How To Mix Livestream Audio
Here’s a secret: the hardest part of a livestream isn’t the video, it’s the audio. If cameras and video systems are properly configured, the struggle is between “good enough” and “really good.”
Audio isn’t like that. It’s still very easy for audio in a livestream to be “nowhere near good enough.” In fact, I would estimate most churches are in that space. Perhaps the audio is fine for certain sections, but it isn’t fine for the whole service, week after week. Never mind ever getting to “really good,” we’re just struggling for “good enough!”
Even with all the tools I can give my clients, audio remains the hardest part of a modern A/V system. The best tool I have to offer is training. In fact, that’s part of why my work with churches and nonprofits leans so heavily on training!
But…surely there are some tips I can share for helping mix the livestream audio…right?
The Ideal Situation for Small & Mid-sized Churches.
Ok, we’re focusing on the livestream audio.
First, a reality check. It’s very very hard to mix the audio for your online worship while you’re standing in the sanctuary. The sanctuary speakers are on, the piano is playing…you’re just hearing too much of the in-person worship. You can squeeze your headphones as much as you want, you can use noise-cancelling headphones as much as you want, but….it’s still hard to mix in that room. That brings us to our first tips:
1) Ideally, you mix your livestream audio in a separate room. The more accessible way for most churches to do this is by connecting a TV directly to the video system, and running a long cable to a nearby room. Perhaps you wire up the TV in the choir room, or a nearby office, or even a closet. If you can get a TV, with a direct feed from your video system, into another room, it will be dramatically easier to hear what is happening in your livestream mix. Without this basic tool, you’re fighting a losing battle.
If you can set up a TV in another room, you’ll want to take an iPad/tablet, which is connected to your digital audio mixer, into that room. Stand, listening to the TV, and mix the livestream mix via iPad. (That’s one reason most churches require a digital mixer). Ideally, you have a volunteer assigned to this role who sits their during the entire service. If you don’t have enough volunteers…check as much as possible, especially during rehearsal.
2) Mix your livestream via an AUX mix on your mixer. The same audio mixer that mixes for your in-person worship can create a distinct mix for livestream. You want to use the “Auxiliary Mix” functions. The basic functionality here is very straightforward. The trouble is, it’s hard to physically stand near the audio mixer and hear the livestream well. This is another reason most churches want a digital mixer: digital mixers let you control the Aux mix via iPad…in another room, if necessary.
3) Get a Broadcast Leveller. This piece of hardware is unfamiliar to many live sound professionals, because it comes from the world of broadcast. To understand what it does, consider a common livestream audio problem. Perhaps the band is loud, but then the pastor starts preaching, and she is dramatically quieter. So the viewer at home has to turn their TV WAY up to hear the sermon. Then, if the musicians return, now their TV is blaring! It’s WAY too loud!
A broadcast leveller ensures the overall volume stays at the same volume. That’s not something needed in live music, but it’s very important in radio, TV, and other forms of broadcast…like a live-stream. You can learn more about my favorite broadcast leveller here. This can be done manually, but…it’s really, really hard. A broadcast leveller is worth the investment, because it helps volunteers so much.
MAKING THE MOST OF A DIFFICULT SITUATION
Sometimes, a church simply can’t run a TV into a nearby room. Perhaps the budget isn’t available yet, or your system makes that difficult for some reason. Perhaps you still use an analog audio mixer.
Here are a few tips to help if you simply must mix the live-stream audio via headphones inside the sanctuary:
1) it can be tremendously helpful to have an independent volume control for the live stream monitor. Sometimes you can do that on the board. Occasionally, external hardware is helpful here. For example, the broadcast leveller I mentioned above has one built-in.
2) you will find it more helpful to have very flat (perhaps even slightly mid-heavy) headphones to monitor the live stream. That is, you want studio headphones, not the sort of headphones you buy because they are pleasant. Personally, I prefer the Sennheiser HD280s. I find them exceptionally clear, particularly in the mids. Whatever you do, get closed-back headphones. Get wired headphones, not wireless. Noise-cancelling headphones seem like a good idea, but they almost never have a “flat” response, which is crucial. Because of that, noise cancelling headphones are not as helpful as you would guess.
Now, if the band is more complex than my typical situations, the problems of mixing live in the same room will be exacerbated. But with a volume knob and good headphones (and sometimes squeezing the headphones down tight for a few seconds), one can make do.. However, let me repeat again: mixing in an independent room is very preferable!
