Last updated: 2026-01-15

For most US creative agencies, the fastest path to reliable, on-brand video recording is a browser-based studio like StreamYard that combines cloud backup with per-participant local files. Agencies that prioritize deep hardware tuning and custom scenes above client simplicity can also look at desktop tools like OBS.

Summary

• StreamYard gives agencies a browser-based studio with cloud recording, per-participant local tracks, and simple guest onboarding, ideal for interviews, webinars, and recurring content. (StreamYard Help Center)
• On paid plans, you can capture 4K local recordings and uncompressed 48 kHz WAV audio per participant for high-end post-production. (StreamYard Help Center)
• OBS is a powerful free desktop option with multi-track audio routing and flexible scenes, but requires more setup and hardware awareness. (OBS Help)
• For most agencies, the deciding factors are: client ease-of-use, multi-guest workflows, branding control, and how much time your team wants to spend managing local files.

What does a creative agency actually need from video recording software?

If you run a creative agency, your recording stack has to serve more than one show or campaign. It has to be a repeatable system you can hand to producers, editors, and clients without a 20-page manual.

Most teams end up needing:

• High-quality audio and video for paid campaigns, case studies, and podcasts.
• Frictionless guest experience so clients and partners can join from a link, not a tech checklist.
• Custom branding to keep everything on-brand without rebuilding layouts for each project.
• Multi-track files so editors can fix issues, cut versions, and localize without reshoots.
• Cloud safety net so one machine crash doesn’t take a client project with it.

A lot of traditional desktop recorders solve only the “high-quality file” part. For agency work, that’s necessary but not sufficient—you also need workflow, branding, and reliability.

How does StreamYard fit agency workflows out of the box?

At StreamYard, we built a browser-based studio that behaves more like an online control room than a bare recorder. You and your clients open a link, check mics and cameras, and hit Record or Go Live.

Key capabilities that matter for agencies:

• Cloud + local recording in one place. On paid plans, broadcasts are automatically recorded in HD to your account, giving you a cloud backup you can access from anywhere. (StreamYard Support)
• Per-participant local files. Local recording captures each participant’s audio and video on their own device and uploads separate files, so editors receive individual tracks even if the live call had internet hiccups. (StreamYard Help Center)
• 4K local video and uncompressed audio. Agencies that need high-end masters can download 4K local recordings on higher plans and work with uncompressed 48 kHz WAV audio per participant for clean mixes and sound design. (StreamYard Help Center)
• Branding built-in. You can load logos, overlays, and color presets that match each client, then save layouts so producers aren’t rebuilding scenes for every shoot.
• Recording-only sessions. When you don’t need to go live, you can run recording-only sessions that behave like a virtual studio day, complete with cloud storage and local tracks. (StreamYard Pricing)

For a typical agency scenario—say, recording a remote client testimonial with two stakeholders and your host—you send a link, everyone joins the browser studio, you record, and later your editor opens a folder with separate video and audio tracks for each person plus a cloud backup.

When does OBS make sense as an alternative for agencies?

OBS Studio is a free, open-source desktop application many creators use for screen capture, gaming, and custom scenes. It lets you mix multiple sources, route audio, and record to your local drive with a lot of control. (OBS on Steam)

For agencies, OBS can be useful when:

• You’re recording in-office shoots or demo videos on a powerful machine and don’t need remote guests.
• You want fine-grained encoder control, multiple scenes, or experimental visual layouts.
• Budget is highly constrained and you’re comfortable trading time and complexity for license cost.

OBS also supports multiple audio recording tracks so you can route mics, system audio, and other sources to separate files—a valuable feature if your editors are comfortable managing routing and formats. (OBS Knowledge Base)

However, OBS does not include built-in cloud recording or one-click guest onboarding. You’ll typically combine it with a separate meeting app or platform when remote clients are involved, which adds pieces to your stack and more potential points of failure.

How should agencies compare StreamYard and OBS for multi-guest projects?

For multi-guest interviews, podcasts, and client panels, agencies care about:

• How quickly non-technical guests can join.
• Whether you get per-participant tracks without complex routing.
• How resilient the recording is to someone’s shaky Wi‑Fi.

