My Streaming Checklist

There are a lot of moving parts to making sure a stream goes smoothly and while some folks pop on and run though things from memory, I have a checklist. I’ve been using lists and checklists to help me keep track of everything for a long, long time, so it made sense to have one for streaming too.

I don’t think of my checklist as one and done or static and set for all time either. Over time, as I think of a new step or I change up part of my setup, I’ll add new things to the checklist (especially so I don’t have to remember it for next time). I’ve been using a web browser checklist called Quire which means I can have the bookmark to the page on my bookmarks bar. Easy peasy. Here’s an example of what the beginning of my checklist looks like.

Rather than post a screenshot of the whole thing, we’ve typed it up below so you can copy and paste these if you want to use them to create your own checklist. We’ve also included some notes on why they’re on the list. (I say we because my sweetie types much faster than I do and helped me assemble this list. It’s a team effort!)

Currently I use OBS Studio for my streaming, so any references to OBS means that program on my computer. Where I have “Sublime Text” listed, it’s shorthand for reminding me to take the current information from the Google Sheets or Google Docs and copy-paste it into a text app, like Notepad or Sublime Text so I can have the (resource hogs) browser pages closed and the (minimal resource using) apps open instead. I’ve also noted some of the equipment I’m using in case you find that informative and useful.

3 hours before stream:

• Prep sources for stream: Open OBS and add any new sources (e.g. websites, documents, etc.)
  • Adding sources on-the-fly takes some energy out of the stream, so if I know I want to show a FibroJedi page, or something from the LOTRO Wiki, I can take care of it well ahead of time.
• Server overlay: update with expected first server
  • If I’ll only be on one LOTRO server, I usually include that in the stream title. If I expect to bounce around to multiple servers, then it’s easier to have a text overlay in OBS that says which server I’m on, so people don’t have to ask.
• Close OBS
  • If I did either of the above, then go ahead and close OBS, since I won’t need it again until closer to the stream.

2 hours before stream:

• Tweet about going live (include @lotro #lotrofamily)
  • This is a reminder to me of the tags to use and a reminder to others that I’m going to be there! The idea is to do it far enough ahead that others can retweet it too. I’m actually considering moving this up a day so the bots that collect tweets grab it in time.
• Start closing all other tabs & programs (especially Chrome)
  • Left to my own devices, I will often have dozens of webpages open to remind me that I wanted to read something, post something, do something, etc. I use Chrome for my browser, and it can be a resource hog, so I want to have as few Chrome tabs open as possible during the stream. Now’s the time to clear the backlog.

1 hour before stream

• Finish closing other tabs & programs (including LOTRO)
  • In case I got distracted while clearing the backlog, now’s when I really need to finish that up. Yes I do get distracted. Squirrel!
• Restart computer
  • I’m aiming for a consistent streaming quality during my streams, and restarting my computer before each stream means if a rogue program is going to grab memory or CPU away from OBS, at least it will do it consistently. 😀
• Reopen:
  • This check list (Chrome)
    • There’s still more to do and this list helps keep me on track. 🙂
  • Opening & Closing words (Sublime Text)
    • While a lot of my stream is unscripted, I like having an introduction and ending that helps bookend the stream. I don’t have it memorized (yes, I still remember my high school theater teacher scolding me for not memorizing my scripts, and it’s still true today), so I have a few sentences to help me provide a clear, non-rambling beginning and an obvious end and closure for the stream.
  • Agenda (Sublime Text)
    • I’ll usually have an agenda, or at least an outline, of what I want to cover that day. Midsummer Festival? Housing tour? Fishing for two hours? Whatever it is, I like having a few words about what I’ll be covering that day to help set expectations for the stream at the beginning.
  • LOTRO stream commands (Sublime Text)
    • There are a lot of moobot commands available. I keep a reference open since I don’t have them all memorized (see Opening & Closing words above, heh).

