Tony Tries Stuff

Can I perform live on the internet? #TonyTries #LiveStream #SK7

This week's post looks at what skills, equipment and knowledge are needed to perform live online for the world to see. We look at this in terms of a spectrum from the least tools necessary to how great we can actually make it. Stick around till the end to find out some easy topics for you to get started with live streaming!

Welcome to TonyTriesStuff,

We here are keen on trying new hobbies to increase our repertoire of skills. Whether you’ve stumbled across this for the first time or are a regular, thanks for taking the time to look through what I have created. Read on to start your journey towards mastering skills that you are passionate about.

Today we are looking at a bit of a daunting topic, #LIVESTREAMING. Gone are the days when you had to go to a television provider to broadcast live to your local community. Nowadays, people can live stream from the comfort of their homes. The barrier to entry is low and the potential for growth is limitless. Let's see what are the basics of creating your own live stream.

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Your broadcasting team can comprise you and your laptop

I have been a big fan of live streams and I used to regularly tune in to watch CallMeKevin. Up until recently, they used to stream Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5 pm. It feels similar to tuning in to your favourite show in the old days. It also adds a layer of functionality with live chat, where people can actively influence what happens in a stream. There is a good example of this where Kevin is trying to complete missions in GTA 5 while his audience gets to pick what disasters happen. This two-way interaction makes it more engaging than traditional media such as tv shows from the 90s.

There are many ways in which people monetise their streams. You can offer subscriptions to your channel which provides you with access to subscriber-only streams and chats. It also has visual upgrades such as having a different sticker in front of your name depending on how long you have been a subscriber. You are also given access to subscriber-only emotes. This helps make it unique and also supports the streamer.

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This next section discusses streaming at a basic and advanced level. I go over equipment, platform and process to get started with streaming.

Equipment

Equipment needed (basic)

Literally, a phone and your enthusiasm are all you need to really start streaming. A phone is fairly common in today's society and it has all that is necessary to help you get into streaming. Maybe a phone stand would be a plus but you could literally prop it against a few books and nobody would be none the wiser.

Equipment needed (advanced)

Upgrading is only worth it when you can identify where your current setup is lacking. For instance, you would consider upgrading your camera when you feel that you have the potential to either benefit more in terms of money or your happiness gains with that upgrade. Therefore, with that being said, these are areas where you could improve your setup in no particular order.

Upgrade 1: Camera

Since streaming involves live interaction with fans, face cams are quite popular. Therefore, a camera would be a good upgrade. According to this YouTube video, you can get a relatively inexpensive webcam and still experience a good increase in quality. This is something that I plan on doing if I start streaming consistently. There is also a way to use your phone as your camera which could be an intermediate solution.

Upgrade 2: Microphone

The mic is also up there as one of the most important especially if you plan on talking or singing. I am no expert so I asked @AllanSamuel7 to pitch in:

There are a plethora of microphones to choose from but for now, I'll give you two options just to keep things simple and not get all technical on you.

Option one, a USB microphone. This just works. One USB cable to your computer and that's it, you're done. You might have to install a driver but that's about it. It's cheap, portable and easy to use.

Option two, a combination of a microphone and an audio interface. There are a variety of mics to choose from but again, keeping things simple, you could go for either a dynamic microphone or a condenser microphone.

The condenser is much more sensitive than the dynamic microphone and also requires phantom power to work, make sure the audio interface you choose supports that and keep these things in mind while choosing.

Hope that gives an insight into what to consider while choosing a microphone.

Upgrade 3: Audio Interface

I am not very familiar with how audio interfaces work. According to my understanding, an audio interface is what helps convert sound from waves into digital information. A cheap audio interface may be adequate to perform functions that are necessary to stream.

Upgrade 4: Lighting

Last but not least, lighting. Especially important if you plan on using a camera. A camera is only as good as its lighting. If you plan to upgrade, this video might help understand where your money would be best spent.

Other upgrades

There are many other things that we can upgrade such as the computer that you use, props for background, headphones, and lots more. These mentioned above are what I have identified as essential.

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It would be nice to have a set-up such as this one to live stream from

How to start your Livestream

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to get started with streaming

Step 1: Pick a platform

There are countless platforms out there that allow you to live stream on the internet. This article summarises all the options available and helps you understand the difference between each. My personal favourite for live streaming has to be Twitch. The reason is that, unlike other platforms with streaming as a secondary, Twitch puts live streaming front and centre. This means, that all your audience is coming there exclusively to watch you perform live.

Once you decide on one (or multiple) platforms to stream on, go ahead and create an account.

Step 2: Download a streaming software

Once you are happy with a platform, the next step is to figure out which streaming software to use. This article looks at all the different options available and helps pick one. Streaming software allows you to broadcast your output onto any streaming platform of your choice.

Step 3: Figure out your audio and video setup

You can do this as complicated as you like. The different ways in which you can achieve your setup are as follows:

Basic: Just have one audio input from a microphone and allow all audio to flow through that. This is especially easy to configure as all you would have to do is select your microphone as an input.

Advanced: a more advanced setup can be done using multiple audio and video inputs. This is especially useful when streaming live music. Though time-consuming, perfecting your audio can make it sound much better.

Step 4: Configure your screen

Live streaming differs from a normal video based on dynamic input arriving from your audience. Therefore, it is essential to showcase your audience interaction on stream coming from donations and live chat. This can be customised using your streaming software. You would also need to set up screens for different uses, such as for live performance, any breaks, and a conclusion screen.

Step 5: Stream!

Go on, press the button that says 'stream' and you are live. Do what you plan to perform live

Here are some ideas for live streaming:

I hope this gives you a taste of what is needed to start your own live streams. Livestreaming seems complicated at first but once you dip your toes in, you realise that it's not really that bad. It's also nice that the barrier to entry is quite low. It gives us an opportunity to try it for ourselves with little effort and then upgrade as necessary to solve problems.

That’s all for this week. I hope you enjoyed reading about how you can become a live streamer (SK7). Do leave a comment and subscribe if you want to be inspired to learn new skills.

Until next time,

Tony

Huge thanks to @AllanSamuel7 for helping with understanding upgrades to equipment better

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