Essential tips and tricks to start streaming music performances

Essential tips and tricks to start streaming music performances

Setting up your own studio for streaming music is easy, let’s look at some tips and tricks to do so.

Nowadays audiences enjoy a lot more than just listening to live musical performances, and the internet offers us a way to connect to audiences all around the world – on a minimal budget. Here are some of the most essential things you need to know when setting up your studio for streaming music.

Encoding Software

What is it:

The encoding software is the main hub of your streaming setup, this is the application that takes all of your video and audio sources and passes them onto your streaming platform. OBS Studio is the most popular choice at the moment, it is incredibly versatile and free to use. You have advanced controls for mixing various audio and video sources and the ability to switch between them on-the-fly.

Required or Recommended:

Like I mentioned, this is the application that turns all of your video and audio sources into a single component for your streaming platform to relay to the world, it is 100% required but the good news is that OBS is free.

Price:

FREE

More info 

Webcam

What is it:

While a webcam is not strictly required, having visual interaction with your audience is a huge bonus – especially if you’re doing a live performance. The Logitech c922 is an incredibly popular choice, it offers up to HD 1080p and it’s very affordable. It plugs in via USB, and you can simply load it up as a video source in your encoding software.

Required or Recommended:

Like I said, the webcam is not required, more of a strong recommendation. Your audience wants to see what you’re up to, and it adds that personal connection.

Price:

The Logitech c922 retails for USD $99 (Around R1500)

Where to buy 

Extra Audio Interface

What is it:

If you’re streaming a musical performance using a DAW, you will most likely want to use an extra audio interface to capture your audio output and send it to your encoding software. DAWs usually take control of an audio interface, sending audio directly to the outputs, bypassing the operating system. This means that nifty routing applications generally don’t work. Keep in mind, this doesn’t have to be the fanciest interface – anything with a stereo line input input will do. A good affordable option would be something like the Behringer UMC202HD.

Required or Recommended:

This is required if you’re using the same computer for your DAW and encoder software, you can also make use of a desktop mixer with internal USB interface.

Price:

The Behringer UMC202HD retails for USD $110 (Around R1700)

Where to buy

Voice-over Microphone

What is it:

This one goes hand-in-hand with the webcam, engaging with your audience is key to keeping them watching. Even in a musical performance, taking interludes to chat to the viewers will keep them around longer. Again, this doesn’t have to be the best-rated vocal microphone on the market, something affordable like a Samson C01U USB Condenser Microphone.

Required or Recommended:

Again, like the webcam, not required but a very strong recommendation.

Price:

The Samson C01U retails for USD $99 (Around R1500)

Where to buy

Some other things to take note of…

Of course, streaming music online will need a decent, stable internet connection – I generally recommend at least 10mbps connections for HD streaming. Another tip that goes hand in hand with the webcam is lighting, it’s almost more important than the webcam itself – as you can get away with a smartphone these days, the lighting will make a huge difference. Again, you don’t need the most professional solution, experiment with what you have available.