Aaron: The setup I normally have in the studio here is all based on the ATEM Mini and I usually run my live streams with the ATEM Mini and other dedicated hardware.
On the other hand, Tom Buck, who does livestreams regularly uses Ecamm, which is software on a computer.
These are two pretty different approaches to running livestreams.
Somewhere in the middle of these two is the YoloBox.
Now, both Tom and I were sent a YoloBox in order to give feedback on it and to make videos about it.
But you may have noticed that neither of us actually use the YoloBox in our studios as our primary device.
I often take it with me on trips and I use it while I'm out on the road.
But it's not necessarily the first thing I think of when I'm going to do a live stream in the studio.
So I thought it would be fun to invite Tom into this video and we can have a little chat about how we run our live streams, the gear we use, and what it would take for a YoloBox
device to be one of the first things we reach to when we run a livestream from our studio.
Tom: I've got the YoloBox Pro right here.
Aaron: So this video is a wish list of everything that both Tom and I would love to see in a future YoloBox product.
Something that would be an ultimate studio in a box.
First we'll describe our normal setup and how we run livestreams from our studios.
Tom: Normally my streaming setup revolves around the ATEM Mini going into Ecamm live.
So it's a hybrid hardware software computer setup that is reliant largely on the computer.
But I have been using this for a couple of years now.
Overall, I really like it, but there are definitely some pain points.
I honestly don't utilize the ATEM as much as I probably could or should.
I mainly use it as a switcher, and sometimes if I need to use an anamorphic lens, I use it as a de-squeezer.
But for the most part, I handle all of the graphics and all the scene building and all of the really cool like polish and things that you can add to a live stream, I primarily do
that through Ecamm live.
So the ATEM for me is basically just a multi input capture card.
The RØDECaster runs separately through USB, the ATEM is going through USB and then I just select those as my audio video sources in Ecamm live during streams to monitor audio.
Either use headphones running out of the RØDECaster or I have a speaker that's off to the side, turned down really, really low so that it doesn't get picked up on mic.
Aaron: When I do livestreams, I'm typically using 2 to 3 cameras, usually a front camera, a side camera, so you can see the gear on my desk, sometimes an overhead camera.
And every now and then I'll have a wireless camera, either an iPhone or a handheld, so I can walk around the room and show closeups of things.
I like to keep my audio simple, and I usually run audio directly into the main camera.
Occasionally, I will also wear a wireless microphone and connect that into the ATEM.
A big part of my livestreams are showing the questions people are asking on the streams, and for that I use a web overlay source.
That same web overlay source also runs my countdown timer at the beginning, as well as the map showing the locations people are joining from.
Sometimes I play back prerecorded video clips, either little stingers, or if I'm showing footage from something I recently recorded, I'll usually either use a Hyperdeck for that,
or more recently using the LiveApp app on an iPad.
For audio monitoring, I usually wear headphones to hear myself, but I actually like having in-room speakers that has the audio of everything going on in the stream except my voice.
I've been using an external mixer for that, making a sub mix that contains all the audio sources except my microphone.
Sometimes if I'm doing a live stream with some other person or from a different location, I'll actually have another device in here that can receive a remote stream from somebody
else's encoder or from a browser.
My studio has definitely grown over time.
I know it sounds like a lot, but at a bare minimum this in front of me is what I've been using for live streams.
It's a relatively simple setup with an ATEM Mini Extreme, a couple of cameras, my computer fed into there and an iPad as well.
I'll leave a link to both Tom and my studio tour videos where you can see a breakdown in detail of the full setup.
So Tom, forget about the YoloBox for now.
What is one thing about your current setup that's frustrating?
Tom: I will ATEMpt to explain my pain points with the current setup, because it all kind of does come down to -- as much as I love it -- the ATEM Mini.
I have my -- I have the base model, ATEM Mini and this really cool stand right here that someone really cool designed.
And then I have the ATEM Mini Extreme ISO, and I mainly got that for, well, upgraded features that I kind of never use as much of, but so I could have the eight
inputs. But the best thing to me about the ATEM Mini is the physical buttons.
However, where I come into limitations is with my setup.
For whatever reason, it seems like the ATEM works best with 30 frames per second, even though I tend to prefer to do everything at 24 frames per second.
So all of my graphics, all of my videos are 24, but then when I'm running stuff through through streaming or to do screen captures and recordings and I have to switch the frame
rates to 30. Otherwise it just looks a little stuttery and weird.
