How to Streaming on A Budget? You can do it and do it well!
What’s spot-on of streaming is all about learning tricks to polish your skill. When firing your career up for the very first time, it’s important to know that big spending on gaming rig can up your experience, but starting with a decent equipment and learn everything from there is the right way to treat streaming. Thus, instead of rubbing your bank with expensive high-end models, what you actually need is just one that can do a proper job.
Gear for streaming, the first thing comes to your mind should be a webcam. In term of image quality, you can get better result with a DSLR. But can you get similar quality with great less after you have the proper setting, you can be the judge. Why your webcams are not doing a good job? Because they are all pretty bad at low-light, poor auto-focus and poor colors, and you are not paying enough attention to the way you use it.
1.Lighting is always the most important factor for a good video that either shot by webcam or DSLR. The point is to light up yourself or the sense. Below are two trick to have proper lighting. And what we’re going to tell you will cost you little to none.
a)Open up curtain to let in more light through windows.
b)Don’t shoot with the windows behind you open, but in front of you.
c)Turn on the light at the top of you.
d)Have a completely white overlay or background on your streaming Windows to light you a bit more.
e)It may not sound gaming-ish if your room is too bright. Then use whatever lights you have left over to light up background, such as the desktop lamp.
f)But the same as last trick, don’t point the light source in front of you, but to the wall. Use the light bouncing back.
2.Webcam placement is crucial to whether people think you’re professional or just another noob. Put it in your eye level so that audience will think you are actually having eye contact with them.
The next one to tackle is audio.
1.First thing first, just do not use mechanical keyboard. There are all kinds of good thing about it, but also a few reasons why you are better off without one at the beginning stage.
a)The theme of this article is about saving and sharpening skill. So why you should not get a mechanical keyboard is the price.
b)It is super loud, which may go against the original reason why you want such keyboard. But actually it is a disaster to the audio in your streaming.
2.Since a dynamic microphone setup, which is perfect for streaming, but goes far beyond a starter’s budget, then it is a no-brainer choice to choose between two cheap condenser mics: a sensitive one or the one that favors mid or low range. Here are the reasons.
a)Given the fact that they are both condenser mics, regardless of the difference of tone, they are going to pick up more or less of the same noise.
b)Streaming is about people hearing your instant commentary. But when words are spoken out too fast, chances are they may get blurred. A sensitive mic will pick up more details. You definitely want a audience hear you with clarity, instead of deep radio sound, because you are just not doing podcast.
3.Use worn-out blanket or towel to setup a special treated room. You can find more details in a previous blog post: https://fifinemicrophone.com/blogs/news/how-to-make-an-acoustic-treatment-on-a-budget
The last place where you might have quality loss is the software setting you make. Though it is not relevant to the topic of spending less to start streaming, but is something you do not want to miss. There is really no right or wrong with this, you are literally dialing in these setting, such as output resolution, video bitrate, audio level, etc.
An video about streaming on the cheap from Linus Tech Tips for your references.