
  1. Use a local streaming server (MediaMTX) instead of cloud services
  2. Reduce keyframe interval to 1 second
  3. Lower bitrate if bandwidth is limited
  4. Ensure encoder preset isn’t too slow (avoid P7/Ultra Slow)
  5. Use RTSPT protocol which has lower latency than RTMP playback
  6. Check client network connection quality

​
Generator Issues

For VRC-MIDIDMX integration:
  1. Ensure MIDIDMX generator is added to your configuration
  2. Verify MIDI device is properly connected
  3. Check MIDI device permissions in your OS
  4. Confirm MIDI channel mappings match your controller
  5. Test MIDI input with a MIDI monitor tool first
When generators don’t seem to work:
  1. Verify the generator is properly added to the show configuration
  2. Check that the generator is enabled
  3. Ensure channel ranges don’t conflict with other generators
  4. Verify the generator is processing (check statistics)
  5. Make sure the generator is ordered correctly in the processing chain
For subtitle-based generators:
  1. Verify the subtitle file path is correct and accessible
  2. Check the subtitle file format is valid
  3. Ensure timing information is present in the file
  4. Confirm channel mapping is configured correctly
  5. Test with a simple subtitle file first

​
Still Having Issues?

If you’re still experiencing problems:

Check Statistics Panel

Use the Graphy statistics monitor in HNode to see real-time performance metrics, packet reception, and frame timing.

Review Configuration

Double-check your show configuration file for syntax errors or incorrect settings.

Test Components

Test each component individually: ArtNet reception, Spout output, serializer, then streaming.

Report Issues

Found a bug? Report it on the HNode GitHub Issues page.

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us