Canadian Musician - September/October 2020 | Page 26

KEYBOARDS
Daniel Vnukowski is an internationally-renowned pianist, hailed as “inspirational” by the Financial Times and “a pianist to
watch” by New York Classical Review. His livestreams during the COVID-19 pandemic have reached over a million viewers
with engaging discussions, improvisations, and performances of classical masterworks. Visit www.danperforms.com for
more information.
By Daniel Vnukowski
Seven Steps to Dramatically Improve
Your Livestreams (Without the Drama!)
do you want? You want
the moon? Just say the
word, and I’ll throw a lasso
“What
around it and pull it down,”
says George Bailey in Frank Capra’s bittersweet
comedy. Yes, It’s a Wonderful Life here in the virtual
world, where an artist can instantly connect
and engage with fans worldwide – from Alaska
to Vietnam – with minimal tech skills and quite
impressive results.
All you need is an internet connection, a
few tech gadgets, and an alarming amount of
stamina and persistence.
The good news is that many high-tech
gadgets that were once out of reach for the
average musician are now available and affordable.
The number of pixels your two-year-old
smartphone can record is simply staggering.
Did you know that your iPhone can record in
4K resolution? “Preposterous!” You say? Read on!
The bad news is that the audio quality on
most modern gadgets is still mediocre and not
suitable for capturing the many subtle nuances
of a classical music performance. Before CO-
VID-19, I was happy to place my smartphone
next to the piano keys and stream a short passage
onto Facebook Live. It was a pleasant way
of sharing a unique musical idea or concept and
engaging with viewers from all over the world.
Audio quality was not a priority in that scenario.
The challenges and potential roadblocks of
livestreaming an entire music performance go
up exponentially with every upgrade to your
setup. For example, a step-up in resolution
from 720p to 1080p requires twice the pixels
and, therefore, double the upload bandwidth
capacity.
That’s why I highly recommend taking
things a step at a time. Try to enjoy the learning
process with its many quirks and frustrations.
Don’t attempt to livestream at full 1080p
HD resolution with robotic cameras or invest
thousands in expensive audio gear and acoustic
treatments until you truly know what you’re doing
or have a professional audio engineer who
can assist you in setting everything up.
Here are seven steps to help turn your home
into a mini-broadcast studio:
26 CANADIAN MUSICIAN
1. Always use a hard-wired ethernet connection.
Wifi is simply too unstable and can result in
many lost data packets, which are critical to ensure
your audience gets a smooth viewing experience.
2. Upgrade your internet connection to the highest
upload speed you can afford. Read reviews
and shop around to find the most reliable and
stable connection in town. Remember that most
internet connections are shared among tens of
thousands of other customers, so reliability is of
key importance when livestreaming. Give your
ISP a call and let them help you optimize your
router and system configurations.
3. Upgrade your gear in increments. Remember
that professional devices require a host of new
accessories, which can substantially drive up the
costs. Map out a plan that includes your maximum
budget and realistic expectations for the project.
4. Let’s begin with audio. Most monophonic
instruments such as the flute or sax sound quite
good on entry-level condenser microphones
like the Zoom H5 and IQ6, Shure MV88, and
Rode NT1. Many of these can even plug directly
into your iPhone, making them ideal for touring.
For more challenging instruments with a
wider range of frequencies and dynamics, such
as the acoustic piano, you’ll have to invest in
professional XLR mics in order to properly capture
the natural sound of the instrument – for
example, a pair of multi-pattern condenser mics.
Mind you, a top-tier solution will also require
an audio interface, digital audio workstation,
plug-ins, cables, and lots of planning and
testing. Entire books have been written about
microphone placement alone, which is an art
unto itself and more important than the quality
of the mics themselves.
5. Great video begins with great lighting. In terms
of video quality, most smartphones can do a
decent job, especially in well-lit environments.
Consider getting adjustable LED lamps or rings
so that your talent shines in the best possible
light. Also, invest in a few good tripods so that
you have more control over the positioning of
your camera and lighting gear.
Note: If you own a DSLR or mirrorless camera,
you’ll most likely need an adapter and fast
computer in order to livestream.
6. To connect your high-end gadgets to the virtual
world, you’ll need an encoder. This can be
software or hardware-based. If you have a decent
computer with at least 8 GB RAM, you can
get your feet wet with a free software encoder
such as OBS Studio, which comes with a host
of amazing, professional features once you get
to know it. OBS Studio also serves as a switcher
to easily transition between multiple camera
angles. Hardware encoders and switchers can
get quite pricey, but relieve your computer of
this CPU-intensive task.
7. Choose an ideal platform. There are free
platforms and paid platforms, each with their
own set of advantages and disadvantages. Free
platforms such as YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook
Live are generally the easiest to get started
on and can help your livestreams gain instant
exposure to a wide audience. Paid platforms,
such as Vimeo, offer far more control over your
final output and have fewer issues with false
copyright claims and other annoyances of free
platforms; however, paid platforms generally
require several months of payment in advance,
which can drive up your costs significantly.
So, you have transformed your home into a mini
broadcast studio. Congratulations! Provided you
haven’t tripped flat on your face over any wire
or pulled out (whatever is left of ) your hair after
a computer freeze, you’re ready to take your
livestreams to the next level.
Don’t make the mistake I did during my firstever
full-performance livestream. After weeks
of getting the positioning of microphones just
right, I began speaking and, to my horror, the
real-time comments started coming back in
caps: “WE CAN’T HEAR YOU!” The mics were
positioned so far away from me at the piano
that I forgot to mic my own voice. So, final words
of advice from your virtual sage: Get a lapel mic
if you’ve made it this far!