The Stream Audio Checklist: What to Check Before You Go Live

Going live is exciting, and it is easy to skip the basics. A stream that starts with a loud alert, a microphone pointing the wrong way or music that should not be playing can lose viewers in the first minute. A short checklist protects the start of every stream, and it becomes faster with repetition. The aim is not to make the stream stiff, but to make sure the things that matter are already right.

The checklist below is grouped by the parts of the chain, from the room to the final test. Keep a printed copy near the setup, and tick each line before you press the button.

The room and the microphone

• Turn off fans, air conditioning and anything that hums or rattles.
• Check the microphone position, at a hand’s width or two from the mouth.
• Check that the cable is tidy, and that nothing rubs or pulls on the microphone.
• Close the door if traffic, family or pets could interrupt.

The levels

• Speak at your normal volume and check the voice level, with peaks well below the top.
• Set the game and music so the voice is clearly the loudest source.
• Check the alerts, which can be much louder than the voice if left unchecked.

The routing

• Confirm each source goes to the path you planned, and nothing goes where it should not.
• Check that private sounds, such as voice chat or notifications, do not reach the stream.
• Test each mute, and confirm it works before you need it.
• Check for an echo loop by speaking and listening on the other side.

Music and rights

• Confirm that all music is licensed for live streaming on your platform.
• Check that no music player or another app is running in the background.
• Check whether any game you play contains music that could be detected.

Processing

• Check that noise suppression, gates and compressors are set lightly.
• Listen for artefacts on the consonants and for any cut-off at the start of words.
• Confirm that any voice effect is clear and that the disclosure, if needed, is ready.

The final test

1. Start the stream as private or unlisted, and run a short test.
2. Watch the stream on a second device, with the sound on, and check the balance.
3. Ask a friend to listen and tell you whether the voice is clear.
4. Check the delay between speech and the picture, and fix any large lag.
5. Make the stream public, and keep a note of anything to change next time.

After the stream

Save the stream recording, and check that it has the audio you expected. Make a note of any problem, the time it happened and what caused it. Over a few weeks, the notes show which steps prevent problems, and which ones you can drop.

Set a pre-stream routine

A routine that starts about fifteen minutes before the stream helps you arrive calm and prepared. Begin with the room and the microphone, then the levels, then the routing, and finish with the test. Following the same order each time means you never skip a step by accident, and the process stops feeling like a chore once it becomes habit.

Keep water nearby, and do the checks before you feel rushed. Starting a stream in a hurry is the most common reason the basics get missed.

Think of the checklist as a note to your future self, the one who is tired or distracted when the stream is about to start. Keep the wording plain, the steps short and the order the same every time, so the list stays quick to follow even on a difficult evening.

Review the checklist after every stream for a month, then once a month after that. Each review should ask one question: which line caught a problem, and which line never does? Keep the lines that catch things and retire the ones that never do, so the list stays short and useful. Add a short note beside any line that caused trouble, so next time the reason is already written down.

Make the checklist yours

A checklist should match your setup. Remove the lines that do not apply, add the ones that do, and reorder the steps to suit how you work. A checklist that fits your stream is one you will actually use, and every stream that goes well is a reason to keep it.

Limits

Platforms, software and hardware change, and some steps will need updating. Keep the checklist simple enough to use every time, and review it every few months. A checklist that is too long will be skipped.

Start with clean sound

A checklist catches mistakes, but clean sources prevent them. The Clean Streaming Mic describes live noise cancellation for OBS, Discord and Zoom. The Tunedzy Go page covers cleaning phone recordings. For the levels in detail, read the stream levels post in this series.

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading