PulsCast user guide

After you sign in and complete channel setup, the default experience is PulsCast OS: you land in the Workspace ( /os ), a desktop-style shell where each tool opens in its own window. The floating dock at the bottom launches Dashboard, Playout, Library, and the rest. Your window positions and layout are remembered in this browser. If you switch to Classic UI in Settings, you use a sidebar and one full page at a time instead—see PulsCast OS & Classic UI.

Use Settings ( Settings) for anything that applies to you (profile, password, appearance) or your channel (branding, stream source, security, plan).

You can choose how the signed-in app is laid out in Settings → User Profile, under Workspace layout. Your choice is saved in this browser.

PulsCast OS

PulsCast OS is the default. It is a floating desktop: the main surface is /os, with a dock at the bottom and each tool (Dashboard, Playout, Library, etc.) opening in its own resizable, movable window. That is the experience described in Workspace & dock below.

Classic UI

Classic UI uses a traditional sidebar and a single full-width content panel—one app page at a time, similar to how Help is structured. The first sidebar item opens Dashboard (not the OS workspace). Use Classic if you prefer a linear, full-page workflow instead of overlapping windows.

The following applies to PulsCast OS (see Classic UI if you use the sidebar layout).

Opening apps: Click an icon on the dock to open or focus that app. If a window is already open, the dock toggles focus or can minimize it (depending on the app—try clicking again while it is focused).

Channel preview: If your station is set up, your channel tile appears on the left of the dock. Use it to open a live preview window (16∶9) to see roughly what viewers see.

Window controls: Each window has traffic-light controls (refresh, minimize, maximize, close). Drag the chrome bar to move; drag edges or corners to resize. Double-click the chrome to maximize within the workspace.

Arrange: The dock includes buttons to cascade, tile, or restore minimized windows. Right-click (or long-press) the desktop or a window for more options.

Clock & account: The dock shows the current time. Your account tile opens shortcuts (e.g. Settings, this guide, Help, logout).

Dashboard

High-level view of your channel: listeners, playout state, and trends. Use it as a health check before you go live or after you change schedule or sources. Open from the dock: Dashboard.

Playout

Operate the playout engine: live queue, transitions, and status for what is on air. What you can do here depends on your Puls Mode settings (AutoDJ vs external stream vs PulsCast ingest)—see Settings → Puls Mode.

Library

Upload and organize media (tracks, video segments, assets). Content here feeds playlists and schedules. Storage limits follow your plan; you will see prompts if you approach your tier cap.

Playlists

Build ordered lists of library items for automated or semi-automated rotations. Connect playlists to the schedule and playout flow as your format requires.

Schedule

Plan what runs and when—shows, recurring blocks, and slots that tie into playlists. Together with Automated Playout in Puls Mode, the schedule drives the channel clock.

Breaks

Define breaks, bumpers, or rule-based interruptions so programming can pause or switch format at the right times (subject to plan limits).

History

Review what played, useful for reconciliation, reporting, and troubleshooting when something did not air as expected.

Settings

Central place for profile, channel identity, stream source, alerts, security, and billing—detailed in the next section. Quick link: Settings.

Public watch page

Listeners use your public watch URL (based on your station route). Embed and domain rules are controlled under Settings → Security → ImPass.

Open the full settings UI any time from the sidebar account menu or Settings. The left column lists six areas; below is what each one is for.

User Profile

• Profile photo & name — how you appear in the app.
• Email — your sign-in identity; also the default recipient for alert emails.
• Theme — light, dark, or follow system.
• Desktop background — branded, clean (no hero image), or focus style for the workspace backdrop.
• Color accent — accent color used for highlights and controls.
• Dock size — comfortable vs compact density for the bottom dock icons (PulsCast OS only).
• Workspace layout — PulsCast OS (floating desktop, dock, and resizable app windows) or Classic UI (sidebar and one full page at a time).
• Language — preferred UI language (where translations are available).
• Password — change password with your current password for verification.

Email Alerts

Choose which operational emails we send to your account address. Groups include Channel reports (daily stats, online/offline notices) and Account security (new login, failed attempts, billing and access alerts). Save when you are done.

Channel Info

• Logo & text — channel name, tagline, description; logo is used on dashboard, discovery, and public-facing surfaces.
• Genre, audience, location, languages — metadata for discovery and presentation.

Puls Mode

These toggles define where your signal comes from. Typically you enable one primary mode:

• Automated Playout — scheduled playlists / AutoDJ drive the channel from the app.
• External Stream Mode — a direct URL to a live stream (e.g. HLS). Useful if you already produce a feed elsewhere.
• PulsCast Mode — broadcast from OBS (or similar) using a private server URL and stream key issued for your channel. Copy them into your encoder; use Renew if you need to rotate credentials.

