Livestreaming is a popular form of content that provides a platform for a huge variety of styles and approaches.

From gaming to music production, educational content to political coverage, and live events to dedicated variety streamers who cover a little bit of everything, there’s something for everyone on streaming platforms. No wonder so many people want to carve out their niche within this space!

So, if you have your eye on streaming, be it Twitch, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, or a more specific platform, here’s our beginner’s guide to all the equipment you’ll need for a great streaming setup.

Computer

The most important thing for streaming is a very strong internet connection. To stay live and avoid dropouts, you want a high-quality connection. For help with this, it may be worth seeing if you can use a wired ethernet connection with your computer.

You need to consider your budget and whether you want a laptop or a desktop. Usually, a desktop is more configurable and you can upgrade parts as you go and get better specs, but laptops are portable, often more affordable, and save on space if your streaming room is smaller.

Next, look at your streaming software and a few core contemporary games you want to stream or programs you want to use on-stream. Look up their minimum system requirements and opt for something that offers at the very least those specs, but preferably a little above them, so you can get a more stable performance.

You’ll also need to pick your operating system: Windows or Mac are the two main options. If you’re gaming, Windows will probably have the best options, as most games are designed for Windows. However, for artists, graphic designers, musicians, and music producers, Macs tend to be preferred.

When you’re looking at CPUs, or Central Processing Units, you want to consider the number of cores available. The higher the cores, the better the performance, so try to get the largest number of cores available within your budget if you can. Your CPU essentially dictates how many programs you can run at once, and to what intensity.

Graphics cards or GPUs can vary heavily. These cards are key to the graphical fidelity on your display and are key for art and gaming especially. Reputable companies like Nvidia, ASUS, MSI, and AMD Radeon are all good choices. I would recommend something enabled with Nvidia GeForce, which most modern graphics cards are.

RAM, or Random Access Memory is Daft Punk’s final album. It’s also the memory your computer uses to load up programs and boot itself up. How quickly things run is determined by your RAM. We’d recommend a minimum of 16 GB, but more may be beneficial.

Computer storage is pretty self-explanatory. There are two main forms nowadays, Solid State Drives (SSDs), and Hard Disk Drives (HDDs). SSDs are much faster to load files or games from, and generally more efficient, but often come with a lower capacity and are more expensive. HDDs are more affordable, and whilst slightly slower, they have a larger capacity for the price.

Streaming software

Most streaming software is free, which is a great user-friendly thing to have access to. Especially given the cost of the PC. Your choice of software dictates the control you have over your stream, how things are arranged and presented visually, your graphical settings, stream overlays, and even some visual effects.

The most popular two are OBS Project and Streamlabs. Generally speaking, Streamlabs is a little more user-friendly and easy to navigate but offers less depth of control than OBS does. OBS is extremely deep and complex, by comparison, but it lets you achieve the exact look and layout you want. Technically, both are built on the same engine.

We’d recommend Streamlabs for hobbyists and beginners as it’s a good place to start and learn the basics. For more experienced streamers and tech heads or anyone willing to throw themselves in the deep end, OBS is a great option!

If you can’t get along with OBS or Streamlabs, there are plenty of other options – both free and paid, like XSplit, Vmix, and Lightstream. It may also be worth investing in video editing software like Adobe Premiere, Sony Vegas, or Blackmagic Designs’ free DaVinci Resolve to edit your streams into videos and shorts to gain traction on other platforms.

Microphones

So, you have your camera, PC, and streaming software all picked out. It’s time for the audio gear. Let’s start with the key element: microphones. There are three main types of microphones you’ll see in streaming setups: USB, XLR, and condensers.

USB mics

USB mics are often affordable, entry-level microphones, although they’ve come a long way in the past ten years! Their main benefit is that they forgo the need for additional audio gear aside from headphones. When streaming, if you have a USB microphone that you like, an audio interface or mixer often isn’t necessary.

This convenience is great for those starting out and working in smaller spaces, but the more experienced might want multiple mic inputs for guests and friends, as well as the effects, samples, computer sound loopback functionality, and audio routing options.

USB mics may also not be great for running simultaneously, as some of them require drivers or software mixing, and different models might not communicate as easily with one another.

