Hello there! I'm Staci of KTS. I am the person that you'll most likely hear on the phone and the person behind most of what you see on social media. I also write most of the blog posts here on the KTS site. It's a pretty adventurous job! When I go home after my long days and want to just chill, I'll turn to my PC or PlayStation for games. During the shutdowns, I started getting into streaming on Twitch to help me be able to interact with people. I'm still a tiny streamer but I have great fun in what I do!
Here are my personal five recommendations for a newbie streamer to get started! (These are just general pieces that I feel are super important to get started with. I will not recommend any specific brands as that will boil down to your budget and preferences.)
USB Microphone
Audio is the #1 thing that will immediately have people leap off of your channel. People can watch a low quality stream but if there's a gargle or sounds like nails on a chalkboard, people will leave instantly. Invest in a headset with a good microphone or even better yet, a USB microphone. A USB mic (especially with a pop filter), will ensure that your audio sounds crisp and smooth. If you already have normal microphones, there are adapters to convert it into USB capable! I personally started with using the mic on my web cam and I regret it to this day. It sounded like I was underwater if I talked anything above monotone. Don't make the mistake I made and invest in a good microphone for your first investment.
Webcam
This can seem like a, no duh, for many aspiring streamers but it's not! Many streamers can forgo the idea of a "face reveal" and work solely on audio. Personally, it may not be what I recommend but it's absolutely doable. You can spend a lot on a webcam or you can spend a relatively small amount. Best thing I recommend is just to not use the camera that comes built in to your laptop or monitor.
Capture Card
I should say upfront that this is essential for console streamers or those who want to record their games in HD. It's definitely one of the most expensive pieces of this list. External capture cards are primarily used for console streamers (it looks similar to an external hard drive). You plug your console into the capture card and then the capture card into your PC or laptop to connect into your streaming software like OBS. It processes the info from your console and puts it into a format that your computer can process and then livestream. Since live is a different animal than most types of capture technology, it's really important to invest in a capture card that has a higher frame rate and can stream in a quality your comfortable with. You can stream anywhere from 780p to 4k, it just depends upon the capabilities of your capture card. If you just want to be able to capture your livestreams from your PC, there are also internal capture cards available to add into your gaming PC.
Ethernet Cable
I will recommend this for both console and PC gamers across the board. Livestreaming takes up a lot of your bandwidth and will take it up until your stream is over, Streaming on WiFi is something I HIGHLY discourage unless that is the only way you can make it work. Using a wired connection will keep you connected to the internet during your whole stream and prevent lags. A wired connection will help with pinging or lag problems within your game as well, especially if your game's client is online. It's my 10/10 recommendation.
Duel Monitor
This is my favorite one on this list! It's something that you can get away with not having but this is a true quality of life investment. You can have one monitor for your game and the other for things like your chat or other tabs. I know you can read your chat through the Twitch app but a second monitor makes life so much easier. It can also be how you keep tabs on your stream quality by keeping your muted stream up so you know what your audience sees at all times. I personally also use a second monitor when just straight up gaming. Like during League of Legends I'll have my client up and use my second screen to have build lists up. It's useful!
All in all, you can do so many different things with your stream! Your budget and creativity is really your only limits! What items are you looking at investing in? Have you already started investing? Tell me in the comments!
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