• Live Events & Streaming

  Audio solution for 4 x XLR feeds for live stream? Or Switcher and mixer kit?

  Posted by Edward Mantle on March 14, 2018 at 2:56 pm

  Long post alert so you have my thanks if you make it to the end : )

  I have a monthly client meeting that needs recording and then live streaming. The recordings are then edited between two camera angles and have slides inserted. These are then hosted on Vimeo for embedding on their website. Each presentation is up to 30 minutes. There are 6 hours of presentations.

  There are up to 2 people on stage at one time, though sometimes 3 and given time constraints and just one operator we usually mic up the following people as well so that’s 4 channels. There’s also a room mic for reference of any audience questions. At the moment this is just a wireless tx unit stuck on the end of a shotgun facing the audience. Not ideal but it really is purely for reference.

  The stipulation from the client at the moment is that the livestream is conducted via Skype for Business – though this is up for review. Thing is they already have a Skype subscription and are balking at the costs of Livestream/Vimeo etc (as cool as it looks on paper). OBS a possibility but want something recognisable and user friendly for very non technical people joining the meeting remotely.

  To date we’ve been using an FS5 as A Cam with two mics in the XLR inputs and a third Sony receive into the hotshoe. We then quickly change mic input channels via the menu. It’s ungainly and stressful! B-cam is a Sony A7S2 for now. I tried with an FS7 last month and the K2M unit on top, meaning I could have 4 mics in and recording at any one time – so I just need to manually unplug one to make way for the room mic when required. It was much more easy to operate, though the K2M unit seemed a little noisy but maybe that was just me not setting it up correctly.

  I have access to a Zoom H6 however I’ve never been able to configure an output to the camera from the Zoom, despite having the right cables and settings etc. I remember outputting in the past from the Zoom to my A6300 but had no luck with the FS5/FS7. May just be a faulty unit or have been damaged I guess? I’ve considered the Tascam DR-701D assuming I’d be able to record ISOs of all four audio feeds for editing purposes in case anything goes wrong with the live mix. As well as recordings I’d like to send a feed from the Tascam to the Sony (FS5/7) which could then be recorded ‘baked in’ and streamed. Technically I think we only need one camera angle but I like a very wide safety.

  I send audio out via the Headphone slot as a mixed mono with a 3.5mm to xlr cable.
  I send video out via SDI

  Both feeds go into our Blackmagic Web Presenter which then goes into the client laptop.

  For inexplicable reasons the client shares the presentation on their laptop via Skype, so the actual video end users see is a tiny thumbnail in the corner. In the edit I use a third / two third system. Left third of screen is mid shot of the presenter (requires shooting wide and tracking the subject accurately as they move around stage) and right two thirds of screen is a 4:3 powerpoint.

  I’m interested in other peoples experiences of live stream solutions. I could afford about £10k (gbp) on equipment at the moment. Currently have all mics/cables/A7S and rent an FS5 though I could stretch to buying an FS7 if having four internally recorded audio channels was useful enough from an ease-of-use-perspective. It’s nice to have an assistant but if I can get away with doing it with one person that’s bumped up my pay for the month considerably.

  I’ve looked into ATEM systems twinned with a hyperdeck mini studio. That sounds great as it would mean a program record to give to the client straight after the event in the third/two third style.

  But it still is short a mic solution for the 4 or 5 XLR inputs. Similarly the Atomos Shogun with future firmware update seems like it would be great for live switching and can monitor 4 distinct channels but and record ISOs of the video, but not sure how it can receive 4 mic signals in the first place? I’d also really like physical knobs to adjust levels and LEDs or an LCD/similar screen for monitoring the multiple channels rather than a virtual mixer on a laptop.

  Potentially something in a rack unit like a Sony SRP-X100. Then I could have 4+ mics running into that, outputting to a switcher (either ATEM or Sumo or similar) and that outputs to the blackmagic web presenter and also to a hyperdeck studio mini. Does that sound a logical loadout? Would I need any additional converters to send the audio directly from Sennheiser AVX receivers into the SRP-X100?

  If I could get it all into a flight case and edit it live it would more than justify the cost of equipment if it saved two or three days editing and uploading per month.

  I’d rather stick to using cameras like the FS5/7 as these are my bread and butter but would consider something like a PTZ kit. Things like the Mevo don’t really appeal (nor does the subscription model of Livestream).

  If any livestream whizzes read this and want to share a link to their site or blog or have a conversation about it it’d be great to hear from you.

  Thanks
  Ed

  Edward Mantle replied 8 years, 2 months ago 1 Member · 0 Replies
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