Twelve Technical and Non-Technical Tips for Live Streaming Musical Performances –
Tip 11 ‘Use a SEPARATE Computer, Tablet, or Smartphone as a Viewer’
Author: Chris Thompson P. Eng.
[email protected]
613-692-5380
Date: December 2, 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 stay-at-home live stream jazz 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 eleventh 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 11 ‘Use a SEPARATE computer, tablet, or smartphone as a Viewer’.
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 stay-at-home live stream jazz 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 eleventh 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 11 ‘Use a SEPARATE computer, tablet, or smartphone as a Viewer’.
Tip 11 – Use a SEPARATE Computer, Tablet, or Smartphone as a Viewer
This article assumes that the live stream is initiated using Facebook Live. My June 24th, 2020, article ‘Twelve Technical and non-Technical Tips for Live Streaming Musical Performances – Tip 3 ‘Use Facebook Live If Viewers Will Access Your Live Stream On Facebook’’ 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. My June 24th article also discusses the differences between Facebook Live (‘live live streams’) and Facebook Premiere (what I refer to as ‘pre-recorded live streams’) for live streamed musical performances. Most ZOLAS live stream performers to date (sixteen out of nineteen) have used Facebook Live (as opposed to Facebook Premiere) for their live streams. This was the performers’ choice.
I ask all ZOLAS live stream performers to have a SEPARATE device – i.e. NOT the device on which their live stream is being initiated – accessing their live stream as a viewer and positioned close to the performer(s). This device could be a computer (Windows or Mac), a tablet (e.g. iPad), or a smartphone (e.g. iPhone). A tablet or a smartphone could, for example, be on a music stand right beside the performer(s). I make this request for two very important reasons:
1. This allows the performer(s) to easily read viewers’ comments. I ask ZOLAS live stream performers to stop from time to time during their live stream – for example after every tune or two – and check/react to viewers’ comments. For example, the performer could say “I see lots of people are watching and commenting.” or “Hi Bob in Edmonton!”. This is what ZOLAS live stream viewers tell me puts the ‘live’ in ‘live streaming’ and adds to the viewers’ experience, as discussed in my my June 17th, 2020, article ‘Live vs Pre-Recorded Live Streams – Which Viewers Prefer and Why’’.
Tip: If you use a tablet or smartphone to display the comments, have it vertical so that the video is above and the comments are below, as shown in Image 1. If your tablet is horizontal, you’ll see only the most recent comment, superimposed on the video as shown in Image 2, and that comment will disappear after a few seconds unless you keep tapping the screen.
This article assumes that the live stream is initiated using Facebook Live. My June 24th, 2020, article ‘Twelve Technical and non-Technical Tips for Live Streaming Musical Performances – Tip 3 ‘Use Facebook Live If Viewers Will Access Your Live Stream On Facebook’’ 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. My June 24th article also discusses the differences between Facebook Live (‘live live streams’) and Facebook Premiere (what I refer to as ‘pre-recorded live streams’) for live streamed musical performances. Most ZOLAS live stream performers to date (sixteen out of nineteen) have used Facebook Live (as opposed to Facebook Premiere) for their live streams. This was the performers’ choice.
I ask all ZOLAS live stream performers to have a SEPARATE device – i.e. NOT the device on which their live stream is being initiated – accessing their live stream as a viewer and positioned close to the performer(s). This device could be a computer (Windows or Mac), a tablet (e.g. iPad), or a smartphone (e.g. iPhone). A tablet or a smartphone could, for example, be on a music stand right beside the performer(s). I make this request for two very important reasons:
1. This allows the performer(s) to easily read viewers’ comments. I ask ZOLAS live stream performers to stop from time to time during their live stream – for example after every tune or two – and check/react to viewers’ comments. For example, the performer could say “I see lots of people are watching and commenting.” or “Hi Bob in Edmonton!”. This is what ZOLAS live stream viewers tell me puts the ‘live’ in ‘live streaming’ and adds to the viewers’ experience, as discussed in my my June 17th, 2020, article ‘Live vs Pre-Recorded Live Streams – Which Viewers Prefer and Why’’.
