Twelve Technical and Non-Technical Tips for Live Streaming Musical Performances –
Tip 6 ‘Use a Wired Ethernet Connection Between Your Computer and Your Router'
Author: Chris Thompson P. Eng.
[email protected]
613-692-5380
Date: July 22, 2020
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Ottawa Jazz Happenings or of JazzWorks Canada.
Note: Since the beginning of April I've acquired a fair depth and breadth of practical knowledge regarding live streaming musical performances, due to a) my two week technical investigation of Facebook Live and YouTube Live at the beginning of April (see 'Background' below), and b) my organizing the 'ZOLAS Live Jazz Saturday Nights ONLINE!' live stream performance series including, as required, mentoring series performers using a range of physical setups on doing live streams (see 'Background' below). Please feel free to phone me (613-692-5380) or email me ([email protected]) if you would like any advice on/assistance with live streaming your musical performance(s). My fee is a donation of whatever you feel is appropriate to the GoFundMe campaign for the ZOLAS series, every penny of which (after advertising expenses and GoFundMe's service charge) will go to covering performers' fees.
Introduction
This is the sixth in a series of twelve articles. Each article discusses in detail a technical or non-technical tip for doing live streamed musical performances. This article discusses Tip 6 ‘Use a Wired Ethernet Connection Between Your Computer and Your Router'.
Tip 6 – Use a Wired Ethernet Connection Between Your Computer and Your Router
This article discusses the connection between the computer (Mac or PC) used to initiate a Facebook Live stream, since this is what I am familiar with:
To date, ZOLAS live stream performers using Facebook Live have initiated their live streams on Macs, iPads, and iPhones. My July 15th, 2020, article ‘Twelve Technical and non-Technical Tips for Live Streaming Musical Performances – Tip 5’ discusses the pros and cons of using computers (Mac or PC), tablets (iPad or Android), and smartphones (iPhone or Android) to initiate live streams using Facebook Live. An advantage of computers is that connection between the computer and the performer’s wireless router can be either wireless (i.e. Wi-Fi) or a wired connection using an Ethernet cable. However, an iPad or iPhone used to initiate a live stream can not be directly connected to the wireless router using an Ethernet cable and must use a Wi-Fi connection.
In his July 8th, 2020, article ‘Jamkazam for Live Remote Ensemble Practices’, Allan Siburt says “Don’t try to connect locally using Wi-Fi. While pretty fast, Wi-Fi is bursty and creates problems for the (JamKazam) software.”. As Allan also says in his article, “As a minimum, this means you could just buy a 50 ft (Ethernet) cable (~$20) and unroll it across the house for the few hours you are playing on JamKazam. I’ve run a wire through my heating ducts to get to my studio room from my router.”. As an aside, I made up my own Ethernet cable (the special tool cost me more than an Ethernet cable would have, so I guess I consider making an Ethernet cable that actually works to be a ‘badge of honour’). To connect my computer which is in my second floor study to our wireless router which is on the first floor, I creatively, although possibly not wisely, ran the Ethernet cable through the central vac pipe (!) from the second floor down to the basement, and then up through the floor to the wireless router. The Ethernet cable vibrates a lot when the central vac is running :-(, but (so far) the connection is fine.
When we had our Bell Gigabit Fibe service installed, the installer measured a download speed of about 300 Mbps. “Wait a minute!” I said, “We’re supposed to be getting 1 Gbps download speed.”. He said “That’s because I’m accessing your router over your Wi-Fi network. Your download speed will be much faster with a wired connection to your router.”. He connected his speed measuring instrument to our router with a wired ethernet connection and measured the 1 Gbps download speed that we were expecting (and paying for). I don’t recall, but I suspect the same was true for the upload speed.