The ATEM time I feel like it used to handle 24 just fine for me.
And then maybe about a year ago, both of them just switched to not liking 24.
And I've talked to Blackmagic about this and they just were kind of like, use 30 and it's fine.
So that has been frustrating.
Also being capped at 1080 is becoming more of a roadblock than I thought that it would be .
Initially I don't care because I stream in 1080, so that's fine.
But for the times that I want to record while I'm streaming like record into Ecamm live, the ATEM limits me because I can't do my full
4k. So I'm always recording internally to the camera and then doing that.
Whereas if the ATEM were 4K, I could run my camera right through there.
I could go straight into my computer in 4K and then I could forget about needing to record internally, which would be amazing.
Aaron: I think for me one of the frustrating parts is actually the relative complexity of what it takes to get prerecorded videos into this setup.
The Hyperdeck is extremely picky about video formats, so you have to re-encode everything specifically for it.
So it works great for stingers, but if I'm just going to be like I have a video clip on my phone that I want to share, it takes too long to get it into the Hyperdeck, and I don't
do that. On the other hand, LiveApp on the iPad does do a good job of pulling up random video formats I've got on my iPad, but it does take a little bit of setup to get that to
work still. So usually what it ends up meaning is that I don't include prerecorded clips in my live streams as much as I would like to.
Another frustrating thing for me is how complicated it is to get remote guests into this workflow.
Because I don't have any software based video processing going on, I have to use some sort of computer to get a guest feed into the hardware.
In the past, I've done things like pulled up a VDO.ninja web page on a computer and sent that over HDMI into the ATEM.
But that's kind of fragile and takes a bit of setup.
It does make me jealous of people who use things like Ecamm, where that feature is just built in and works seamlessly.
And lastly, even though I like how much this is all set up in here and is ready to go at any time, it means my portable on-the-road kit doesn't have most of the features that are
in the studio, and frankly, I'm just not going to travel with all the gear it takes me to run the stream the way I do with all this hardware.
So moving on to the YoloBox, I'm curious now, Tom, what is the one thing that keeps you from using the YoloBox in your studio as the main streaming device?
Tom: So the thing with the YoloBox is when I'm doing something that's not in the studio, it's like the first thing that comes to mind.
What can I use the YoloBox for?
Should I take it? It goes on every trip, all that kind of stuff.
But when I'm in the studio, I always forget to use it because the ATEM and Ecamm, and I think there are a couple of things about that.
Primarily for me, the big one is the lack of physical buttons.
And I know that that's a strength because so much can be updated through firmware that then changes the device and the functionality.
And if you're married to physical buttons, it can become really limiting.
But the power of the ATEM is that while you're talking to someone, while you're streaming, you have these buttons right here that you can, without even really looking at,
just feel your way around them and see that they're they're moving around.
So I don't know where you would put some low profile buttons or something, but that way this thing could be over here just where my ATEM is, and I can use it the same way where
it's very easy to physically switch between my sources.
That is a sore spot in my workflow.
Aaron: I totally agree about the buttons.
Having the ATEM right here makes it easy to push these buttons.
I really actually only use the input buttons and sometimes the audio buttons on it, but I'll take that one step further and I'll add that I really miss the ability to use other
controllers to control the YoloBox.
Tom: Yes. So, see.
It's like you've thought about this.
Aaron: I use the Stream Deck quite often in the studio here.
I've got a bunch of shortcuts programmed into the Stream Deck to do things like start the countdown timer, end the stream, pull up different graphics, switch camera angles, create
picture and pictures, things like that.
On the YoloBox, I'm forced to use the touch screen for everything, which makes it a lot harder to use without looking.
Tom: I like the Stream Deck for monitoring the number of viewers and for having direct calls to my specific Ecamm scenes.
And then I guess that's really the main thing I use it for.
So I set up my Stream Deck for direct scenes, scene switching and then also an emergency technical difficulties panel.
But I also honestly have been using the Stream Deck pedal is what replaced it.
It's only got three buttons, but then it's under the desk.
I don't think the YoloBox can replace this, but then I can use my feet to switch camera angles or pop up a graphic or something.
And that is really cool.
Yeah. If I could connect the Stream Deck pedal to the YoloBox.