For USB functionality, we recommend the SubZero SZC-500-USB. This USB condenser microphone has a detailed sound and includes a shock mount, which reduces the unwanted pickup of noise from desk rattling or mic stand movement. It’s entirely no-frills: no software, no mixer or effects, just plug it in and stream!

XLR mics

XLR microphones will need some kind of interface or mixer. We’ll get to these and the distinctions between them later, but for now, just know that these act as a converter from the XLR connection that is typical of professional-grade microphones, letting your computer and software recognise the signal.

Our first pick is a dynamic microphone. These microphones are big, durable, and are capable of handling louder sounds. There’s a huge range of these available, but today we’re recommending the Electro-Voice RE20.

This is a common alternative to the SM7B, which sees a huge amount of studio use on vocals, drums, and guitar amps and offers a smooth, full sound.

The RE20’s main selling point is also very useful for streamers. Its Variable-D technology means you can move around the mic without exaggerating low frequencies or suffering off-axis colouration (where your sound changes due to movement away from the optimal position). You can be as animated as you want and you’ll still sound consistent so long as you’re somewhere in front of the mic.

Condenser mics

Condenser microphones are more sensitive, clear, and detailed-sounding, usually owing to some extra high-frequency response and a more responsive capsule.

These microphones rely on phantom power, which you’ll need from an interface or mixer. This boosts the signal of a condenser to audible levels since, by default, they’re so quiet and sensitive that you can’t hear it. Condensers are an equally great choice for streaming and whilst they may not have the popularity of dynamic mics for streaming, they sound fantastic in their own right.

Our recommended condenser is the Lewitt RAY. This innovative microphone uses AURA sensors to keep track of your distance from it and automatically adjusts its volume and tone to keep your sound the same, no matter how far you move from the mic.

You can also mute by distance, cutting your signal when you walk away from the desk, or swing your microphone arm away from your face. The RAY includes a magnetic pop filter to prevent harsh plosives and sibilance, as well as a shock mount to avoid noise from the desk or microphone handling.

Headphones

Headphones are a lot less complicated to pick. You need closed-back headphones. No question. Open-back headphones leak sound, and for most streaming setups, your microphone will be very close to you, which will cause feedback or echoes with your monitoring mix. So, what do we recommend?

The Sony MDR-7506/1 may not have the catchiest name, but they are an undisputed classic. Unchanged since 1991, these headphones have been a standard for recording, mixing, mastering, and broadcast monitoring.

They’re comfortable, have a neutral, even sound, a full frequency response, and fold down when on the go. Truly a no-nonsense set of headphones.

The Audio Technica ATH-M50x are another popular choice for streamers. Also used by producers and DJs, the comfort of these headphones means they’re great for long streams, they isolate external sound extremely well, and their extended frequency response provides plenty of detail in the high frequencies without sounding harsh.

The beyerdynamic DT770 Pro are another standard for music production. They sound excellent and are commonly used for mixing and mastering, with bass reflex drivers for a little extra low-end and a shockingly extended frequency range from 5 Hz to 35 kHz to bring all of the information you need.

Plus, their velour earcups are one of the most comfortable things you can wear for long-term monitoring.

Audio interface

If you’re using an XLR-based microphone to run your audio, you’ll need either an audio interface or a mixer. Audio interfaces convert analogue electrical signals that come from microphones into digital ones that can be read by computers. This makes them necessary if you decide against a USB microphone.

Audio interfaces also include microphone preamps, phantom power, audio outputs and volume control for monitor speakers, a headphone amp, and potentially one or multiple instrument inputs.

There may be extra features like software mixing, built-in effects, switchable preamp modes, and some even offer auto-gain to set the perfect volume for your source without distorting.

Our first pick is the SubZero AI1. This two-channel audio interface has all of the fundamental features we mentioned, making it a great way to get all of the utility of an audio interface at a great cost.

A single microphone preamp, phantom power for condenser mics, a mono instrument input for a guitar, a headphone amp, and monitor outputs give you all the utility you need for a single-mic stream setup.

