Twitch IRL Streaming Setup Guide

Last year, In search of content creators having a deeper connection with their fans, Twitch decided to open the doors of their platform to more content. Thanks to that, streamers will have a programming category in which they can share "captured" content of their daily life.

IRL (In Real Life) is the name of the category that will make the attention stop being in the video games to put the reflectors on the streamers. According to Twitch, this category arose after many content creators asked him to have a more personal way of communicating with his followers.

The launch of IRL means that after the success in video games, Twitch will come closer to its roots. The streaming platform was born as a branch of Justin.tv, site coined by Justin Kan to be able to transmit his entire life on the Internet. The success of video game content on Justin.tv sparked the birth of Twitch and the death of Kan's first streaming platform.

How to start Twitch IRL streaming from the smartphone?

Streaming from your Android or iOS device is as easy as downloading the app, creating an account and pressing a button. But there is a big difference between a stream and a good stream.

So there are different factors that we have to take into account when making a good stream for Twitch IRL.

Choose a smartphone that better suits your needs

To be able to do a good streaming we will need a good camera, and since we cannot change cameras like we do in the computer, where we have a great variety of cameras, when we do a streaming from our smartphone we will have to settle for the quality of The camera that it has, therefore, we have to carefully choose a device that fits our needs

Pixel / Pixel XL

Google Pixel has many attractions. On the one hand we are facing a smartphone that has one of the best cameras in the smartphone market. More specifically we have 12.3 MP and each pixel has a size of 1.55 μm and an aperture of f / 2.0. We miss optical image stabilizer, but the result is still brilliant, both for photos and videos. And if you want a more stable image, you can always opt for a tripod.

Galaxy S7 / S7 Edge

One of the best mobiles you can buy right now is without a doubt the Galaxy S7 or Edge, the curved version. We are facing two terminals that are the first to equip the technology duo-pixel in a smartphone. It has a Sony IMX260 sensor with f / 1.7 aperture and stabilizer. It gets to focus quite well and in even low light conditions. The truth is that we are facing one of the best cameras on the market, especially for taking photos in low light conditions, at night.

Galaxy S8 / S8 Plus

It is already in pre-sale so that you add it to the cart, but it promises the best photos of the market. In addition, this time the guys from Samsung have decided to bet on a camera 12 MP OIS + 8 MP AF. And the best selfies with autofocus. We have not yet been able to prove what it is capable of, but it points to the best mobile of the year and may have the best camera.

LG G5

If you want to experiment with dual camera, we face two 16 and 8 MP rear cameras. This gives us a lot of gameplay and allows us to take great pictures, because users will be able to capture an image with two cameras at the same time. The results are magnificent. In addition, it has a wide angle of 135 degrees to take very good photos and even professionals in RAW format

HTC 10

Another of the companies that offer better results is HTC10. They have a Sony IMX 377 sensor with 1 / 2.3 inches and 12 MP, where the pixels are 1.55 μm. In addition, the camera has an f / 1.8 aperture, autofocus and optical image stabilizer. The results are very good, because it has all the necessary technology for it. In the camera for selfies we speak of 5 MP and optical stabilizer. We also mean that Ultrapixel technology has improved.

IPhone 7 Plus

In this case we have to separate iPhone 7 from iPhone 7 Plus, since it has double rear camera. Then we could say that they are day and night. Starting from this one is more expensive we could say that it is better, but not to have double camera takes better photos and of better quality. However, I really like photos with the iPhone 7 Plus. It features a 12MP rear camera with wide angle and telephoto (up to 10x digital zoom) and a front camera for 7 MP selfies. From the best we found in the market to buy.

Moto G4 Plus

No need to spend a bundle on a phone to have a good video, although not a high-end phone, it is one of the best mid-range mobile that has a very powerful camera. I have been able to test it and the results are high end. We have a rear sensor with 16 MP resolution and f / 2.0 aperture, plus it features a hybrid laser focus and phase detection. As for the front camera we find 5 MP with f / 2.2 aperture.

External Microphones

Great!, We already have in our hands a smartphone with an excellent camera, that fits our needs and budget, but unfortunately audio recording is not one of the strongest of our smartphones.

We know that video is another of the main functions of our device's cameras, and they do great, but often the microphones are not up to the sensors to capture the sound of our video. To solve it, we bring you a few microphones to record with your smartphone that will help you improve that audio.