My Conclusion
My conclusion is that, given the above, when using a computer as the device used to initiate a Facebook Live stream, it is preferable to use a wired (Ethernet) connection between the computer and the wireless router. This will maximize your upload speed and avoid any issues with going over Wi-Fi (e.g. dropped connection) – keep it simple (the ‘KISS rule’)! That said, most of the ZOLAS live streams to date (see Background below) have been initiated using an iPad or iPhone (i.e. with a Wi-Fi connection to the wireless router), so this is to a large extent a moot point. Furthermore, where the connection between the device used to initiate the ZOLAS live stream and the wireless router has been Wi-Fi (which has been the case for most, if not all, ZOLAS live streams to date), in practice the Wi-Fi connection has not been an issue. Therefore, this is not a strong recommendation.
Note: Since the beginning of April I've acquired a fair depth and breadth of practical knowledge regarding live streaming musical performances, due to a) my two week technical investigation of Facebook Live and YouTube Live at the beginning of April (see 'Background' below), and b) my organizing the 'ZOLAS Live Jazz Saturday Nights ONLINE!' live stream performance series including, as required, mentoring series performers using a range of physical setups on doing live streams (see 'Background' below). Please feel free to phone me (613-692-5380) or email me ([email protected]) if you would like any advice on/assistance with live streaming your musical performance(s). My fee is a donation of whatever you feel is appropriate to the GoFundMe campaign for the ZOLAS series, every penny of which (after advertising expenses and GoFundMe's service charge) will go to covering performers' fees.
Introduction
This is the sixth in a series of twelve articles. Each article discusses in detail a technical or non-technical tip for doing live streamed musical performances. This article discusses Tip 6 ‘Use a Wired Ethernet Connection Between Your Computer and Your Router'.
Tip 6 – Use a Wired Ethernet Connection Between Your Computer and Your Router
This article discusses the connection between the computer (Mac or PC) used to initiate a Facebook Live stream, since this is what I am familiar with:
- All performers participating in the ‘ZOLAS Live Jazz Saturday Nights ONLINE!’ stay-at-home live stream performance series (see Background below) use Facebook Live or, in the case of pre-recorded live streams, Facebook Premiere. My June 24th, 2020, article ‘Twelve Technical and non-Technical Tips for Live Streaming Musical Performances – Tip 3’, recommends using Facebook Live instead of YouTube Live for what I refer to as ‘live live streams’ which use Facebook for promoting and providing access to the live streams.
- Furthermore, most ZOLAS live stream performers to date (eight out of ten) have used Facebook Live (‘live live streams’) as opposed to Facebook Premiere (‘pre-recorded live streaming’) for their live streams. The terms ‘live live stream’ and ‘pre-recorded live stream’ are defined and discussed in my June 17th, 2020, article ‘Live vs Pre-Recorded Live Streams – Which Viewers Prefer and Why’.
To date, ZOLAS live stream performers using Facebook Live have initiated their live streams on Macs, iPads, and iPhones. My July 15th, 2020, article ‘Twelve Technical and non-Technical Tips for Live Streaming Musical Performances – Tip 5’ discusses the pros and cons of using computers (Mac or PC), tablets (iPad or Android), and smartphones (iPhone or Android) to initiate live streams using Facebook Live. An advantage of computers is that connection between the computer and the performer’s wireless router can be either wireless (i.e. Wi-Fi) or a wired connection using an Ethernet cable. However, an iPad or iPhone used to initiate a live stream can not be directly connected to the wireless router using an Ethernet cable and must use a Wi-Fi connection.
In his July 8th, 2020, article ‘Jamkazam for Live Remote Ensemble Practices’, Allan Siburt says “Don’t try to connect locally using Wi-Fi. While pretty fast, Wi-Fi is bursty and creates problems for the (JamKazam) software.”. As Allan also says in his article, “As a minimum, this means you could just buy a 50 ft (Ethernet) cable (~$20) and unroll it across the house for the few hours you are playing on JamKazam. I’ve run a wire through my heating ducts to get to my studio room from my router.”. As an aside, I made up my own Ethernet cable (the special tool cost me more than an Ethernet cable would have, so I guess I consider making an Ethernet cable that actually works to be a ‘badge of honour’). To connect my computer which is in my second floor study to our wireless router which is on the first floor, I creatively, although possibly not wisely, ran the Ethernet cable through the central vac pipe (!) from the second floor down to the basement, and then up through the floor to the wireless router. The Ethernet cable vibrates a lot when the central vac is running :-(, but (so far) the connection is fine.