Here’s how StreamYard and OBS differ in that context:

• Guest onboarding

  • StreamYard: Guests join via a browser link; they don’t install software or configure encoders.
  • OBS: Guests typically connect through other tools (e.g., video calls or custom RTMP inputs), which your team must integrate and manage.

• Per-participant tracks

  • StreamYard: Local recording automatically creates individual audio and video files for each participant, uploaded after the session. (StreamYard Help Center)
  • OBS: You can configure separate audio tracks and sources, but it’s manual work to set up scenes and routing correctly. (OBS Knowledge Base)

• Resilience to network issues

  • StreamYard: Because local recordings capture on each device, your editors still get clean files even if the live call briefly stutters.
  • OBS: If you’re pulling remote guests in over the network, dropouts are baked into the recording unless you pair it with other local-recording tools on each guest’s side.

In practice, agencies that handle recurring remote productions—podcasts, series, webinars—often default to StreamYard for the client-friendly workflow, then reserve OBS for specific studio or screen-heavy projects.

How do StreamYard’s local- and cloud-recording options differ by plan?

If you’re deciding how to structure accounts for your team, it helps to understand how recording behaves across Free and paid tiers.

From what we document publicly today:

• Local recording access

  • Free accounts can use local recording, but it’s limited to a small number of hours per month. (StreamYard Help Center)
  • Paid plans offer unlimited local recording hours, subject to general terms of use, so agencies can schedule full virtual shoot days without worrying about a local-hour cap. (StreamYard Help Center)

• Cloud recording behavior

  • On paid plans, every time you go live, your broadcast is automatically saved in HD to your video library for later download and repurposing. (StreamYard Support)
  • Cloud storage has hour-based limits per account; when you reach them, you can archive or delete older recordings to make room for new ones. (StreamYard Pricing)

• Advanced audio options

  • Advanced tiers can generate individual cloud audio tracks, giving your editors separate audio files for each participant without relying only on local uploads. (StreamYard Help Center)

A practical pattern for agencies is to maintain at least one higher-tier workspace for multi-guest client work and keep smaller projects or internal recordings on entry-level or Free accounts as needed.

How does StreamYard handle quality and post-production for agencies?

Recording quality only matters if your editors can actually work with the files. That’s why we focus on giving post-production teams flexible inputs rather than an all-in-one, locked-down edit timeline.

Key choices that help agency post-production:

• 4K local video masters for Advanced-level accounts and above, so you can crop, reframe, and create vertical cuts from a single shot without losing detail. (StreamYard Help Center)
• 48 kHz uncompressed WAV audio per participant, which integrates cleanly into DAWs for mixing, mastering, and sound design.
• Color presets and grading controls in the studio, giving you a consistent base look even before your colorist touches the footage.
• AI Clips to quickly generate highlight moments based on prompts, which you can use as social cuts or as a starting point for deeper edits.

We intentionally stop short of trying to replace your NLE. For multi-track mastering, structural edits, and frame-level polish, dedicated editing tools remain the right home. StreamYard focuses on capturing clean, flexible source material your editors can trust.

When is Bandicam or similar screen recorders useful for agencies?

Bandicam is a paid Windows-focused screen and game recorder that produces local video files and is often bundled with Bandicut for simple cuts. (Bandicam)

It can be helpful when:

• You’re capturing gameplay or software demos on a single PC.
• Your workflow revolves around screen-first content and you’re comfortable managing per-PC licenses for your team. (Bandicam FAQ)

However, Bandicam’s public materials emphasize local capture rather than cloud workflows or remote guests. There’s no mention of built-in virtual studio features, guest links, or cloud recording, so agencies usually pair it with other tools when client-facing collaboration is required. (Bandicam)

For most creative agencies, that means Bandicam is a niche tool for specific capture tasks, not the hub for client interviews or ongoing series.

What we recommend

• Default choice for agencies: Use StreamYard as your primary recording studio for remote client work, interviews, webinars, and recurring content.
• Complementary desktop option: Add OBS on select machines when you need highly customized scenes or hardware-tuned local recording and have the in-house expertise to manage it.
• Specialized screen capture: Use tools like Bandicam only for narrow screen- or gameplay-heavy projects; keep client-facing workflows in StreamYard for simplicity and reliability.
• Post-production strategy: Treat StreamYard as your capture and logging layer, then hand off 4K local video and uncompressed audio tracks to your editors’ existing NLE and audio stacks for finishing.