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Studio Systems · Episode 2 · 1:09

Before you go live, check three things.

A pre-show checklist for any livestream or recording: check the inputs, check what actually reaches the audience, and rehearse one failure.

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Key takeaways

  • Inputs: listen to every mic with the real people in place, and check every camera, graphic and playback source.
  • Destination: watch and listen where the audience is, not just on the control room monitor. Record a short test and play it back.
  • Recovery: simulate a missing source in rehearsal. Who calls it, what replaces it, what does the audience hear?
  • Put the three checks on a one-page checklist and give every check an owner.

Chapters

  • 0:001. Inputs: listen, look, check the actual sources
  • 0:202. Destination: check what reaches the audience
  • 0:413. Recovery: rehearse one failure
  • 0:55Build your one-page checklist
Read the full transcript

Before you go live, check three things: the inputs, the destination, and the recovery. First, listen to every microphone with the actual people in place. Then, check every camera, graphic, and playback source. A moving meter proves there's a signal. Listening tells you what's in it. Second, check what reaches the audience. Watch and listen at the destination, not just the control room monitor. YouTube recommends testing before you start.

If you're recording, capture a short test and play it back. Check the picture, the intended audio tracks, and where the file was stored. Third, rehearse one failure. In a rehearsal, simulate a missing source. Who calls the change, what replaces it, and what does the audience hear? Restore the normal path and check it again. I'm Lucky McNulty. Build a one-page checklist for your next show. Inputs, destination, recovery, give every check an owner.

About the host

Tom "Lucky" McNulty is a broadcast technical director and studio engineer with 20+ years building and running studios, control rooms and live shows: Big Brother and Hell's Kitchen, studio services at Bunim/Murray Productions, Apple launch productions, and festival VJ and IMAG work including Daft Punk's 2006 Coachella set. Studio consulting · Portfolio

More Studio Systems episodes

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