by Jerry Kornbluth (the audio guy)

During my over 50 years in audio post production (yes, that long) I learned that a project can be done either good, fast or cheap, but that you can only pick 2 of the 3.

If you’ve got endless resources, you’ve probably also got lots of experts ready to help you. So, in this guide, I’m going to focus on streaming a professional looking and sounding production without spending lots of money on either production tools or gear.

Instead of offering an in depth course on each tool and each piece of gear, we’re going to share what we’ve learned, and include links to some in depth on-line resources.

At this point, we’re all used to enjoying well produced videos on YouTube and have struggled with some that are poorly produced. We also watch commercial TV and enjoy the level of production that we see.

The difference between a good and a bad program is sometimes very small. Poor video or audio quality, low resolution, uneven audio levels, and lack of production values (titles, masks, clean starts and ends, etc.)

SO WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO APPEAR ‘PROFESSIONAL’?
For openers, if you’re live streaming, an accurate start time is important. (Just think of how you’d react if you tuned into the 6 o’clock news a 6:00 PM and the screen was blank until well after 6 o’clock, or the program was already well underway when you tuned in.)

We’ll talk about more about the common pitfalls later in this guide, but first I’d like to list some of the tools and the gear that you’ll need in order to live stream your event

There are basic 4 components to the package.

AUDIO
You’ll need a way to combine the audio from all of the musicians and performers at your event. That means you’ll need a mixing console that offers sufficient high quality microphone (and instrument) inputs. I learned the hard way, that you’ll need more inputs then you think you will, and had to sell the first mixer that I had and buy a bigger one.

That was actually a lucky thing, because I now use the Behringer XR18 Digital, remote controlled mixer for the pre-covid monthly Jazz on J Street professional Jam Sessions.

The XR18 offers 16 high quality XLR Mic/Line Inputs, a L/R main out and 6 Aux output busses (2 are linkable as a stereo bus output), easy, direct 16 track multi track recording via USB, and numerous other amazing features like 4 effects busses using vst plugins, all controllable wirelessly from almost any tablets or laptops.

This offers the ability to easily create 2 separate stereo mixes, 1 for the streaming audience, and 1 for the house. Each mix is controlled remotely by it’s own separate device. There’s a tablet (and engineer) controlling the FOH mix and another tablet (and engineer) independently controlling the Streaming mix, using wireless headphones. There’s also a wedge monitor for vocals and we still have 3 Aux busses available for other independent, musician controlled wedge/InEar mixes.

In addition, we create 16 track recordings of each Jam (a separate track for each mixer input) using just an old laptop, so that we can re-mix any part of any performance for other purposes at a later date. At only $450 (factory refurbished with warranty) it’s proven to be an unbelievably flexible and powerful value.

There’s no streaming audio output via USB built into the mixer, but a converter like the Vantec NBA-200U USB External 7.1 Channel Audio to USB Adapter is available for around $25 on Amazon.

VIDEO
Either a single camera, or multiple cameras can utilized during your live event. You can use any combination of high quality webcams, video cameras, DSLR’s and smart phones as video sources and these can be fed directly into OBS, our streaming software, and switched live during the event. Or, as is the case at the Jams, James Venable (the video guy) controls multiple cameras through an ATEM Mini switcher by Blackmagic Design ($300), and then sends me the ‘live’ camera feed using a USB cable that plugs into my streaming laptop computer. We’re thinking about adding a wireless smart phone camera through software like ManyCam or the free OBS NDI Plugin from New Tek, to allow for more intimate mobile shots, but that requires another cameraperson and so it’s tabled for a later time.
If you're curious, here's a Youtube tutorial about the NDI Plugin and what else you'll need. HERE'S A YOUTUBE TUTORIAL about the NDI Plugin and what else you'll need. And HERE'S ANOTHER TUTORIAL.

If you’re going to use multiple cameras, you’ll need to consider a separate engineer to control the stream video. If you’re doing your audio mixing job right, you’ll more than have your hands full most of the time, and if you try to control audio and video at the same time, they’ll both suffer.

STREAMING - OBS
The software that combines the audio, video and any production components like titles, crawls, etc, and sends it to our streaming platform (YouTube) is OBS (Open Broadcaster Software), a free, open source streaming and recording program for Mac, PC or Linux that’s been actively updated since 2012.

To date, it’s the most flexible streaming and production program that we’ve found for anywhere near the price, and allows you to create anything from kiss simple to extremely sophisticated video productions of any length, and then easily stream them to almost any major streaming platform (Note: those streaming platforms may not be free) and if you desire, simultaneously record them to your local computer.

Unfortunately, Many of the better OBS tutorials on YouTube are geared for Gamers, but we’ll be including a lot of tips, and links to the best of these tutorials to help you.

NOTE: In order to interface with a computer that’s running OBS Software you’ll need to output both your audio and video to a Digital USB connection. (Mac users may need adapter cables to convert from USB-A style outputs to USB-C/Thunderbolt/Lightning inputs)

A STREAMING PLATFORM
In order for the world to see your live stream, you’ll need to utilize a streaming service (Like YouTube, Vimeo, and others). We use YouTube because it’s free, has no program time limits, and interfaces easily with our website. Before Covid 19 shut us down, we were exploring broadcasting simultaneously to both YouTube and Facebook Live using Cast.io as a distributor.

GOING FURTHER

PRODUCTION
Make your Live Stream Look Like A 'Professional' Production

Legal Stuff (like Copyrights And Licensing)

TECH
Learning To Use OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) Streaming Software

Multi-track Recording From The Behringer X-AIR Mixer Into A Reaper DAW

Feedback Control In Live Performance

Additional Speakers And Time Alignment

Setting Up YouTube And OBS For Your Live Stream

Streaming To Multiple Streaming Platforms (YouTube, Facebook, And Twitch, Etc.) Simultaneously

Current Wiring Diagram For JazzOn J Street Steaming Setup

Our Current Audio Equipment And Fabrication List

Legal Stuff (like Copyrights And Licensing)