When we had our Bell Gigabit Fibe service installed, the installer measured a download speed of about 300 Mbps. “Wait a minute!” I said, “We’re supposed to be getting 1 Gbps download speed.”. He said “That’s because I’m accessing your router over your Wi-Fi network. Your download speed will be much faster with a wired connection to your router.”. He connected his speed measuring instrument to our router with a wired ethernet connection and measured the 1 Gbps download speed that we were expecting (and paying for). I don’t recall, but I suspect the same was true for the upload speed.
My Conclusion
My conclusion is that, given the above, when using a computer as the device used to initiate a Facebook Live stream, it is preferable to use a wired (Ethernet) connection between the computer and the wireless router. This will maximize your upload speed and avoid any issues with going over Wi-Fi (e.g. dropped connection) – keep it simple (the ‘KISS rule’)! That said, most of the ZOLAS live streams to date (see Background below) have been initiated using an iPad or iPhone (i.e. with a Wi-Fi connection to the wireless router), so this is to a large extent a moot point. Furthermore, where the connection between the device used to initiate the ZOLAS live stream and the wireless router has been Wi-Fi (which has been the case for most, if not all, ZOLAS live streams to date), in practice the Wi-Fi connection has not been an issue. Therefore, this is not a strong recommendation.
Background
I got involved with live streaming at the end of March 2020 when ZOLAS restaurant and pasta shop in Ottawa’s West End asked me to help them with live streaming performances by their jazz performers in order to help support their takeout and delivery business during this very difficult time for restaurants. I had been booking the performers for their ‘Live Jazz Saturday Nights’ program for the previous two years. Being an engineer (and borderline OCD – not a job requirement, but definitely an asset), I spent a couple of weeks investigating Facebook Live and YouTube Live from a technical perspective. I set up numerous end-to-end test live streams in order to understand how the two services work, understand the differences, and identify serious and less serious issues. These tests included (successfully) using as the audio source a USB microphone, a sound system (USB and non-USB mixers), and a high quality digital audio recorder.
I’m a retired Professional Engineer (degree in Electrical Engineering). I worked for 23 years at Bell-Northern Research/Nortel in Ottawa, Canada, designing telecommunications services. I’ve been playing drums and electric bass in gigging big bands and small jazz ensembles since 1970 (fifty years!). Playing in bands kept me sane when I was in school and working, and is now (or at least it has been until this year) my major retirement activity. I’m currently the drummer in the big band Standing Room Only and was the bass player in the bossa nova trio Wave until it disbanded (pun intended) in December 2019. Having a technical background and being a gigging musician is proving very valuable for my involvement with live streaming musical performances, since I can bridge the two areas.
I’m currently organizing the ‘ZOLAS Live Jazz Saturday Nights ONLINE!’ live stream performance series. There have been ten successful live stream performances so far:
I got involved with live streaming at the end of March 2020 when ZOLAS restaurant and pasta shop in Ottawa’s West End asked me to help them with live streaming performances by their jazz performers in order to help support their takeout and delivery business during this very difficult time for restaurants. I had been booking the performers for their ‘Live Jazz Saturday Nights’ program for the previous two years. Being an engineer (and borderline OCD – not a job requirement, but definitely an asset), I spent a couple of weeks investigating Facebook Live and YouTube Live from a technical perspective. I set up numerous end-to-end test live streams in order to understand how the two services work, understand the differences, and identify serious and less serious issues. These tests included (successfully) using as the audio source a USB microphone, a sound system (USB and non-USB mixers), and a high quality digital audio recorder.
