Mistake 3: Plugin Overload. Installing too many OBS plugins, causing conflicts, crashes, and performance issues.

The pattern: streamer discovers OBS plugins. Installs every cool-looking one. Slowly, OBS becomes unstable. Crashes during streams. Performance degrades. Streamer assumes OBS is the problem.

Why this happens:

• Each plugin adds memory and CPU overhead
• Plugin authors don't always test for inter-plugin conflicts
• Outdated plugins break with new OBS versions
• Beta plugins introduce instability

The recommended plugin stack (kept lean):

• StreamFX: visual effects (1 plugin handles many features)
• Move Transitions: animated transitions (1 plugin)
• Advanced Scene Switcher: automated scene logic (1 plugin)
• NVIDIA Broadcast or RTX Voice equivalent: audio noise removal (separate app, not OBS plugin)

That's 3-4 plugins maximum for most streamers.

The discipline:

• Install only plugins you'll actually use, not "might use someday"
• Verify each plugin is current with your OBS version before installing
• Remove plugins you stopped using
• Restart OBS after every plugin install/uninstall
• Test record after plugin changes (covered in mistake 2)

How to recover from plugin overload:

• Disable all plugins (Tools → Plugins → Disable all)
• Test that OBS works without plugins
• Re-enable plugins one at a time, testing each
• Identify the conflict source and remove it permanently

Lean stack > full-featured stack.