Because that-- it looks really cool when you are on a live stream talking and you're really into it and then you can just use your foot to switch the camera angle
at the exact right moment with your hands being off screen.
It just gives the whole thing a very different feel.
Or, you know, you're working on something and showing it.
You can hit a thing that puts a graphic or switches your angle.
It's the three button Elgato Stream Deck pedal has been one of my favorite things over the past year that I've gotten.
Aaron: Okay. Time to think big.
If there was no limit to what a new YoloBox device could do, what would you want to see included in new hardware?
Tom: The Pro's pretty impressive for how small it is.
And you have three HDMI inputs plus the USB plus the HDMI output.
But there is something really great about at least the basic ATEMs having the four HDMI inputs, because often times one of those inputs can be taken up by something like a
computer or for some people, even like a gaming console.
For me, it's a computer a lot of the times, and then you only have the three other inputs, and that just seems like a functional amount.
Even though you might not use them all the time.
Having them there makes it an incredibly versatile device, which is why the ATEM Mini Extreme is the one that lives on my desk.
So having one more HDMI would be absolutely amazing, and then having a way to have a monitor output that is separate from the built in display.
So the things I can show on there could be like my sources, like a multi view source output, and then I can have my program functionality on here or something along those
lines where what's shown on the YoloBox, which is a beautiful display, this can be different from what it's connected to through HDMI output.
That would be I think that would add a lot of versatility and a lot of functionality.
And just any time you have that flexibility built into a tool, then you have just so many more options.
So then it pops up as something like, Hey, you could use this for that.
You could try this with this over here.
And I think it becomes a better part of your workflow, a better tool.
Aaron: That makes a lot of sense.
I love it. I would also personally like to see an audio output.
That way I can actually run room speakers from it and that audio output I should be able to choose which of the audio sources are included in that.
So I could take out the microphone from my main camera, but include things like SD card videos or a remote guest and have their audio piped into the room so I can actually hear
what's going on without headphones.
Tom: Okay. If we're talking about dreams, just big dream things here and the sky is the limit.
The the key to the RØDECaster, much like the ATEM Mini, is the number of inputs, the flexibility with the routing and these super, super quiet preamps, especially on the
RØDECaster Pro II.
So having that, the reason I don't like running that through something like the ATEM or through a YoloBx is because the RØDECaster's preamps are so good and just so
clean that I like putting them directly into the computer, because I don't want to risk degrading that signal by putting it through something else.
So through the magic of science, if there were a way to put like at least one just killer preamp in here where you could somehow connect, like even at
maybe a mini XLR port.
So you can connect like an XLR mic directly to it or even two -- don't know where you would fit that, but that's not my problem I guess.
Something like that, to make it super easy to connect a really high quality mic, run that really high quality mic, and not have to do a whole bunch of processing to remove sounds
and things afterwards.
I think that would be at least on a basic level of just wanting high quality audio with your streams that would take the place of at least a small mixer.
Aaron: From a software point of view, I would love to get SRT added into it.
I want to be able to both stream SRT out so I could use it for remote contribution into a studio, but I would also like to be able to receive an SRT input.
That way I could, for example, have somebody else's studio pushing into the box.
I would also love to be able to not have to run a cable between my computer and the box in order to share the screen.
We're almost there with the new remote guest feature, but I would love to have the option of sharing a screen from a computer instead of sharing a webcam.
Tom: You touched on something that I think is really a huge strength to the YoloBox, which is probably why we're making this video, is hardware is one thing that limits something, but
when it comes to the firmware, they are like absurdly fast and aggressive with updates, and that is really, really cool.
Like listening to the users, trying to figure out how to implement it, implementing things, and then it's just out like as soon as it can be, they don't wait six months or a
year or something. So that is something that is, I think kind of unique to the YoloBox, is how quick and receptive and just like we're going to turn around and throw in new
features and new features and I really hope they keep that up no matter what hardware features change in the future because that's one of my favorite things.
Aaron: Yeah. I've been really impressed about how well YoloBox listens to feedback and actually builds features that customers want.
So thanks, Tom, for joining me in this video.
It was a lot of fun to put together this list.
If you're watching this video, I would also love to hear your thoughts.
What kinds of features would you like to see in a new YoloBox device?
So leave a comment below with your thoughts and thank you so much for watching and thanks to Tom for joining and I will see you in the next video.
Tom: Normally my streaming set up.
Oh, my God. I swear I can do this.