PulsRecord (with PulsCast) can continuously record in rolling segments. Choose OBS / PulsCast input only for a clean encoder backup, or Final viewer outputwhen clients need the full watch-page program with breaks, PlayLay overlays, and playout included. Keep old recordings stores every completed file until plan storage is full.

PulsSend is managed from Settings → PulsSend. Starter includes 2 restream destinations, Professional includes 4, and Enterprise includes unlimited destinations.

PlayLay live overlays are available on Professional and Enterprise plans. Broadcast Pro settings collect SCTE-35 ad markers, XMLTV EPG, Smart TV wrappers, package availability notes, and BYOS.

PulsSend — Multi-Platform Distribution

PulsSend allows you to broadcast your stream to multiple platforms simultaneously from a single source. Instead of managing separate encoders for YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, and custom RTMP endpoints, PulsSend handles all the restreaming automatically.

• Multi-Platform Streaming — Send your PulsCast stream to YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, and unlimited custom RTMP destinations at the same time.
• Unified Dashboard — Monitor all your streams in one place. See viewer counts, connection status, and engagement metrics across all platforms without switching tabs.
• Automatic Failover — If one platform connection drops, your stream continues on all other platforms without interruption. Your broadcast stays live even if a single destination has issues.
• Plan Limits — Starter includes 2 restream destinations, Professional includes 4, and Enterprise includes unlimited destinations.
• Management — Configure and manage all your restream destinations from Settings → PulsSend. Add credentials, test connections, and enable/disable destinations on the fly.

PlusLay — Broadcast Graphics & Overlays

PlusLay is a built-in graphics design tool that lets you create professional on-screen graphics, lower thirds, and visual elements without leaving PulsCast. Design once, save as templates, and reuse across all your shows.

• Drag & Drop Designer — Build graphics with an intuitive canvas. No design experience needed—position text, shapes, images, and effects with simple clicks and drags.
• Template Library — Pre-built templates for common broadcast elements: lower thirds, full-screen graphics, tickers, scoreboards, and more. Customize colors, fonts, and text to match your brand.
• Real-time Preview — See exactly how graphics look on your broadcast before going live. Preview at full resolution and test animations.
• Live Overlays — Layer graphics over your video feed during playout. Trigger overlays manually or schedule them to appear at specific times.
• Brand Consistency — Save your graphics as reusable elements. Keep your on-air look consistent across all shows and segments.
• Plan Availability — PlusLay live overlays are available on Professional and Enterprise plans. Broadcast Pro settings also collect SCTE-35 ad markers, XMLTV EPG, Smart TV wrappers, and package availability notes.

Always click Save Settings after changes.

Security

• Authenticator app — optional Google Authenticator-style 2FA: scan the QR, enter the 6-digit code to enable.
• ImPass — decide whether your watch experience can play on the main site and which external site origins may embed your channel. Add full origins like https://example.com.
• Geo Locking — each channel keeps its own isolated country and region rules. Professional can block up to 5 countries and 1 region; Enterprise can block unlimited countries and regions. Starter keeps 3 ImPass domains, but country and region blocking stays locked until upgrade.
• VPN & Proxy Blocking — on Professional and Enterprise, block viewers connecting through VPNs, anonymizing proxies, datacenter IPs, and the Tor network so playback stays inside your real audience and licensed regions.
• Content Encryption (AES-128) — encrypt your live HLS segments end to end. Keys are delivered through an authenticated, no-cache key endpoint and rotate automatically, with a Rotate key now control for on-demand rotation. Available on Professional and Enterprise.
• Sessions — review or sign out active sign-in sessions. Sessions enforce an idle timeout and re-authenticate automatically when a session's territory changes, so a stolen cookie can't roam to another country.
• Email-based 2FA and recovery flows may appear here depending on your account state—follow the on-screen prompts.

Billing

See your current tier and status, pick currency and monthly vs yearly pricing where offered, upgrade or manage payment methods, open the customer portal when available, and download invoices. If billing is not active, your channel may be paused until you resolve payment—this screen is the right place to fix that.

• Desktop windows and preview positions persist per browser; if things feel cramped after resizing the browser, use Tile or Cascade from the dock.
• Plan limits (storage, playlists, schedule slots, breaks, video quality, etc.) are enforced as you work; a banner may link you to Billing when you need more capacity.
• For bugs, broken behavior, or account issues, use Help & contact so your message reaches the admin team with context.