Necessity drives humans to invent techniques and format life that keeps advancing without any stumbling block. If we look behind, we will observe that there was a time when the world shut down during the Covid-19 pandemic, people were confined to their houses, and businesses were collapsing. However, the world did not give in to the situation; instead, it embraced new strategies to keep going forward regardless of what may come.
In this Article:
Interesting Facts
- After the covid-19 hit and businesses shifted to remote work, 13% of the increase in productivity was noticed by remote workers compared with those working in offices.
- 35% of employees would change jobs to work remotely full-time.
- 74% of companies would switch some staff to permanent work from home.
- 77% of employees said that they wanted to continue working from home full-time.
- 88% of businesses shifted towards work from home jobs after the covid-19 was declared a pandemic.
The entire world noticed and adopted the paradigm shift towards remote work from the traditional work culture. Countless businesses and brands, especially those who had to cancel their in-person events, moved towards live streaming. This alternative helped the businesses and marketers successfully run their events and conferences and gave them a unique opportunity to promote their products worldwide through live streaming while interacting with their audience in real-time. While some have mastered this new normal, others are looking for means that can help them establish a home live streaming setup. So, if you’re working at home, are trying to leverage the power of live video, and looking for expert advice to turn it into a live streaming home-based setup from porch.com by Cassandra Rosas, you’ve landed the right blog indeed.
What do you need to develop a home live streaming setup?
Here’s a list of all the tools and techniques that are required for live streaming. Before we plunge into them and learn, let’s see what they are:
- Video Source
- Audio Source
- The Filming Spot
- Soundproofing
- Internet Connection
- Live Streaming Solution
⏭️ Video Source
Video sources workable for live streaming include smartphones or laptops/computer cameras, webcams, PTZ cameras, DSLRs, and camcorders.
A laptop/computer’s or a smartphone’s camera will do the work, but those cameras are not built for live streaming. Although you can use your smartphone’s camera for live streaming depending on the quality of the camera, if you do, then you are advised to purchase a tripod to mount your smartphone on. This will ensure that your video is not shaky.
A digital webcam, DSLR, or a Camcorder is the best alternative if you wish to upgrade. You can select a camera as per your budget and requirements. A webcam that can record at 1080p with a built-in mic for a crystal clear voice will be ideal for a home live streaming setup. Some cameras even support 4k resolution now.
Webcams are user-friendly USB-powered devices that connect directly to a computer. They are usually used for indoor settings, video conferences, online video game streaming, webinars, or delivering lessons. High-level webcams are capable of producing excellent video output. Webcams are integrated with lenses, image sensors, microphones, and other intuitive features such as face recognition, digital zoom, background replacement. They also come with tripod-ready mounts or a clip that mounts on the laptop or computer. These are excellent for a home live streaming setup.
Some of the finest cameras for home live streaming setup:
- Elgato Facecam
- Logitech Streamcam
- Logitech Brio
- Logitech C922 HD Pro
- Mevo Plus
- Razer Kiyo Pro
- Dell UltraSharp WB7022
What to look for when purchasing a camera for live streaming
👉 Resolution: It is the sharpness and clarity of an image or video. Advanced webcams support 720p,1080p, and 4K quality and are perfect for a home-based live streaming setup.
👉 Frame Rate: The maximum frame rate must be 30. The frame rate deals with the video quality, which decides how many images per second are displayed. Almost all the cameras support a 30 frame rate per second.
👉 Tripod Mounting:Almost all the advanced webcams come with a built-in mounting system through which you can adjust your camera on top of your laptop or computer.
⏭️ Audio Source
Audio equipment is a pre-eminent tool for live streaming. You do not want your viewers to drop your live stream because of low audio quality. Although cameras already come with a built-in microphone that will work well for your home live streaming setup, any stand-alone mic will improve the sound quality if you want to enhance your live stream.
👉 Microphone: Condenser microphones, Lavalier microphones that clip onto your clothing, and USB Microphones are the commonly used microphones amongst live streamers, which are great for capturing everyday speech and ideal for a home live streaming setup.
You can invest in one of these microphones:
- Rode smartLav
- Sennheiser ME 2
- Boya BY- M1
- Elgato Wave 3
- HyperX Solo cast
- Rode NT-USB-Mini
- Epos B20
- Blue Yeti USB
👉 Audio Mixer: An audio mixer will enable you to switch between multiple audio and video sources while live streaming if you have added more than one video and audio input. It will let you remix or change the sound without affecting the viewer’s streaming experience. You should select a mixer that works best for solo, and multiple persons live streaming in the same room. If you are live streaming solo, you can look up mixers that allow solo and at least two persons to live stream.
Two kinds of mixers used for live streaming are:
👉 Analog – It has a simple interface and physical knobs and dials that let you control the input and adjust the sound with ease during your live stream.
👉 Digital – Digital mixers are easy to use in contrary to analog mixers. These mixers can configure apps that allow you access to multiple audio channels and set up sound.
