Andreas Kasper

Video & Livestream

Because of the current situation, many are asking for my video/live stream equipment or what I would recommend. So I’ve created a little list of possibilities and split them into different tiers by price and quality.

Video Tier 1

Minimal setup for relative good quality videos, if you’re filming outside or have a controlled light situation. You take 2 smartphones – the newer/better one for the video and the older one for the audio recording. For better audio connect a little microphone to your audio smartphone.
If you also have a little tablet, you could use this as a teleprompter. There are several apps in the app-stores for every operating-system.

Alternate video-editing-software:

Livestream Tier 1

Your smartphone is a perfect and simple way to do a livestream. With the apps of the platforms like YouTube, Facebook you can directly stream to these platforms. With a rtmp cam you can also directly stream to a restream service like restream.io.

Livestream Tier 2

If you have a good enough computer or notebook you can use this as a streaming device. The most used free software is OBS (Open Broadcaster Studio), which you can download for free. OBS is for all operating systems, but works best with as Windows and can take advantage of an Nvidia graphics card. If you haven’t had a good webcam, there are 2 really good options, live the Logitech C920 or the Logitech Brio 4K. The internal sound of the cams is not optimal. If you have a headset or microphone system in your location connect that to your computer too. To set up your camera you can also use a tripod – important cheap tripods have ofter problems with movements and are optimal for static perspectives. If you wanna follow the dancers, use a tripod with a fluid head.

Livestream Tier 3

If you have a DSLR Camera or any other device that delivers an HDMI signal, you would need a capture card. There are some cards that have a very low latency, which is important. Especially when you mix in the sound later. I really like the S-Series of the Elgato products

Better light?

Try to eliminate natural light sources, when you are not shooting outside. Here is a good light, but you can also easily build a cheap diffuse light-source. (YouTube)

Better sound?

Keep the microphone as close to you as possible. For dancers the best sound is with a condensator headset.

This howto is evolving and I’m always optimizing and adding new tiers to the list.
If you have any questions, feedback or if you need help with the setup, please feel free to contact me via email [email protected] or on Facebook.
If you wanna help me during this time, where all events got canceled: