always start small with whatever you have on hand, then build on it as you grow your audience and earnings. these days streaming sites often have app compatibility so you can stream from your smartphone, tablet or laptop super easily. if you plan to make streaming a long term part of your income though it’s wise to get the proper equipment and slowly make upgrades when your budget allows. do not be deterred by this list thinking you need all of these things to start – you can start with what you have. streaming is a journey. you will learn, you will improve, refine and evolve. just have fun with it.
building your setup
there’s an infinite number of ways you can setup your stream so do you. no single setup fits everyone’s space, needs, equipment. Work with whatever you got right now and evolve and upgrade as you go along, you can stream from your smartphone, tablet, laptop to start with. I started with a laptop on a nightstand, no mic and just a wifi connection – my stream quality was terrible but I kept improving largely with the help of my audience who gave me good feedback and pointers. I’ve upgraded & changed a ton of things about my setup. the nightstand is now an L shaped desk, the laptop is now a custom built PC with two monitors, I have a microphone, more comfortable chair, the list of upgrades I made is endless. the whole point of streaming is it’s a journey, what you start with is not what you will end up with, and very often what you end up with is ever evolving. embrace the changing nature of your setup as you get experienced.
lighting lighting lighting!
no matter how expensive your camera is, if the lighting is bad the camera can’t save you, so even before you get a fancy camera, get some lighting. I use a dimmable LED studio light, small ring light & turn on the ceiling lights in my apartment.
camera
I recommend a webcam, something in 4K resolution. photography enthusiasts that already have a digital camera are ahead of the curve. I’ve been using a Logitech Brio webcam for 8 years with no complaints. although I would like to upgrade to a real full frame camera one day for better video quality, but I am honestly intimidated by learning how to use one. this is probably the one area of my stream I have not upgraded or changed at all.
computer
books can be written on the subject of building computers to use for streaming but the basic gist is, the beefier your computer the more it can handle. if you’re gaming and streaming at the same time for example, you’re going to need a computer with a robust graphics card. I started with a macbook, eventually got a mac desktop and now I have a PC I built myself that runs Linux
monitor
monitor space becomes important when you realize the amount of programs and windows you have to have open in order to have a fully functioning stream with all the bells and whistles. I started with just 1 laptop screen but now I have 2 monitors on dual swivel mounts.
microphone & headphones
a lot of equipment in the realm of mics and headphones exist so pick your price range and stick to it. webcams will have a built in mic but it’s important to get a dedicated microphone for audio quality. I used a Yeti Blue Microphone for years because it came so highly recommended by the internet but I found it to be large, heavy and cumbersome. honestly any mic is better than no mic. I eventually got a heart shaped microphone by Kawaii purely bc of the aesthetics but there are lots of professional studio quality mics available too. for headphones I have a pair of wired airplane headphones for plugging into my mic to do sound check, but for the rest of the time I use Razer Hello Kitty headphones or Airpod Pros.
wired internet connection
a long ethernet cable will be your best friend. can a stream run on wireless internet? sure. but the quality will be super subpar. fiber optic internet allows me to run 6 streams simultaneously without any lag or quality issues
comfortable seating
there are lots of gaming chairs out there but I personally find them aesthetically displeasing so I searched for executive chairs instead and landed on an executive office chair from Serta – super comfortable even for very long streams. sometimes I sit on a 3 piece sectional couch that is also very comfortable and roomy
upgrades that make streaming life easier
the right tripod/mount/stand for lighting, camera, microphone can improve things so much. I prefer a wireless touchpad instead of a mouse bc it’s more user friendly for me while streaming from soft seating like a couch or bed.
aesthetics
before worrying about decor, make sure your setting is clean. a clean setup goes a long way. after that just do as much as you can within your means and with what you have. decorate in a way that reflects your personality & sense of style.
software
software setup is very involved and requires its own tutorial but this is the basics. setting up your broadcasting software can be intimidating and overwhelming so just take it step by step. think of it as you’re creating a live tv show and need to plug all the different elements of your broadcast into your broadcasting software. you need to add the microphone for audio, camera for video, and any other visual elements you want on your stream. the most commonly used program for streaming i called OBS, which stands for Open Source Broadcasting software. I highly recommend it bc it’s free and has robust expandable features.