Two source types that need no extra hardware:
GUI — captures one of your monitors, with an optional floating webcam overlay for talent. Use it to stream a live edit-bay or desktop.
GEN — a self-contained test-card / clock generator for line-up, signal-path checks, and HDR verification.
How to open it
Click Add Row, then under Select Source Type choose GUI or GEN.
Click the row's gear button to open its settings.
A GUI row also has two inline buttons: SCREEN (live screen on/off) and CAMERA (webcam overlay on/off).
Part 1 — GUI: Screen Capture & Webcam Overlay
A GUI row captures one monitor and streams it. You can float a circular webcam window on top of that monitor so the capture picks it up.
macOS permissions (read this first)
Screen Recording — needed for capture. If it isn't granted, Pulsar points you to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording; enable it and restart Pulsar.
Camera — needed only for a webcam overlay. Approve the prompt, or enable it later under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera.
Stream one of your monitors
Add a GUI row. On macOS, grant Screen Recording if prompted (and restart if asked).
Open the row's settings.
Under Monitor to share, pick your display (or leave Auto (Primary)). Click Refresh Monitors if a just-connected display is missing.
Set Aspect Ratio to Fit (keeps shape, adds black bars) or Stretch to 16:9 (fills frame, may distort).
Click Apply.
Make sure the row's SCREEN button is green, then configure outputs and start the stream.
Add a webcam overlay
The overlay is a small, mirrored, circular floating window with a blue ring. Screen capture picks it up — so keep it on top of, and within, the monitor you're capturing or it won't appear in the stream.
Open the GUI row's settings.
Under Camera Overlay, pick your camera (approve the macOS Camera prompt).
Click Apply. A small circular webcam window appears (150×150 px).
Drag it where you want it on the captured monitor, and resize as needed.
Use the row's CAMERA button to toggle it on/off (green = on).
If the camera can't be accessed, the window shows Camera Error in a red circle.
Blank the screen with a test card
To hold a slate without tearing down the row, click the row's SCREEN button so it dims — the output shows Pulsar's test card instead of your desktop. Click SCREEN again (green) to return to live capture.
If the row is already streaming, expect a brief ~1–2s stop/restart while it swaps sources.
Part 2 — GEN: Test Card / Line-Up Generator
A GEN row produces a self-contained synthetic source: a moving test pattern (or a wide-gamut HDR pattern), line-up audio, and a timecode clock. Great for line-up, signal-path checks, and HDR verification — no camera or capture device needed.
GEN changes are saved with Save but take effect the next time the stream starts. Audio mute is the exception — toggle it live with the row's mute button.
Set up a test-card / line-up source
Add a GEN row and open its settings.
Pick Resolution (720p / 1080p / 2160p, or a custom Width × Height) and Framerate.
Choose a moving Pattern (Moving ball, SMPTE bars, SMPTE 100% bars, Pinwheel, or Snow).
Set Codec (H.264 / HEVC), Bit depth, and Chroma as needed.
Set Audio to 1 kHz tone or White noise and adjust Level (−20 to 0 dB).
Optionally tick Burn in timecode, choose the Timecode source (Continuous from your Start TC, or Global app timecode), and set Start TC.
Click Save, then restart the stream for changes to take effect.
Generate a genuine HDR test pattern
Use this to confirm an HDR signal path end-to-end.
Open the GEN row's settings.
Tick HDR (BT.2020, 10-bit). This forces HEVC + 10-bit and switches to a dedicated wide-gamut HDR pattern.
Choose HDR transfer: PQ — HDR10 (SMPTE ST 2084) or HLG (ARIB STD-B67).
Choose Chroma: 4:2:0 for HDR10 delivery, or 4:2:2 for contribution (SDI / v210).
Set resolution / framerate / audio / timecode as needed, click Save, then restart the stream.
The HDR pattern is BT.2020 colour bars plus a luminance staircase and a 1000-nit grayscale ramp, tagged with HDR signalling. The Orbit monitor copy carries the same BT.2020 HDR, so the tile preview shows in HDR.
Tips & gotchas
The test-card toggle for a GUI row is the SCREEN button — dim it for the card, green for live screen.
Keep the webcam overlay on top of, and within, the captured monitor or it won't appear in the stream. The preview is mirrored. The CAMERA button only does something once you've chosen a camera in settings.
Toggling SCREEN while streaming causes a brief ~1–2s stop/restart as it swaps sources.
Turning on HDR forces Codec to HEVC and Bit depth to 10-bit, and switches to the HDR pattern.
GEN changes apply on the next stream start; only audio mute is live.