45 minutes before stream:

• Mute my phone
• Turn on camera / turn off Ultra Power Saver Mode
  • I use an old Android phone (Galaxy S5) with the Droidcam app as my camera. To save power, I keep it off or in a power-saver mode when it’s not being used for video. Time for it to wake up!
• Open Droidcam app on camera
  • The camera feed is only available while the Droidcam app is open on the phone.
• Open Droidcam (desktop application) on computer & make go (Connect Droidcam desktop application to camera)
  • The Droidcam desktop application acts like a camera source in OBS, but only while it is open. This is my reminder to click the icon on my desktop and connect the now awake camera (phone) to my computer in their digital synergy.
• Brush teeth
  • Something about brushing my teeth helps keep me from getting very hungry or thirsty during the stream. A two hour stream feels a lot longer when my stomach is growling the whole time! Plus it helps me feel more professional.
• Check clothing and hair
  • I just take a few minutes to make sure that how I look on camera is intentional. We only have one mirror and it’s up high, but luckily the camera only catches the top of me anyway.
• Set up couch (as presentable)
  • I stream in the same location that I use for personal computer/gaming time. To make sure it isn’t messy, here’s where I take a minute to refold the blanket, adjust pillows, etc.
• Make sure Windows audio output is correct
  • When I’m not streaming, sometimes I use headphones and sometimes I use the speaker under my monitor. I don’t like wearing headphones while streaming, so I want to make sure audio is going to the speaker so I can hear computer noises during the stream.
• Open LOTRO
  • Yay!
• Make sure LOTRO audio output is correct
  • Many programs just use the current Windows audio output, but LOTRO’s audio is ‘sticky’, and keeps going to whatever device you last told it to. I want to hear a little bit of the game sound during the stream, so I double-check that LOTRO is going to my speaker. The emote /charge is great for this. Rawr!
• Open OBS
  • As mentioned above, I currently use Open Broadcaster Software (OBS, https://obsproject.com/).
• Open Chatty
  • Normally, OBS has an integrated chat window. Since I’m a guest streamer for LOTRO, the integrated window isn’t available. Chatty was recommended to me and I’ve found it works for my needs.
• Move LOTRO to right monitor, OBS on left, Chatty on left next to right monitor
  • I have two monitors, and my camera is just above and behind my right monitor. Putting LOTRO on the right monitor means I’m looking toward the camera more often than not. On my left monitor, I position Chatty next to LOTRO, so I can see what everyone is saying without looking too far away. OBS is left of that, because I rarely need to look at it during a stream.

30 minutes before stream

• Get lip stuff
  • Yes, it really says that. That’s shorthand for me to get lip balm, chapstick, whatever I’m using these days. Talking for 2 hours straight means taking care of your body, including keeping my lips from getting chapped.
• Use bathroom
  • You know what’s annoying? Having your stream starting in 30 seconds and you realize you really could use a toilet break. Maybe it’s from my mom days, but yes, go use the bathroom even if you don’t think you need to. 😛
• Check couch alignment in OBS camera view – centered, light switches out of view?
  • The couch and my desk slide around on our wooden floor quite easily and I don’t like the look of the light-switches taking up video real estate that could be taken by LOTRO maps on the wall behind me instead. Time to get everything back to looking good.
• Close all other tabs & programs, etc. that were opened for some reason
  • Sometimes by this point I will have opened a browser tab to look something up or check email, or opened some other program. As mentioned before, running LOTRO and OBS with both streaming and recording locally is asking a lot of my computer. I don’t want it allocating resources to other programs I won’t be using during the stream.
• Hook up lavalier
  • I use a Rode smartLav + Lavalier to capture my audio. If it’s not plugged in for some reason, I plug it in now.

Household Tasks

My sweetie and I currently live in a 60 m² (around 650 ft²), two-room apartment. Our computers are in the same room, and he has to walk behind my desk to get to the kitchen, bathroom, etc., and the bathroom is on the other side of the wall behind my head. The following list helps him minimize his sound and motion during the stream. Your living situation may be different so you’ll want to customize this “Partner tasks” list to fit your needs. Indeed, we are moving in a few months, so I’ll be modifying this part for our new setup. Feel free to use our list as inspiration for your check list.