We do not want to replace professional recording equipment with our smartphones, so we will divide section three, covering a number of situations: capture ambient sound (like a conference, for example), capture the voice of an interview, and capture the sound Of instruments for those musicians who do not stop moving.

Microphones to pick up ambient sound

The first microphone we talked about could be considered as a microphone that covers many situations: from a funny video with our friends to record street takes, even stepping on categories of instruments and interviews. The luck in this section is that we find many alternatives, from professional microphones to adaptations dedicated to smartphones. Our recommendations are:

Stereo Microphone Sony STM10

Stereo Microphone IK IPIRIGCASTIN

Condenser Microphone Rode VideoMic Go

Microphones for instruments

If you are an itinerant musician you will not want to carry a heavy equipment to make your recordings, and your Android can help you. The only bad thing is that, in most cases, it will not cost you with a micro-dry: you'll need an interface like iRig Pre, capable of running XLR microphones on iOS and Android devices.

Once we have this, we can connect microphones specialized in recording instruments (music in general), without the limitation of being compatible with Android.

In any case, look for what kind of microphone you want before launching down that road, we recommend you.

Behringer C-1

Shure SM57

Microphones for interviews

Finally, you can probably be more interested in recording your own voice, or record interviews on the fly and focus all the sound on the interviewee's words. In those cases, the best is a lavalier microphone, which is placed in a moment and pick up the voice discreetly. For this the best options would be

Rode Smartlav + (requires TRS adapter)

Audio-Technica ATR-3350

Other accessories that are very useful

Tripod: to stabilize the image when recording

What often differentiates an amateur recording from a more professional one is that the author has used a tripod, has stabilized the image. If you record a person talking on camera, you will better capture the attention of the viewer if the image does not move.

As options for tripod we recommend you

The Camkix D0034-TRIP-WRC is a very cheap and practical tripod tripod. It has remote control compatible with iPhone and Android and can be used with almost any size of smartphone or table. The remote control is very light and you can easily carry it on the keychain or in the pocket. It is very stable and allows to adjust the legs independently.

Support for attaching mobile phones to a tripod

There are plenty of media or adapters for mobile phones that allow you to attach it to a tripod. The most used around the world are the iStabilizer and its variants, suitable for different models of mobile depending on the size they have. The model I recommend covering from 5.5 cm to 8.5 cm. So it goes for the Galaxy Note, iPhone 6 Plus, and others.

Selfie stick: Adding a little extra

The selfie sticks, in addition to doing selfies, serves to improve ergonomics if you hold the phone with the stick picked up. In addition, it already has a support that will be worth to fix the phone to a tripod. If the pole has a universal tripod thread in the base (most of it is), you can screw it to the tripod to reach a higher height. Also if your tripod is limited, it can support you to put your phone upright and record streaming.

There are many options that gives selfie stick to record video with mobiles, such as recording moving planes at ground level for an example.

We recommend

The XCSOURCE Professional With a very professional and solid look, this is one of the best selfie stick we have found, because despite its looks and performance costs only 20 dollars with free shipping on Amazon.

This selfie stick features a soft foam non-slip handle, is made of black aluminum, and incorporates all the accessories needed to anchor smarphones, compact cameras and GoPro HD Hero. All of them with a butterfly type anchor that facilitates the placement and removal of the device.

It measures 27 centimeters folded, and can extend up to 81 centimeters. Its weight is something superior to the rest of models of sticks for selfies that we have found, 260 grams, proof of its greater solidity.

The Bluetooth trigger is standalone and supports iOS and Android. There is a version of this model that does not have a trigger, but for the little price difference is not worth it.

Also Rollei's selfie stick would fit into the most premium range. Robust and made of aluminum, it is available in several colors and incorporates the Bluetooth trigger and zoom controls on the handle.

The total extended length is 94.5 centimeters, weighs 186 grams and has a rechargeable USB battery with a range of up to 100 hours.

The dimensions of this suit for selfies are 30.5 x 2 x 2 centimeters being closed, making it quite compact and simple to carry. It is compatible with iOS and Android, and has a harness and strap on the handle.

Now you’re all set to go and show the world what you are and what you do, best of luck in the web!