5 Ways To Stream Your DJ Sets

Everyone is doing it, or thinking about doing it, so you want to live stream your DJ set and want to know where to start.

Written by Eitan Zilkha (DJKit)

Here are some different ways to get your streams online and how to use them:

Pick a streaming service.  

If you haven’t already heard, streaming on social media like Facebook or Instagram pretty much won’t work. Streams are being muted and taken down for copyright strikes. Twitch has been one service where DJs have had some success in streaming but technically it goes against their rules and more importantly the artists don’t get paid! So with that in mind, we love using Mixcloud Live. It’s a relatively new service where you pay a monthly subscription and can broadcast live without being taken off air or blocked and the artists you play will still get their royalties. Your audience can watch for free, you can easily build a great fan base, monetise your streams and access detailed engagement stats. Your mixes will even stay online for you to share later.

OBS broadcast software.

You will hear about this a lot! OBS is a free streaming software which lets you broadcast multiple sources like your webcam and DJ software as well as adding graphics like logos, overlays and more. Take visuals to a new level with green screen and changing your background. Or add images, multiple cameras for different views and even multiple audio sources like a mic. OBS rums on both pc and Mac and remains open while you use your DJ software. Your streaming service will give you a stream key to send your OBS output to them. You can also use it to record your mix too. The main downside is that it’s very processor intensive, meaning if you are going to run this on the same machine you DJ from, it needs to be powerful. Some DJs will use a dedicated laptop for streaming.

How to link your DJ software to OBS.

Both Serato DJ and Rekordbox have a great way to send your mix to a program like OBS. Serato installs a virtual sound card called iShowU, this sends your mix to a “dummy” sound device, then from your software to can select this device as your source. All of this is internal on your computer and doesn’t change anything going through your controller. Rekordbox works slightly differently by having the option to send your mix out to your internal sound card and therefore your standard computer speakers (as well as your controller). With this selected you can tell OBS to use your internal sound card as the source.

If you’re not DJ’ing from your computer.

You DJ using a standalone console, CDJs or turntables and a mixer, you still need to get your sound in to the computer to stream. That’s when you need a sound card otherwise known as an audio interface. This box will convert the analog signal from your mixer in to a digital one to your computer via USB. Here are a few we can suggest.

Reloop iPhono, M-Audio M-Track, Duo Focusrite Scarlett 2i2

Alternatively, if you have a mixer with a built in audio interface you should be able to connect that directly to your computer and directly in to OBS.

Stream your DJ set from your phone.

You’re not great with computers? Maybe you just rather not use a complex setup? There’s a simple way, the Evermixbox 4, this great little gadget connects directly to an iPhone or Android phone and to the output of your mixer or controller. Launch the Evermix app and broadcast directly to Mixcloud with crystal clear audio. The Evermixbox is super compact and gets it’s power from your device an the app is great for recording too.