mixer

I tried streaming on Mixer. Here are my notes.

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Wanting to be taken more seriously in the world of streaming, Mixer sent shockwaves throughout the industry by getting the exclusive rights for streaming’s biggest star. The platform still has a lot of work to do before truly becoming a rival to the likes of Twitch and YouTube, but moves like the Ninja signing have gone a long way towards building name recognition. At the very least, when people discuss streaming platforms, Mixer is usually mentioned on that list as an equal.

Recently, I streamed on Mixer as part of a stability test for my ISP. Because I was having issues streaming to Twitch and YouTube, they wanted me to try Mixer in hopes that they could isolate my network issues to something relating to RTMP (Real-Time Messaging Protocol). Twitch and YouTube use RTMP, while Mixer uses their propriety FTL (Faster Than Light) technology. Here are my notes from that experience.

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The Spider-Verse Swings Into the Basement! February 2020 Gaming Decor Patch Notes

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With this being the month of Valentine’s Day, it would have been a perfect opportunity to lean into the theme of romance somehow. Instead, I picked stuff on a whim and ended up with a bunch of Spider-Verse paraphernalia. Happy February!

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Welcome to My Streaming Room #BloggersWhoStream

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[This post is part of a blogging collaboration by Later Levels and Hundstrasse called #BloggersWhoStream. Make sure to give them both credit and follow the hashtag on Twitter for more posts from the community!]

Building the game streaming setup of one’s dreams is an evolutionary process for most. It’s an expensive hobby to get into and the majority of those interested in pursuing it don’t start out with the equipment they need to produce a high-quality product. For example, I started streaming in 2017 with just the laptop I already had. Great for blogging, but it didn’t have the horsepower to display my gameplay and camera feeds at the same time.

More importantly, it’s a hobby that you really need to try for yourself before you go all in. Just because you like playing video games doesn’t mean that you’ll like playing them on stream. For instance, I love playing Tetris Effect when I’m not on stream and no one’s watching. However, when I streamed it and no one watched, I came away from that experience feeling miserable.

The outcome of no one watching was the same, but the dynamics and expectations change when broadcasting was introduced to the mix. The worst thing one can do is to buy all of the most expensive equipment and realize after the fact that they don’t actually like how streaming warps the gaming experience. You’re better off starting with whatever you have and determining whether you want to pursue it further.

This tour through my streaming setup is the culmination of my journey thus far. The road to get here was filled with failure, doubt, and MacGyver-esque life hacks. Even so, I truck along thanks to everything I’ve learned, the friends I’ve made along the way, and positive impact I’ve made on the world. From providing entertainment, to those that tune in to the money I’ve raised for charity (over $2,000 and counting for Extra Life!), I don’t take any of this for granted. All of this has inspired me to continue honing my craft and improving as a streamer on every front. As long as I continue to grow within the hobby, so will my streaming setup. Without further ado, let me show you where the magic happens.

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Why It’s Okay to Quit Streaming (And What You Can Do to Break Through) #BloggersWhoStream

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[This post is part of a blogging collaboration by Later Levels and Hundstrasse called #BloggersWhoStream. Make sure to give them both credit and follow the hashtag on Twitter for more posts from the community!]

When it comes to streaming, I value the human connection that can be created during a show above all else. It’s incredible when viewers from around the world come by to talk about mutual interests, partake in healthy debates, share life stories, and provide support for one another. It doesn’t take much for this magic to happen, as some of my most memorable streams involved just one viewer in the chat.

Creating that human connection is difficult when streaming to an empty room. For most, the room is empty more often than not. This is a top-heavy medium where the majority of the audience watches just a handful of creators. It’s so uneven that about 89% of active streamers average less than three viewers a stream.

Furthermore, the top 5,000 streamers garner 74% of all watch time. With over 3,000,000 active streamers per month, that leaves 99.84% of active streamers with only 26% of the watch time pie. This creates an environment where tens of thousands of streamers are broadcasting to zero viewers at any given time. Just with Fortnite alone, sort by streams with the lowest viewer counts first and you’ll unearth thousands of streamers without a viewer.

