How to Override Configuration Settings in Norsk Studio

Norsk Studio offers a flexible method for overriding configuration settings without modifying your base YAML files. This guide explains how to perform overrides, using SRT ports and encode ladder settings as examples.

How Overrides Work

Overrides in Norsk Studio selectively replace values in your base settings with those from an override file.

When you run Norsk Studio with both a base document and overrides, it:

1. Loads the base settings
2. Applies any overrides from the override file
3. Runs with the combined settings

The override file only needs to contain the settings you want to change—everything else remains as defined in the base configuration.

Example 1: Overriding an SRT Listener Port

A fresh Norsk Studio installation comes with a few prebuilt workflows. We’ll use the 01-SRT-to-HLS-Ladder as our base file, and I’ll show you how to override the port of the SRT Listener. First, if you go ahead and run it as is, you should see that it’s listening on the default SRT port 5001:

Now, suppose you want the listening port to be 5002 instead of 5001. You can create an override file to change this setting without modifying the original configuration.

Step 1: Create the Override File

Create a new folder inside the data/studio-save-files/ directory and call it ‘overrides’. This is where you’ll store your override files.

Create a new file called srt-port-override.yaml in your data/studio-save-files/overrides directory with the following content:

SRT_INPUT_PORT: 5002

Step 2: Run with Override

Now run Norsk Studio with both the base document and your override file:

STUDIO_DOCUMENT=01-SRT-to-HLS-Ladder.yaml STUDIO_DOCUMENT_OVERRIDES=overrides/srt-port-override.yaml ./up.sh

If you navigate to the Norsk Studio UI, you should find it listening on port 5002 now.

Example 2: Overriding the Frame Rate in an ABR Ladder

The 01-SRT-to-HLS-Ladder comes with a ladder featuring three rungs: 180p, 360p, and 720p, all with a frame rate of 25 frames per second (fps). In this example, we’ll override it with a 2-rung ladder with resolutions of 720p and 1080p, and also adjust the frame rates to 50fps. 

Create a new file called srt-hls-ladder-50fps-1080p.yaml in your data/studio-save-files/overrides directory with the following content:

ABR_LADDER_RUNGS:
 - name: h264_1920x1080
   software:
     width: 1920
     height: 1080
     codec:
       type: x264
       bitrateMode:
         value: 5000
         mode: abr
       keyFrameIntervalMax: 50
       keyFrameIntervalMin: 50
       sceneCut: 0
       preset: fast
       tune: zerolatency
       threads: 8
       bframes: 0
     frameRate:
       frames: 50
       seconds: 1
 - name: h264_1280x720
   software:
     width: 1280
     height: 720
     codec:
       type: x264
       bitrateMode:
         value: 2500
         mode: abr
       keyFrameIntervalMax: 50
       keyFrameIntervalMin: 50
       sceneCut: 0
       preset: fast
       tune: zerolatency
       threads: 4
       bframes: 0
     frameRate:
       frames: 50
       seconds: 1

Then run with:

STUDIO_DOCUMENT=01-SRT-to-HLS-Ladder.yaml STUDIO_DOCUMENT_OVERRIDES=overrides/srt-hls-ladder-50fps-1080p.yaml ./up.sh

You should have a two-rung ladder, with the framerate showing as 50fps

Naming Conventions

Norsk Studio uses a specific naming convention for overriding properties. The pattern uses the format:

COMPONENT_ID_PROPERTY: VALUE

For example, if a component has an ID of srt_input and you want to override its port property, then the YAML should have the form:

SRT_INPUT_PORT: NO

So, for example:

SRT_INPUT_PORT: 5000. 

Similarly, if you want to override the rungs of a ladder with the ID name abr_ladder, the format should be:

 ABR_LADDER_RUNGS: 
 - RUNG1...
 - RUNG2...
 ...

Want to learn more about how easy it is to customize Norsk Studio to fit your needs? Get in touch or schedule a demo.