Next, the PreSonus Quantum ES2 is a two-channel audio interface with very low latency, meaning that headphone monitoring won’t come through delayed. The Quantum ES2 has two MAX-HD microphone preamps with phantom power on tap, a headphone amp, and an instrument input designed alongside Fender for quality guitar and bass sounds.

The Quantum also has Auto Gain, which automatically sets an ideal volume for mics or instruments that won’t distort no matter what changes in the signal. Plus, for anyone into music, it comes with six free months of Studio One+.

Finally, the classic Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen. You’ll have seen these crimson metal boxes all over streaming and musician setups. With good reason, too! Building on the success of the ubiquitous 3rd Gen, this new series of Scarlett interfaces offers the same two neutral mic preamps, phantom power, and Air mode for a subtle high-frequency lift that’s made these units so popular, with a few improvements.

The 4th Gen now adds Auto Gain and loopback functionality to mix computer audio from games or software into your streaming software. It also has two instrument inputs, so you could run a guitar and a microphone together, or just a stereo keyboard.

The 2i2 is great for musically-inclined streamers and gives you the ability to run two mics at once, so you can include a guest. If you don’t feel the need for a guest, the Solo may be up your alley. If you’re anticipating more guests than just one, the 4i4 expands mic inputs to four, for up to three guests or more instruments.

Mixer

Mixers are another good option for streamers. They’re usually larger and have more capabilities than an interface, offering more flexible audio routing options, effects, and sample pads.

Despite being bulkier, they can fit into streaming setups really well, especially if you’re into messing around with sound – which is great for music-focused streamers.

Obviously, for streaming, you’ll need a mixer with USB capabilities, so all our recommendations have some kind of USB connectivity.

The Rode RodeCaster Duo comes in a large format, offering two preamps and two headphone outputs, which makes it a great choice for podcasting and streaming with a guest. Its four faders give you additional channels for USB audio like system audio, music, and voice calls, as well as eight pads for sample playback.

It also has built-in effects like an exciter, noise gate, various filters and EQs, and compression.

The Zoom LiveTrak L-6 is another great option for streaming. This is a compact digital mixer and multitrack recorder designed to provide professional-grade audio for streaming, recording, and live use.

With 10 tracks of high-quality recording and individual channel strips featuring a 3-band mid-sweepable EQ, pan control, and effects, it offers extensive flexibility for shaping your sound. Plus, if you’re working on the go and setting up in small spaces, the compact, portable size is perfect.

This mixer can record up to 10 discrete tracks plus a stereo mix directly onto microSD cards up to 2TB. It also includes 32-bit float technology, ensuring your recordings are crystal clear and free from clipping, even with fluctuating audio levels. 

Packages

So, while we’ve recommended some individual components, sometimes it’s easier and more cost-effective to get an all-in-one package that covers everything. Unless you have very specific needs and wants for your stream and you have something in mind that’s tailored towards that, a package might be the right choice for you.

The Rode NT1 Signature Vocal and Podcasting Set consists of Rode’s NT1 Signature Series – an excellent-sounding and ultra-low noise condenser microphone, complete with a shock mount, pop filter, and cable. Check out my NT1 Signature Series in-depth review if you want to learn more about the mic.

The Presonus Revelator io44 Pack fills the role of a compact audio interface with Loopback, an onboard mixer, PreSonus’ studio-quality Fat Channel processing for studio sound, and a single mic preamp. With this pack, you can choose the headphones, microphone, mic arm, and cable you’d like with it.

The Focusrite Vocaster Two Studio is another full package, with Focusrite’s new podcasting and streaming-focused interface the Vocaster Two, the Vocaster DM14v dynamic microphone, and a pair of closed-back headphones.

The Vocaster Two has the all-important loopback, and four sound presets to dial up pre-designed sounds to fit your voice.

If you don’t need depth and like the option of a second mic preamp for guests, this package is ideal.

The Rode RodeCaster Duo Solo Podcasting Bundle is billed for podcasting, but it’s just as great for streaming. Consisting of the Rodecaster Duo mixer, the Rode PodMic dynamic microphone, and the Rode NTH-100 studio headphones for monitoring, this package is a little more premium than the other two but it’s a comfortable and reliable set for starting streamers, and still offers a second mic preamp for guests.