Partner tasks:

• Use toilet;
  • We live in Europe – bathroom is where you take a bath. 😀
• Get drink & snacks from the kitchen;
• Change Windows sound device to headphones;
• Change LOTRO sound device to headphones;
  • These two sound items are so he can watch and listen on headphones without my mic picking up my stream from his computer.
• Mute phone;
• Load twitch.tv page to give feedback on video / audio problems
  • To prevent an echo, I don’t have the Twitch page for the stream open. He gives me an early warning if there are any tech problems.

15-20 min before stream

• Get beverages: water, tea, soda, juice
  • I talk a lot on a stream, and these help me keep my throat. Usually I just have water and tea, but some days I want something else, so I have a longer list to remind me of my options.

15 minutes before stream

• Check reflection on glasses
  • Depending on the time of year, I can get some strong reflections in my glasses of the windows on the other side of the room, so this is the time to close the curtains if I need to.
• Change Profile & Scene Collection OBS
  • OBS lets you define different profile and scene collections, and your profile determines which Twitch account you’re streaming to. As a matter of habit, I keep mine set to personal until this point so I don’t accidentally stream to the official channel when I don’t mean to. This is the point where I switch to my LOTRO Profile & LOTRO Scene Collection.
• Unmute mic in OBS (if muted) and perform sound check
  • My plan is to mute my mic in OBS at the end of a stream so I can speak freely while the outro music is playing. For my pre-stream check list, the sound check doesn’t go very well if I forget to unmute it. 😀 For the sound check, I tap on the mic to confirm it’s the source; if I just talk, it might be coming through another input and I’ll be sad during the stream. You’ll see a sound spike if the mic is set up correctly when you tap it.
• Mute mic in OBS
  • Sound check is done so re-mute so I don’t have my pre-stream chatter recorded.
• Confirm game sound shows up in OBS (/charge works well)
  • Since it’s been a few days since the last stream, this confirms nothing has stopped working between LOTRO and OBS.
• Mute game sound in OBS
  • This prevents game sound from bleeding into the intro music.
• Set up game sound levels:
  • These values produce a good result for my stream; your values may vary.
  • Master: 0.5
  • Sound effects: 0.3
  • Music: 0.3
  • Ambient Sound: 0.05
  • Combat: 0.5
  • User Interface: 0.6
  • Voice-over: 0.6
  • Player music: 0.00
    • Setting this ahead of times prevents copyrighted music played in-game from causing problems.
• Prefill Stream Information window information
  • You can either put this into something like notepad, or prefill the form directly at https://dashboard.twitch.tv/u/<stream_name>/stream-manager.
  • If someone streams immediately before you, don’t save the details until they’re done. Otherwise, I save it while my intro video is playing or before that if I’m ready since no one is currently streaming right before me.

6 minutes before stream:

• Put script screen on top of LOTRO
  • I want my eyeline to be close to the camera during my intro, and pre-positioning any intro text helps with this.
• Confirm mic is muted in OBS
  • There can be a surprising amount of chatter between my partner and me right before the stream starts, and this makes sure that’s not part of the stream.
• Start 4 min timer on phone if on-screen timer is not enough
  • If I’m feeling easily distracted, a timer that goes off a minute before my intro video ends is a great idea!
  • Recently, I’ve been sitting from the point where I do the sound checks, so this timer hasn’t been necessary.