Tip: If you use a tablet or smartphone to display the comments, have it vertical so that the video is above and the comments are below, as shown in Image 1. If your tablet is horizontal, you’ll see only the most recent comment, superimposed on the video as shown in Image 2, and that comment will disappear after a few seconds unless you keep tapping the screen.
Image 1
Image 2
2. This lets the performer(s) see exactly what the viewers are seeing, in case anything goes wrong that they otherwise wouldn’t see on the screen of the device on which the live stream was initiated.
Note: The live stream that you see on the screen of the device accessing your live stream as a ‘viewer’ will be significantly delayed – by in the order of twenty seconds. Make sure that you turn the sound on this device off, and don’t be distracted by the delayed video.
Two Cautionary Tales
1. I watched one (non ZOLAS) live stream where the video looked fine to the performers on the screen of the device on which the live stream was initiated, but was ‘flipped’ (mirror image) for the viewers, turning the normally right-handed guitar player into a left-handed guitar player – which, granted, was very impressive if you knew that he was normally a right-handed guitar player. Until someone (me) commented on this, the performers were totally unaware of this.
2. I also ask all ZOLAS live stream performers using Facebook Live to start their live streams twenty minutes before the start of their actual performance at 7 pm – i.e. at 6:40 pm, and from 6:40 pm to 7 pm to have a sign for the video just to reassure people what’s going on and to have some background music playing. The three important reasons for this are discussed in my November 18th, 2020, article ‘Twelve Technical and non-Technical Tips for Live Streaming Musical Performances – Tip 10 ‘Start Your Live Stream BEFORE the Start of Your Actual Performance’’. In the case of Rachelle Behrens' and Alex Moxon's ZOLAS live stream on November 17th, 2020:
Note: The reason that Facebook terminated the live stream was because the background music was an American commercial jazz radio station and Facebook flagged the content as copyright-protected. Image 3 is the notice that Facebook sent Rachelle. I am now asking ZOLAS live stream performers to use as their background music recordings that are NOT on commercial CDs and therefore not registered – i.e. recordings that will NOT be flagged by Facebook as copyright-protected content. Note that, of the twenty ZOLAS live streams to date, this has happened only once but, trust me, once was more then enough.
Note: The live stream that you see on the screen of the device accessing your live stream as a ‘viewer’ will be significantly delayed – by in the order of twenty seconds. Make sure that you turn the sound on this device off, and don’t be distracted by the delayed video.
Two Cautionary Tales
1. I watched one (non ZOLAS) live stream where the video looked fine to the performers on the screen of the device on which the live stream was initiated, but was ‘flipped’ (mirror image) for the viewers, turning the normally right-handed guitar player into a left-handed guitar player – which, granted, was very impressive if you knew that he was normally a right-handed guitar player. Until someone (me) commented on this, the performers were totally unaware of this.
2. I also ask all ZOLAS live stream performers using Facebook Live to start their live streams twenty minutes before the start of their actual performance at 7 pm – i.e. at 6:40 pm, and from 6:40 pm to 7 pm to have a sign for the video just to reassure people what’s going on and to have some background music playing. The three important reasons for this are discussed in my November 18th, 2020, article ‘Twelve Technical and non-Technical Tips for Live Streaming Musical Performances – Tip 10 ‘Start Your Live Stream BEFORE the Start of Your Actual Performance’’. In the case of Rachelle Behrens' and Alex Moxon's ZOLAS live stream on November 17th, 2020:
- The live stream was initiated on Rachelle’s professional Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Rachellemusic.ca) at around 6:45 pm.
- As soon as I saw the Facebook Live post on Rachelle’s Facebook page, I shared it to ZOLAS’ and JazzWorks’ Facebook pages.
