Are you planning to stream a music event or your own music performance on YouTube? Or just want to live stream any music? Streaming a live performance can be quite tricky. In this blog post, you’ll learn how to choose your gear, the live streaming platform, and other important tips.
Tips to Live Stream Music on YouTube
The recent pandemic has made it extremely difficult for musicians to meet their fans and play their music. Fortunately, live music streaming on YouTube is substituting for canceled concerts and gigs. But how do you duplicate the same sound and audio quality as in concerts or physical performances in a live video?
Connect an External Microphone to Your Computer
There are a couple of ways to get amazing audio for your YouTube Live music streaming. One option is to directly connect an external microphone to your computer.
When you’re live streaming using BeLive, you can use external microphones that can connect to and be recognized by Chrome or Safari. One such microphone is the ATR 2100, a handheld microphone commonly used for podcasting, stage-use, voiceovers, and live performances. Since it comes with a stand, you can just prop it up beside your computer and start to live stream music with amazing audio.
Also, because it has an XLR output, it can be plugged right into your computer without needing third-party software to make it work. Plus, you can plug it into a mixer if you need to for your music as well.
Use a Mixer
If you have the budget, then it’s highly recommended to include a mixer into your audio setup. By using one, you can connect an external microphone and other devices to your computer through a USB adapter. Once connected, your computer will recognize it as an audio setup that you can connect to your browser. From there, you can configure your audio settings in BeLive and go live!
This is the best audio setup you can do for a flawless music streaming session on YouTube Live. However, it can cost you some extra dollars. The Alesis Multimix 4 USB, for example, will cost you about $99 on top of a $100 or so microphone. Nevertheless, the audio results of using a mixer will make your live broadcast sound amazing! Viewers will definitely be coming back for more!
Guests Joining to Live Stream Music on Mobile
If you’re planning to jam with a guest, it’s always best for him or her to join with a desktop + mixer setup. But, that’s not always the case.
Guests who plan on joining the live stream using a mobile phone who want crystal clear audio can still do so by using a compatible mobile microphone. Try using a Samson Go Mic Mobile which can be linked with an iOS phone. It hooks perfectly onto the back of an iPhone and it also has a receiver box with a wireless lavalier to clip to your lapel.
If you and your guest are both in the same location, you can consider adding multiple cameras.
Pro Tip: When you’re using BeLive to stream music on YouTube, you can easily add multiple cameras.
Avoid Feedbacks
Even when you’re not doing live music streaming performance, hearing feedback or echo during your broadcast can become annoying. Getting feedback during a live stream may even cost you your audience and, sometimes, even your guests.
To avoid audio feedback, it’s ideal that everyone in the room wear headphones or earbuds. This is especially crucial if they’re monitoring the show or joining in as guests.
Now if you want to make your live stream look more amazing with cameras and lighting, that’s a different conversation we’ll be tackling very soon! For now, check out this helpful article on how to make your broadcast look more professional.
Get more audio setup tips to live stream music and other formats on YouTube and Facebook from Owen’s BeLive Weekly video below.
How do you set up your audio? Do you have your own tips and tricks to share with other live streaming musicians? Comment your thoughts below and help other musicians stand out on YouTube!
Pam Amantiad is a Content Writer in BeLive’s Marketing Team. With a degree in Creative Writing, she has nearly a decade of experience in digital marketing, particularly in content creation as a copywriter and a freelance blog writer. Not contented with producing written outputs, she dove into the world of live video marketing in 2019 and hasn’t left since.
[…] Now, you have can get all the gear you need everywhere. If you’re just starting live streaming, however, the most important equipment you have to invest in first should be your streaming camera and your audio setup. […]