5 minutes before stream

• In OBS, Change scene to Intro Scene
  • I have a 5 minute on-screen timer set up, and it restarts when I select the scene.
• In OBS, click Start Recording
  • This is the easiest way to have a copy of the stream for my personal YouTube channel.
• In OBS, click Start Streaming
  • We’re live!
• Update stream information. (LOTRO Stream via Dashboard, personal via Stream Information window -> Update Information button)
  • We’ve got 5 minutes of “Starting soon” screen, so this is a great time to update the stream information if I haven’t already done it.
• In chat, !streamer <username>
  • This tells Moobot who’s currently streaming, and is super-easy to forget to do.
• Partner: change streaming quality to lowest (steals less bandwidth)
  • Since we’re usually both playing LOTRO, plus I’m streaming out, and we’re sharing our internet connection with the apartment above and below us, this is one less thing using our limited bandwidth.

When timer hits 0:15

• In OBS: unmute game audio
  • Make sure everyone can hear the game!
• In OBS: unmute game mic
  • Make sure everyone can hear me!

When timer hits 0:00

• In OBS: Change to LOTRO scene
  • This is my main scene that has LOTRO, my camera, and any other common elements like server name.
  • We’re live!

End of Stream

• In OBS: Switch to outro scene
  • This puts something on audio/video, so any end-of-stream chat messaging doesn’t feel like it’s happening against a void.
  • My outro scene also has music and some low-key video, so it’s a nice transition for the viewers.
• In OBS: Mute mic
  • Talking time is over!
• In OBS: Mute game audio
  • So is game time!

Post Stream

• In OBS: Stop streaming
  • I do this once enough of the outro video has played. I like timing it when the song has come to the end, but I have a full 5 minute video in place that I can use.
• In OBS: Stop recording
  • No need to keep recording past this point.
• Restore Audio level for intro/outro to .29
  • Sometimes I manually slide the audio for the outro scene gradually to 0 to make the stream end less abrupt. If so, this is my reminder to undo that.
• Restore LOTRO Player Music Volume to 0.70
  • I like hearing in-game music from other players, even if it’s not appropriate for the LOTRO stream.
• If streaming to LOTRO Stream, switch back to personal profile and scene.
  • Switching back to personal profile ensures that I don’t stream to the LOTRO stream unintentionally. (Can you tell this is a common thing streamers do at least once? Lots of reminders to prevent mistakes!)
• Close OBS
  • All done with OBS until the next time I’m setting up a stream.
• Unhook mic from shirt (etc.)
  • Walking away from the computer while the lavalier mic is still attached is a bad idea.
• Unmute phones
  • My phone (and my partner’s) can make noise now!
• Turn off DroidCam
  • The Droidcam app will continue to act like a camera until we close it on both the computer and phone.
• Turn on camera phone’s power saver mode
  • Our backup phones are pretty old at this point, and we want to stress their batteries as little as possible.
• Play video locally and look for sound/video synchronization issues. [Not just at beginning, but also the middle and end. (Small errors can accumulate into larger issues)]
  • Here’s where I start to prep the video for uploading to my YouTube channel.
  • I don’t like it when audio and video get out of sync, so now’s the time to fix it before uploading it to YouTube.
• Crop/Edit/Synchronize video (if necessary)
  • I use Kdenlive (kdenlive.org) for video editing, and shifting part (or all) of an audio stream to sync up with the video is very easy (well, easy for my sweetie). Re-rendering the 2-hour video can take a while, but once it’s done re-check it for sync issues, because the Kdenlive preview window isn’t perfect.
• Upload video to personal YouTube page
  • The fine people at SSG don’t have a problem with us using our LOTRO stream on our personal channel. I appreciate getting to serve both the LOTRO community as well as building my channel with content. Thank you SSG!
• Save video as a highlight on Twitch (if on personal stream)
  • Not necessary for the LOTRO Stream, but if you want it to hang around on your personal Twitch channel, you’ll need to save it as a highlight or it will disappear after two weeks.

Conclusion

So that’s it! None of these steps are particularly long or hard, but each one is there because it’s something that I feel adds value to the production. It’s always my goal to have something that is a really good stream (or later viewing) experience for the viewers, and that I can be proud of the results.

I hope this list helps you. Current me is always appreciative of the efforts of past me as it really helps keep me on track and feeling confident! If you have any questions, or if I missed one of your must-do items, let me know!