It happened. I finally managed to perform an uninterrupted stream! It has been a while since this happened and I was long overdue to publish a show. Like most shows, this one had its ups and downs, but overall I’m happy with the outcome. Let’s dig in.
First and foremost, when a stream goes on without drops in video, audio and other major interruptions, confidence increases, I can stay on my vibe and both the song selection and mix quality benefits. This is a very welcome aspect to performing a live stream and allows me to focus on improvements from an artistic standpoint. I loved the track selection but there were a couple of rough transitions. Some can be attributed to me juggling mic work while in the middle of the mix, but most are attributed to the fundamental nature of a Zero-Day Live set. I take a few risks in these shows, often dropping tracks I have yet to hear, much less practice with. Zero-Day Live is mostly about new music, but as usual, I tend to anchor the new stuff with some old school, classic and current bangers to keep the audience engaged. Accidents will happen.
Speaking of mic work, this would be another area in need of improvement. I’m no Casey Kasem for a fact, so I try to say as little as possible. That said, I like to have fun with the live audience yet I’m always disappointed with how it comes off in the published recoding. I should slow my roll for sure, but I also have to address the acoustics. I tend to keep the house system cranked during the live set, so I ride the mic too close. This results in a bassy output that doesn’t have that crispness it should have. I’ll continue to EQ the mic in the hopes of balancing the mic, my voice and the loud room.
From a technical viewpoint, Saturday night was great but not without subtle issues. One notable one was a reduction in video quality mid-way through the show. This happened to both Mixcloud and Twitch so I’m scrutinizing vMix. This did not affect the audio quality. I was able to maintain a 320k bitstream. Only the video was affected but I’d rather have the software dynamically adapt to conditions on the web than drop entirely.
This streaming platform is still new to me, and it is a part of a far more complex string of technology that make all this happen. The audio workflow is from the DJ rig / mixer using a separate analog out to the Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini Pro, first making a pass through a ground isolator. Simultaneously I’m sending video out from the laptop running Virtual DJ for the track name visual overlay and shaders that utilize the chromakey function of the ATEM switcher. Then there’s the three HD cameras, including two GoPro’s and one Canon Vixia. I send all of this out USBC to a separate laptop that runs vMix. vMix takes that stream, down-scales it for delivery to both Mixcloud and Twitch TV. There are a few more details but you get the picture. It is a lot to monitor while trying to stay on my vibe.
I hope to duplicate my success with subsequent streams, continually improving as I go. As confidence builds, you’ll find I’ll perform and publish more, and perhaps start delivering on some ideas I have been cultivating for a while under the Beanpot Radio brand, which will include some open format shows, vinyl nights and even a liver performance or two.
Don’t forget to check us out on http://www.djm1k.com and follow on Mixcloud @DJM1K, social, facebook.com/djm1k, Instagram @djm1kmixcloud for future developments. In the meanwhile, enjoy Saturday’s mix!
- djm1k
Beanpot Radio 
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