- A few minutes before 7 pm, the number of viewers disappeared from the Facebook Live post on my iPad and I couldn’t get the live stream back on any of the three Facebook pages.
Note: The reason that Facebook terminated the live stream was because the background music was an American commercial jazz radio station and Facebook flagged the content as copyright-protected. Image 3 is the notice that Facebook sent Rachelle. I am now asking ZOLAS live stream performers to use as their background music recordings that are NOT on commercial CDs and therefore not registered – i.e. recordings that will NOT be flagged by Facebook as copyright-protected content. Note that, of the twenty ZOLAS live streams to date, this has happened only once but, trust me, once was more then enough.
Image 3
- Rachelle and Alex didn’t realize that Facebook had terminated the live stream – everything looked fine on their (originating) screen – and started performing at 7 pm.
- They had actually performed three songs and were about to start their fourth when Rachelle’s husband Derek Noppe (who was handling the technical end of things) couldn’t find the live stream on his iPhone and realized that the live stream had been terminated.
- At around 7:20 pm the live stream was initiated again on Rachelle’s professional Facebook page and I shared it again to ZOLAS’ and JazzWorks’ Facebook pages.
- The live stream continued until about 8:20 pm and, fortunately, there were still a lot of viewers who had waited the twenty plus minutes until the live stream was re-initiated, Rachelle and Alex ‘kept their cool’ (true professionals) and put on a great show, and there were no further issues.
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 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 stay-at-home live stream jazz performance series. There have been twenty-one live stream performances in the series so far:
- Lucas Haneman and Megan Laurence on May 9th, 2020
- Laura Anglade on May 16th, 2020
- Roddy Ellias on May 23rd, 2020
- Elise Letourneau & Tim Bedner on May 30th, 2020 *
- Mark Ferguson on June 6th, 2020 (see Image 3 below)
- Diane Nalini and Adrian Cho on June 13th, 2020
- Suzie Q and Sean Duhaime on June 20th, 2020
- Spencer Scharf on June 27th, 2020
- Kate Wyatt and Adrian Vedady on July 4th, 2020
- David Renaud on July 11th, 2020 *
- Roddy Ellias on September 15th, 2020
- Lucas Haneman and Megan Laurence on September 22nd, 2020
- Diane Nalini and Adrian Cho on September 29th, 2020
- David Renaud and Justin Duhaime on October 6th, 2020 *
- Suzie Q and Sean Duhaime on October 13th, 2020
- Betty Ann Bryanton and David Miller on October 20th, 2020
- Pete Woods and Tim Jackson on October 27th, 2020
- Caroline Cook on November 10th, 2020
- Rachelle Behrens and Alex Moxon on November 17th, 2020
- Garry Elliott on November 24th, 2020
- Pauline Proulx and David Miller on December 1st, 2020
These twenty-one live stream performances have all been successful – no technical show-stoppers that resulted in cancellation of the live stream. Eighteen of these live stream performances were done using Facebook Live (‘live live streams’), while the three live stream performances above with an asterisk (‘*’) were done using Facebook Premiere (‘pre-recorded live streams’). My June 24th, 2020, article ‘Twelve Technical and non-Technical Tips for Live Streaming Musical Performances – Tip 3 ‘Use Facebook Live If Viewers Will Access Your Live Stream On Facebook’’ discusses the differences between Facebook Live and Facebook Premiere for live streamed musical performances.
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 BEFORE the start of your actual performance
11. Use a SEPARATE computer (PC or Mac), tablet (e.g. iPad), or smartphone (e.g. iPhone) as a ‘viewer’
12. Do NOT erase your recorded live stream
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
- 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 BEFORE the start of your actual performance
11. Use a SEPARATE computer (PC or Mac), tablet (e.g. iPad), or smartphone (e.g. iPhone) as a ‘viewer’
12. Do NOT 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."