The best mixers for remote working are:
- Yamaha MG10XU
- Behringer Xenyx 502
- Pyle Professional Audio Mixer
Read More: Checklist for Professional Live Streaming
⏭️ The Filming Spot
The room or spot you will build into a live streaming setup must have adequate natural light. Lightning should not be disregarded while going live. It is a vital part of live streaming since you are going live so that the audience can see you. It should not be too dark or too bright; you have to set up your light in a way that presents your stream flawlessly. You can face the window in your room or set up LED lights in front of you to highlight your face, which will add a professional finish to your live streams. LED lights are most adapted for live streaming as you can adjust these lights to give you a warm or cool glow as per your needs.
Read More: Video Lighting: Everything you Need to Know While Live Streaming
A few things must be taken into consideration while setting up your spot:
- Key Light– This is the light that will highlight the main object. You can choose a site that gets direct natural light or set up LED lights behind your camera.
- Background: Your background will set the tone for your live stream. You can add a backlight that supplies light to the subject and helps get rid of the shadows. You can also use a green screen, add a digital background, or color the wall behind you in a tone that elegantly exhibits your live stream.
The best-looking background for a live stream is a nicely lit, well-composed natural background. You can also set up a private office behind you with dim LED lights to create an artistic appearance.
To create your background, you must consider the context of your live stream. If you are live streaming a business-related stream, a professional background will be a perfect fit. If you are talking about gaming, a technical background will befit you best. You have to enhance your background in a manner that defines the ambiance of your live stream.
Read More: A Beginner’s Guide to Live Streaming
⏭️ Soundproofing
There are various ways to soundproof the room where you will be live streaming. You can use soundproof foams and place them on the walls to diminish the noise. The other option is using blankets. You can hang a blanket, duvet, or linings on the walls. One of the best kinds of blankets for soundproofing is fleece blankets. If there are windows in the room, you need to cover them with dense curtains to alleviate noise. Soundproofing will help lessen the extra noise coming from outside in your live stream and reduce the echo in your room.
⏭️ Internet Connection
A reliable internet connection with strong bandwidth is a prerequisite for live streaming. Your internet connection must have a steady speed. For a smooth live streaming experience, it is safer to use a wired connection rather than wi-fi and have a backup in case of any technical crisis.
⏭️ Live Streaming Solution
If you’re going to host professional events like concerts, webinars, conferences, corporate events, or even if you’re a usual live streamer, dedicated live streaming software equipped with professional tools and features is far more reliable than social media platforms. OneStream Live offers unique features that regular platforms do not. Almost every social platform allows to go live, but if we compare their abilities and the advanced setup with the features that OneStream Live provides, you would be amazed:
✅ Create professional live streams with up to 10 guests.
✅ Live stream pre-recorded videos or go live in real-time on 45+ social platforms simultaneously.
✅ Brand your live streams by adding graphics, overlays, logo, etc.
✅ Live multistream your Zoom meetings on social platforms.
✅ Embed live streams on your website and secure the stream through password protection and domain restriction.
✅ Respond to all your incoming chat messages from all accounts from a single Unified Live Chat screen.
✅ Add open captions to pre-recorded videos for better reach and engagement.
✅ Create playlists of pre-recorded videos by adding multiple videos in one schedule and live stream seamlessly in one stream link.
✅ Fetch files directly from different cloud storage such as Dropbox, GDrive, OneDrive, Frame.io, Pcloud, Zoom cloud recordings, and Box storage.
✅ Schedule real-time streams in advance to notify your viewers about the upcoming live streams.
✅ Enjoy 24/7 Support Help.
💡 Helpful Tips for Remote Working Live Streaming Setup
✅ Always test your internet speed before going live.
✅ Make sure your sound and video are stable. You must run a test stream before live streaming to make sure that the sound is perfect and the video is not blurry, and you have complete knowledge of the live streaming solution and the equipment you are using.
✅ Keep your equipment charged all the time, and if feasible buy extra batteries.
✅ Always be prepared for your live stream. Create a checklist of things you will talk about so in case of any problems, you can refer back to your list.
✅ Be confident when you go live.
Read More: Top 6 Live Streaming Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Read More: 12 Tips to Create the Perfect Streaming Room in an Apartment
🎯 Final Thoughts
Pandemic or not, the truth is that remote working is here to stay. Numerous businesses have realized that permanent remote work is the future and have switched to this new norm. Some well-known companies have shifted towards remote work, including Adobe, Amazon, Apple, Ford Motor Company, Microsoft, Twitter, and many more.
Who would have thought that one day the entire world will wake up to a reconstruction of traditional work cultures where masses will finally flee from the confines of the brick-and-mortar office 9-5 practice? In recent events, Twitter said that their employees would be allowed to continue to work from home forever. Mark Zuckerberg announced in a public video that half of Facebook’s employees could be working from home for the next 5 to 10 years. Shopify’s CEO shared a very interesting tweet this year:
We are witnessing a significant transformation of our life, and we must readjust to the new work culture and be prepared to excel in it before we are blotted out. Undeniably, live streaming is here to stay even post-pandemic.
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OneStream Live is a cloud-based live streaming solution to create, schedule, and multistream professional-looking live streams across 45+ social media platforms and the web simultaneously. For content-related queries and feedback, write to us at [email protected]. You’re also welcome to Write for Us!
