At a Glance

Running our live band stream involves balancing multi-channel audio routing and video. My band Lorenzo’s Music, uses an entirely open-source setup powered by Ubuntu Studio, Ardour, and OBS Studio to broadcast our weekly performance sessions. Here is our step-by-step pre-stream technical checklist based on what we use.

Pre-Stream Technical Setup Checklist

1. System & Hook Up

• Boot into Ubuntu Studio: The operating system comes already equipped with all the tools and software we need to stream.
• Audio Interface Initialization: Connect our multi-channel sound card to the laptop via USB and verify it is recognized by the system.

2. DAW Multi-Track Routing (Ardour)

• Load Stream Template: Launch Ardour and open our pre-configured live stream session.
• Input Assignment: Check that our individual instrument connections, vocal tracks (drums, bass, guitars, keys, vocal mics) are getting a signal in Ardour.
• Levels & Compression: Apply light peak limiting and volume changes to tracks if they need it after sound check.

3. Audio Bridge & Video Setup (OBS Studio)

• OBS Broadcast Software: Open OBS and choose our band live stream template.
• Patchance Audio Routing: Open Patchance, the audio routing software and direct Ardour’s master output mix into OBS Studio.
• Camera Inputs: Connect camera sources, (we use Droidcam to use our phones as wireless cameras) and verify scene layouts.
• Scene Verification: Test transitions between the “Main band” 3-camera screen and the individual camera shots.
• Sound Check: Record a sound check to verify that the routed audio from Ardour and the video in OBS look and sound good.

4. Stream Platform Setup

• Stream Key & Destination: Connect the stream key for the YouTube stream in OBS settings.
• Chat & Community Monitoring: Check that the docks for chat monitoring and stream connection health are connected.

Key Benefits of an Open-Source Live Setup

• Total Control Over Audio Processing: Processing band audio through Ardour rather than OBS’s basic filters gives us studio quality EQ, compression, and reverb plugins during live broadcasts.
• Stability & Cost Efficiency: Ubuntu Studio provides a robust, zero-cost production suite built specifically for multimedia creators without subscriptions.

Watch More About Our Live Streaming Process