I’m a retired Professional Engineer (degree in Electrical Engineering). I worked for 23 years at Bell-Northern Research/Nortel in Ottawa, Canada, designing telecommunications services. I’ve been playing drums and electric bass in gigging big bands and small jazz ensembles since 1970 (fifty years!). Playing in bands kept me sane when I was in school and working, and is now (or at least it has been until this year) my major retirement activity. I’m currently the drummer in the big band Standing Room Only and was the bass player in the bossa nova trio Wave until it disbanded (pun intended) in December 2019. Having a technical background and being a gigging musician is proving very valuable for my involvement with live streaming musical performances, since I can bridge the two areas.
I’m currently organizing the ‘ZOLAS Live Jazz Saturday Nights ONLINE!’ live stream performance series. There have been ten successful live stream performances so far:
- Lucas Haneman and Megan Laurence on May 9
- Laura Anglade on May 16
- Roddy Ellias on May 23
- Elise Letourneau & Tim Bedner on May 30
- Mark Ferguson on June 6 (see Image 1 below)
- Diane Nalini and Adrian Cho on June 13
- Sean Duhaime and Suzie Q on June 20
- Spencer Scharf on June 27
- Kate Wyatt and Adrian Vedady on July 4th
- David Renaud on July 11th
Image 1
Organizing the series includes having Zoom meetings with the performers in the series as required (some of them are self-admitted ‘luddites’, so our Zoom meetings are looong and painful, although by the end I get them ‘from zero to sixty’) to a) determine the best technical setup for their live stream performance, b) do a step-by-step walk-through of how to set up and initiate a live stream, and c) do a test end-to-end live stream. I’ve authored a detailed technical user guide ‘Live Streaming Stay-at-Home Musical Performances – Technical User Guide’ for the performers to use as a reference document after our Zoom meeting, and which you can access (read only) at this URL. Appendix B of the reference document provides twelve technical and non-technical tips on live streaming musical performances based on my technical investigation and on the experiences from the ZOLAS live stream performances so far:
Technical Tips
Non-Technical Tips
10. Start your live stream 15-30 minutes before the start of your actual performance
11. Use a tablet (e.g. iPad) or smartphone (e.g. iPhone) as a ‘viewer’
12. Don’t erase your recorded live stream
Technical Tips
- Do a TEST end-to-end live stream
- Use an Internet connection with the highest upload speed possible
- Use Facebook Live if viewers will access your live stream on Facebook
- Use Immediate (Facebook Live ‘Go Live Now’) NOT Scheduled (Facebook Live ‘Schedule a Live Video’) – Live Streams
- Use a computer for your live stream
- Use a wired Ethernet connection between your computer and your router
- Use an external audio source for your live stream
- Use a ‘VHS to DVD converter’ to connect a non-USB mixer to your computer
- Mic your performance for recording – not a live performance – when using a mixer as your external audio source
Non-Technical Tips
10. Start your live stream 15-30 minutes before the start of your actual performance
11. Use a tablet (e.g. iPad) or smartphone (e.g. iPhone) as a ‘viewer’
12. Don’t erase your recorded live stream
Comments
Bob Nesbitt, 4-November-2020 - "Wow, what a resource Chris Thompson is for technical matters! I read a number of his articles and they were truly excellent."
Davina Pearl, 16-August-2020 - "I very much appreciate all the careful thought that you put into your articles. It’s an amazing way of supporting our little community during these times. It’s heartening to read them, and to build hope that we will find some excellent ways to overcome the challenges of our new reality.”
Devon Woods, 17-June-2020 - "Very interesting and relevant series of articles by Chris Thompson."
Bob Nesbitt, 4-November-2020 - "Wow, what a resource Chris Thompson is for technical matters! I read a number of his articles and they were truly excellent."
Davina Pearl, 16-August-2020 - "I very much appreciate all the careful thought that you put into your articles. It’s an amazing way of supporting our little community during these times. It’s heartening to read them, and to build hope that we will find some excellent ways to overcome the challenges of our new reality.”
Devon Woods, 17-June-2020 - "Very interesting and relevant series of articles by Chris Thompson."