Streaming Setup

by Posted on

The last weeks I’ve spent a lot of time to improving the quality of my Twitch stream. Here is a list of software tools, services, and hardware I am using. I will soon add a YouTube video with a few tutorials how the set up works for me. 

Software and Services

  • OBS Studio (https://obsproject.com/)
    • I use OBS Studio to record and broadcast my content to Twitch (but also to record videos/my desktop). It is entirely free! This is the software that also helps you combining your webcam video with the desktop screen and e.g. interesting additional overlays.   
  • StreamElements (https://streamelements.com/)
    • I have connected my Twitch account and also OBS directly with StreamElements. It provides you overlays, helps with chat commands, and bots.  

streaming starter kit (hardware)

---- good picture

  •  Quality Webcam: The quality of the image is certainly important. Webcams are a cost-effective variant. More advanced setups include DSRLs in combination with a camlink or capture card (see below).

---- good audio

  •  Good Microphone and Headphones.  A high quality audio really improves the streaming (and recording experience)
    • Yeti Blue Microphone (good for Streaming but also for Podcasts)
    • Ear buds or Headphones to avoid echo (I use an MSI gaming headset). I started streaming with the microphone of the headset.

---- good light

  •  An additional light was a great investment to make the stream and videos look more professional. There are plenty cost-effective variants online. I use the Elgato Key Light as I can directly control it via a software on my PC.    

streaming kit - a bit more "fancy"

---- greenscreen

  • Greenscreen. A greenscreen helps you to let a messy background disappear and give the game more space. There are several setups and many very cost-effective ones. I use the Elgato version, because it is very fast to setup and does not need any connection to a wall. It is heavier than other setups, but very stable.    

---- Capture card / camlink

  • If you want to capture the picture of a console you need a capture card. Also, if you want to capture the picture of a different camera (e.g. DSRL), a camlink supports this.  

---- streamdeck

  • The Elgato Stream Deck makes transitions from different OBS scenes very easy. Allows for instance the automatic replay of sounds etc. Compared to traditional keyboard block it supports e.g. small GIFs/pictures shown on the deck. Let me summarize: it is playful and fun.    

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