How to Choose a Video Mixer for Live Events and Conferences

There’s a ton of choices for a great mixer for a live streaming workflow, with a lot of different options to consider. For many, a guide to what their needs are and how to meet those needs would be helpful to create the best live stream possible.

Luckily, streaminglearningcenter.com recently published an amazing guide to different kinds of video mixers for different purposes.  We're taking a look at some highlights from that article, below. 

Desktop Software:

For those who prefer to mix on a computer, or encode with their existing work station, software encoders and mixers might be the right choice for you.  For example, Telestream Wirecast is a great option to take advantage of high quality multi camera production resources, with NDI, HDMI and SDI inputs, on board graphics and more.  This is a software that can be run directly on your computer with Wirecast Studio, or Wirecast Pro. Wirecast is available for both Mac and PC.

On top of that, if you need a work station properly optimized to run Wirecast, or just need a computer that can take in HDMI and SDI inputs without an additional capture card, Telestream's Wirecast Gear workstations might be right for you!

The article also goes on to list some great options from Vmix and OBS. 

Entry Level Hardware Mixers: 

Hardware mixers are a great option to mix your entire stream on one device.  Typically these devices are also somewhat portable, and easy for anyone to use from beginners to experts.  

Some hardware mixers have encoding and streaming built in directly, while others function as mixers with HDMI or USB out to be brought into your computer for streaming. A great option in this regard is the RGBlink mini or RGBlink mini+.

One great mixer with built in encoding, as well as monitoring, and recording is the YoloLiv YoloBox or the YoloBox Pro. 

YoloBox allows users to bring in two HDMI cameras, and one USB input, with on board graphics, scoreboards and clocks.  You can record and stream, as well as monitor your stream.  The entire system comes in a tablet form factor, making it easy for users of any experience to leverage it in their stream. 

The YoloBox Pro includes a larger screen, and a host of new features including chroma key and an extra HDMI input, as well as all the features of the original YoloBox. 

Lecture Capture:

Lecture capture is another, different area of streaming with different requirements.  Sophisticated workflows need to be performed, that are easy to setup and maintain.  Teachers must focus on what is most important- teaching!

The Epiphan Pearl systems are excellent devices for multi camera lecture capture, at a high level.  They can stream and archive lectures, and with integrations with programs like Panopto and Kaltura, they can also be automated to perform different functions, meaning lecturers can press a button and get started. 

Computer Based Mixer:

There are also live streaming and mixing systems that are essentially mixers built directly into streaming computers which run on windows.  One of the best examples are NewTek TriCaster Systems.  These are cutting edge top of the line streaming systems, that truly elevate production values of any stream. 

Check out the full article HERE.