PRISM Live Studio is NAVER's broadcasting app, and a lot of creators who multistream to YouTube, Twitch and Korean platforms use it instead of OBS. Sooner or later most of them ask the same question: can I just record, without going live?
Maybe you want a rehearsal take before your first stream, a clean gameplay file for a YouTube edit, or a backup of a tutorial. The desktop app is built on the OBS engine, so the settings will feel familiar if you have used OBS, but the menus are renamed and moved around.
This guide follows PRISM's official FAQ and desktop guide to show where the Rec button is, where to change the save path and recording format, how automatic file splitting and the replay buffer work, and what to lower first when recordings drop frames.
The app runs on Windows 10 and 11 (64 bit) and on Apple Silicon Macs with macOS 12.3 or later. Menu names can change between updates, so everything here is checked as of November 12, 2026.
Short answer: hit Rec, no stream required
PRISM's official FAQ says you start recording with the Rec button at the bottom of the main screen, and that you can record regardless of whether a live broadcast has started. There is no separate recording mode to switch on. If this is your first time, set three things before you press it.
First, put a source such as a game capture into your scene, because whatever is in the scene is what gets recorded. Second, open Settings > Output > Advanced > Recording, point the save path at a drive with plenty of free space and pick a recording format your editor can open.
Third, make a one minute test recording and play it back to confirm the game audio, mic and picture are all there. After that you can stream and record at the same time on show days, and record on its own the rest of the week.
If you are still deciding between PRISM and OBS for Korean platforms, the CHZZK OBS setup guide shows the OBS side of the same job.
How to record in PRISM without going live
- 1Add a source to your sceneOpen the PRISM desktop app and add the sources you want to capture, for example a game capture, a webcam and your microphone. Whatever sits in the scene is what goes out on stream and what lands in the recording. For a plain gameplay recording, one game source plus your mic is enough.
- 2Set the save path and formatClick the Settings icon in the lower left and open the Output tab. Switch Output Mode to Advanced and the Recording section lets you choose the save path, recording format and recording audio track. Recordings grow fast, so a folder on a secondary drive with room to spare is the safer pick.
- 3Check recording quality and encoderUnder Settings > Output > Recording, set recording quality to anything other than Same as Stream, or assign a separate recording video encoder in the Advanced Recording settings, and the Pause button becomes available while recording. Resolution and FPS are set under Settings > Video.
- 4Press Rec to startPress the Rec button at the bottom of the main screen and PRISM records separately from any stream. You never have to touch Go Live, so this is the way to make rehearsal takes or clean files for editing. When you finish, open your save folder and make sure the file is there and plays back.
- 5If it stutters, cut FPS and sources firstPRISM's frame drop guide says that for slow rendering warnings you should close background apps, reduce the number of sources and lower 60 FPS to 30 FPS. For encoding warnings, try a different encoder in the Advanced output settings or lower the bitrate. The OBS dropped frames guide explains how to tell stream drops from recording drops.
Where PRISM Live Studio keeps its recording settings (as of November 12, 2026)
| What you want | Menu path | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Record without streaming | Rec button, bottom of the main screen | Works whether or not you are live |
| Change the save path | Settings > Output > Advanced > Recording | Pick a folder on a drive with free space |
| Recording format and audio track | Settings > Output > Advanced > Recording | Check your editor opens the format |
| Basic recording and replay buffer options | Settings > Output > Recording | Set recording quality apart from the stream to unlock Pause |
| Split long recordings | Settings > Output (Advanced mode) > Recording > Automatic File Splitting | By time in minutes, by size in MB, or manual only |
| Save highlights only | Settings > Output > Advanced > Replay buffer | Assign the key under Settings > Hotkeys |
| Resolution and FPS | Settings > Video | Drop 60 FPS to 30 FPS if it stutters |
Checks before a long recording
- Turn on Automatic File Splitting for multi hour sessions. Files split by time (say every 15 minutes) or size (say 2048 MB), and each file name carries the recording start time.
- The Split Recording File hotkey has no default key, so assign one yourself under Hotkeys.
- The replay buffer only saves a highlight file when you press its hotkey during a live stream or a recording.
- NVIDIA NVENC needs driver 551.76 or later, and GeForce 600 and 700 cards lost NVENC support in PRISM 5.0, so they use x264 instead.
- For a full stream plus local recording setup, see the recording settings for streamers guide.
Stream with PRISM, keep every match automatically
PRISM is great when you want to build scenes by hand and handle streaming and recording in one place. If you also want every match you play saved on days you are not live, without remembering to press Rec, DOR is worth adding.
DOR is a free Windows game recording app: launch a supported game and it detects it and records the whole match, then collects the files in My Clips inside the app.
In 7 games, including League of Legends, VALORANT and PUBG, it also saves highlight clips automatically when it detects events such as kills. Recording defaults to 1080p at 30 FPS, 60 FPS is free to pick, and you can trim any moment in the app to 16:9, 9:16 or 1:1 for Shorts.
If you are unsure whether to start with streaming or recording, read streaming vs recording for gamers, and compare recorders in the free game recorder comparison.
