Live Audio Streaming Tips

By: Marcela Rada

Why is live audio streaming so challenging??

It is no secret that live audio streaming is becoming increasingly popular in the? last couple of months. Artists all over the world are beginning to make full usage? of its advantages. One of the reasons why live audio streaming is challenging is? because we haven’t talked much about how to optimize our tools to ensure high? quality audio is being delivered and received. It is not a matter of just? understanding the audio software/hardware we have at home, but also about fully? exploring the audio settings of the streaming services we are choosing as well as? understanding what they allow us to do. Like I’ve always said, having access to the? right tools is a start, but knowing how to use them properly is what makes a difference.??

Now, effort does not only lie on the performer, but also on the listener. As a listener, it is? also important for me to do what I can to receive good quality audio. Ensuring that? I have a good internet connection and avoiding Bluetooth headphones/earbuds? are amongst the steps I can take to avoid further audio compression.?

Lastly, live streaming highly relies on fast and reliable internet connection,? and depending on your performance setup, on CPU power. It can be challenging for? some to optimize these tools.

Streaming Live Music: how to start (basic setup you need, what you need to? consider)?

A basic setup would include: a microphone with a stand, an audio interface,? an instrument and/or midi controller, an XLR, an instrument and/or midi? cables, a computer, and a camera.??

If you have pre-recorded stems or would like to process your audio signal with? effects, you might want to also use a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) such as Logic or? Ableton Live. You will need to consider that the more developed your setup is, the? more CPU power you will need.

Additionally, as your setup grows into a more complex one, it can be a good idea to get? an outboard mixer. An outboard mixer allows you to minimize your internal routing by? taking information from your outboard gear and allowing you to choose what goes into? your DAW, which ultimately means less CPU usage for your computer.?

The next step is to decide if you want to stream directly to one platform (Facebook,? Instagram, YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, Zoom, etc) or if you want to multi-stream to various? platforms at the same time. Whichever you decide to go for, make sure you change your? audio settings so your streaming platform takes the output of your interface, mic, or? DAW and not the output from your computer’s built-in mic.?

Once your setup is ready, it is a good idea to prepare your set. Rehearsing and? preparing your set beforehand will not only allow you to troubleshoot issues before you? go live, but also to familiarize yourself with all of your equipment settings. Once you feel? confident with your setup, it will be much easier to have fun during your live? performance and engage with your audience.?

How to Capture Best Audio for Live Streaming (are there any settings/hacks you? can use to make it sound the best)?

In order to capture high quality audio, it is crucial to understand your signal flow. Signal? Flow is the path of the audio signal from its source to its destination. It is important that? you understand how you can split your audio signal to different paths in your audio? chain.??

A basic example of signal flow for a home studio setup would look like this:?

Your live streaming signal flow will be slightly different. Once your audio signal has? reached your DAW Master Fader, it would then go into the input of your multi-streamer,? and finally into your streaming Platform.??

This is the typical hardware found in a home studio, where the interface has the mic? preamp. The pre-amp amplifies the signal that comes out of your mic, which? is called mic level signal, then the signal turns into line level signal, which is compatible with your interface.??

Your interface also contains an analog to digital converter. This piece of hardware is? used to convert audio into digital information. It is essential because the signal sent? from your mic must be converted into digital information so your DAW can read it.?

A digital converter takes a large number of snapshots, called samples, per second, to? build an approximate picture of the analog waveform. With these samples, the digital? converter essentially guesses what the soundwave looks like. As you can see in the? diagram below, the white line is the analog signal, and the pink graph is the conversion.? The quality of the results of this conversion highly depends on something called Sample?Rate.?

Your audio software will allow you to choose the sample rate you want for your session:

A high sample rate builds a more accurate picture of the analog signal, which results in? better sound quality. However, this also means that you will end up with higher? processing loads and larger audio files. Therefore, high sample rates can optimize? recordings but might not be so beneficial for live streaming.?

Optimizing tips in Ableton Live:??

Ableton Live allows you to monitor your CPU usage. If you are experiencing a lot of? latency, this feature allows you to see if you are feeding too much information into your?set.?

In your Preferences:??

Audio -> Channel Configuration: Make sure that any inputs or outputs that you are not? using are disabled.

Underneath, you will also see something called Buffer Size. Buffer Size is the amount of? time it takes for your computer to process your audio signal. Ableton Live gives you the? option to choose between 32 and all the way up to 2048 samples. For live streaming I? recommend starting out with 64 or 128.

Minimize the amount of tracks you have in your session as much as possible by? consolidating your tracks in an Instrument Rack.?

Use Chain Selector to only activate the instruments you need for each song to minimize CPU usage.

Lastly, it's important that you set up your gain staging properly. You need to start by? identifying how loud your sound source is going to be and how far you want it to be? from the mic. Proceed to move on to your interface and adjust your input level ensuring? that the audio signal is not at its max and not distorting. In your DAW, you’ll be able to? adjust the volume of your mix by moving the fader on your audio track. Finally, this? signal then goes into your restreaming platform and then your social media platform.??

Are there any platforms/software solutions (cheap or with freemium models) which help with audio quality when streaming?

There are quite a few platforms/software solutions that can enhance audio quality when? streaming. Restream and OBS are amongst the most commonly used to broadcast live? to multiple platforms at the same time with good quality audio.?

Avoid speech oriented streaming platforms like Webex to live stream a music? performance. These platforms focus on transmitting clear speech, so they narrow your? bandwidth, which is not good for streaming music.??

Zoom, however, gives you the option to disable their speech compression? algorithm and enable stereo sound. Zoom also allows you to stream audio directly? from your DAW; you can do this by selecting the ZoomAudioDevice on your Output? Device in Logic and Ableton Live, or on your Playback Engine in Protools. It’s? important to note that audio latency will still be an issue and a tool like Audiomovers? can help.??

Audiomovers is an option to live stream audio directly from your DAW with very? low latency. Simply place their plugin on your session’s Master Track, set your settings,? and share the generated link with your viewers. Your audience will listen to your audio? from a different webpage in their browser, so this option might be more suitable for? small audiences.

Any recommended hacks on visuals to make the show look more interesting?

Visuals are a great way to enhance your live stream! I love creating visuals with Max and? Resolume. Both software options allow you to manipulate your visuals live and sync? them to Ableton Live so your visuals follow the tempo of your tracks. Max is a? good option if you are already familiar with it and want to spend time creating? complex visuals. However, if you want something that is user friendly and less time? consuming, Resolume can serve as a controller for previously created visuals. Adding? visuals to your set will require more processing power and sometimes more than what? your computer can handle. If this happens, consider using a second computer and? stream audio from one and visuals from the other. This is also very common practice,? where one computer is doing the heavy lifting and the other one is only transmitting.?

Note that OBS allows you to add graphics to your screen and multiple cameras on? multiple screens. This is a good tool to allow your audience to see you perform on one screen and to see your visuals on another.