I’m not immune to this phenomenon. There are times when my viewer counter stays at zero for the duration of a stream. It’s actually an improvement over 2017, where I pretty much went the entire year without anyone noticing me. Even so, the feeling of opening yourself up to the world and no one caring is…one of the most demoralizing experiences I’ve gone through as a creator.

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Get the Best Possible Sound From Your Streaming Microphone in OBS and Streamlabs OBS With These Settings and Tips #BloggersWhoStream

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[This post is part of a blogging collaboration by Later Levels and Hundstrasse called #BloggersWhoStream. Make sure to give them both credit and follow the hashtag on Twitter for more posts from the community!]

Having a good mic won’t help your stream if it isn’t configured properly. Particularly if you have a condenser mic, which you probably do if you own a USB mic. Condenser mics – such as the Blue Snowball, Blue Yeti, or the Audio-Technica AT2020 among many others – work best in a controlled studio environment.

Unfortunately, most of us aren’t streaming in professional studios. Without any adjustments, your voice will probably distort when you get loud, be difficult to hear over your gameplay when you speak softly, and pick up weird ambient noises in-and-around your house.

It’s mission critical to address these issues, as your microphone is your primary method of communication and content creation on stream. You can address most of these issues in OBS, Streamlabs OBS, or whatever digital or analog mixer you may use. Follow along with this guide and it should get your microphone audio to a better place!

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Live Streaming and A Teachable Moment

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One of the most amazing aspects of live streaming is the way in which it brings people together from all over the world. Been fortunate enough to have viewers make a positive impact on the show from the US, Mexico, South Africa, England, France, Australia, Germany, and more. I make it a point to celebrate our cultural differences while bonding over a common love of gaming. Wherever you are, I want you to feel like there’s a place for you here.

Up until this point, we’ve been able to maintain a positive environment with little moderation. However, I was put into a dilemma when an enthusiastic viewer caught me by surprise with a racially-insensitive comment.

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Live Streaming and Embracing Audience Participation

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When Tetris 99 introduced Invictus Mode, I switched to playing that mode exclusively. Part of it stemmed from believing that I have the skills to compete at that level. Wins are sparse, but I’ve won enough Invictus matches to feel like this is the right mode for me.

Beyond that, I also chose to play Invictus matches as a means of attracting viewers to the stream. Skill can play a major factor when it comes to drawing an audience, and I felt like I had to play at Invictus-level difficulty in order to stand a chance against other streamers in the directory. Even though the focus of my show isn’t so much about competitive play, I figured that players streaming classic Tetris 99 would get left behind.

Skill still goes a long way, but the factors that determine viewership are more complicated than that.

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Streaming Mic Upgrade: USB or XLR?

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I’m growing out of my Blue Snowball Ice. As an entry-level solution that provides decent sound and ease of use at a budget price, it’s a fantastic choice. By leveraging the built-in compressors, noise gates, and noise filters in OBS, I was able to address some of the mic’s issues while also improving its sound quality.

Even so, I’m at a point in my streaming career where I want a mic that sounds even better. However, I’m at a crossroads. Do I get a better USB mic? Or do I transition into an XLR setup?

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10 Years of In Third Person: The Evolution of My Video Content

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Very early on, I knew I wanted video to be a part of the In Third Person content mix. Though I had no experience with the medium, it was the next great frontier for gaming content and I wanted to explore that space.

From getting the right equipment, to learning how to operate video software, to getting a feel for what I want to make, working with video has been a climb. Before we close out the decade, I think it’s worth taking a stroll down memory lane to see how my video content has evolved in the last decade(!). Maybe my story will inspire you to push forward with your video dreams!

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My Streaming Gear Christmas Wish List 2019 Edition

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Streaming equipment can be addictive. As soon as you get one piece, the desire to get more and better stuff doesn’t stop gnawing at your consciousness. Around this time of year, there’s a glimmer of hope that Saint Nick has also binged on the same Alpha Gaming videos you watched and is ready to trick out your streaming setup with everything you’ve been longing for.

Or, you could just write it out in a list for him like this!

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