Hi guys,
So I was asked if I could set up a live stream of the service at a funeral. I am quite tech savvy but have very little knowledge about photography.
I was wondering if you could stream something like this from your phone camera (OnePlus 7t) and a directional mic like this one
Boya.
Would this end in quite a bad experience or do you guys have any suggestions of where I could maybe rent a dsl camera and connect it to my mac and stream like that.
Any advice would be great.
Thanks
I've been doing low budget streaming for church on YouTube, can tell you a few of my learnings.
Using just mobile phone:
Youtube streaming requires you to have 1000 subscribers before you can live stream from a mobile phone directly. Facebook doesn't have that limitation as far as I'm aware. In terms of audio, you absolutely will have to get a mic for the pastor. If you're recording in a church hall you're going to get a lot of echo, and he will barely be audible unless you're right up to him. I'm not sure how much better a directional mic would be, but I would suggest a mic like this rather:
https://www.takealot.com/boya-by-m3-clip-on-lavalier-mic-with-usb-type-c-connection/PLID60543932, and then clipping it to the podium's mic. You'll need to decide what the most important thing is for your funeral, the music, the sermon, the visuals?
Using a mac:
I use this route. Download OBS, it's a free streaming software that's easy to use. You get an API key from your Youtube account, add it in OBS settings and you're good to go. You can stream and record simultaneously. There's no limitation on minimum number of subscribers in this case. You can then have as many webcams and usb mics plugged into your mac, and in OBS you setup scenes which has the mic and webcams configured.... during the sermon you can then just change scenes from the pastor to the singers, etc. You can also add in pictures, audio clips, etc... think of it is iMovie but for live broadcasting. Allowing you to do some basic fades and things.
OBS also reduces the video quality by itself, depending on your connection - and prioritises audio, so if you connection speed is slow then the video will skip a bit, but your audio should stay smooth.
I do this for about 300 - 1000 viewers, and it's been working well. Biggest thing for me is, don't underestimate how hard it is to get clear audio when recording in a church hall and you're 5 meters away. Especially when there is a PA system in the venue - it creates so much echo.
