(Last Updated: 2024-08-22 )

Anyone that knows me knows I tend to not do things the normal way.
This of course, includes my Studio and Streaming setup.
This is an overview and guide to how I do my Studio and Streaming setup.
Hopefully you will find something useful here, or at least get some entertainment from it.

No Hassle AV 8×8 4k HDMI Matrix Switch
4 x Musou Digital Optical/Coaxial to Analog RCA DAC
2 x Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 Audio Interface
RME ADI-2 DAC FS
Aluratek ABCD54F Bluetooth Transmitter/Receiver (in transmitter mode)

2 x Blue Blackout Spark SL Microphones
Moog Theremini
Aklot Kalimba (17 key)
DAUSROOB WG101 Electronic Drum Set
Otamatone
WiiM Pro Plus Media Streamer (apart from streaming this is handy as a BT input)
Fluance RT85N Turntable with Nagaoka MP-110 head upgraded to MP-200 stylus, paired with Fluance PA10 Hi Fidelity Phono Preamp
Novation LaunchKey Mini

Fluance Ai41 5“ Powered Bookshelf Speaker Set with Fluance DB10 10” Powered Subwoofer
Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro X Limited Edition Headphones
Shokz OpenRun Bone Conduction Bluetooth Headset

Input 1: Streaming/Production PC
Input 2: Gaming PC
Input 3: Workstation Laptop Dock HDMI Output
Input 4: Nintendo Switch
Input 5: Sony Playstation 5
Input 6: Amazon Fire Cube
Input 7: Roku Premier
Input 8: Extra Line for temporary devices (usually connected to the dock for my work laptop)

Output 1: BenQ PD2700U 27” 4K Designer Monitor - audio extracted to DAC 1
Output 2: BenQ PD2700U 27” 4K Designer Monitor - audio extracted to DAC 2
Output 3: BenQ PD2700U 27” 4K Designer Monitor - audio extracted to DAC 3
Output 4: BenQ PD2700U 27” 4K Designer Monitor
Output 8: Elgato 4K60 Pro MK.2 in Streaming/Production PC

Monitors 1 and 2 are frequently changed between devices, as these are used for the Streaming/Production and Gaming PCs, consoles, etc.
Monitor 3 is almost always the primary monitor for my workstation laptop dock.
Monitor 4 is almost always the secondary monitor for the workstation laptop dock, which connects directly to this monitor via displayport.

The matrix switch has coaxial audio extraction for each destination.
This allows me to pull audio for the active devices to the DACs to feed into Scarlett 2.

The Elgato 4K60 Pro MK.2 is installed in the Streaming/Production PC for capturing whatever source is needed for recording/streaming.
This lets me capture any source on the Matrix Switch.
I have the Matrix Switch output to the Elgato 4K60 Pro MK.2 scaled down to 1080p in the switch since for some reason I haven't figured out yet the card won't accept the 4k signal from the Gaming PC (although it does from everything else).

Scarlett 1 is connected to the Streaming/Production PC via USB so the microphones and instruments are available as audio sources for streaming/recording.
Scarlett 2 is not connected to USB since it is only feeding device audio to Scarlett 1 for playback, and there is currently no need to expose its channels to the PC for capture.

Channels 1/2: Usually blank, occasionally used with Kalimba or Drums.
Channels 3/4: Blue Blackout Spark SL Microphones
Channels 5/6: Moog Theremini
Channels 7/8: Fluance RT85N via PA10 Preamp
Optical SPDIF In: WiiM Pro Plus
ADAT In: ADAT Out from Scarlett 2

Line Out 1/2: All but Inputs 3/4. Not currently used.
Line Out 7/8: All but Inputs 3/4. Linked to front headphone out 1. Not currently used.
Line Out 9/10: All but Inputs 3/4. Linked to front headphone out 2. Not currently used.
ADAT Out 1/2: All but Inputs 3/4. Connected to RME ADI-2 DAC FS via optical line.

Channels 1/2: Blank
Channels 3/4: DAC 1 (Audio from HDMI source going to Monitor 1)
Channels 5/6: DAC 2 (Audio from HDMI source going to Monitor 2)
Channels 7/8: DAC 3 (Audio from HDMI source going to Monitor 3)

ADAT Out: Channels 1-8 out to Scarlett 1.

Microphones are connected to Scarlett 1 via XLR.
Theremini is connected to Scarlett 1 via dual 1/4“ phono.
Fluance RT85N is connected to Fluance PA10 via dual RCA.
Fluance PA10 is connected to Scarlett 1 via dual RCA to dual 1/4” phono.
WiiM Pro Plus is connected to Scarlett 1 via Optical SPDIF.

Drums are connected to Scarlett 1 via 1/8“ stereo to dual 1/4” phono (as needed).
Kalima is connected to Scarlett 1 via 1/4“ phono (as needed).

Matrix Switch Outputs 1-3 are extracted to the Musou DACs via Coaxial cable.
Musou DACs are connected to Scarlett 2 via dual RCA to dual 1/4” phono.

Scarlett 2 is connected to Scarlett 1 via Optical ADAT.

Scarlett 1 is connected to RME ADI-2 DAC fs via Optical ADAT.

RME ADI-2 DAC FS Phones Out connects to Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro X Limited Edition via 1/4“ stereo to mini XLR.
RME ADI-2 DAC FS IEM Out connects to Aluratek ABCD54F via 1/8” stereo cable.
RME ADI-2 DAC FS Line OUt connects to Fluance Ai41 Right Speaker via dual RCA.

Fluance Ai41 Right Speaker connects to Ai41 Left Speaker via speaker wire pair.
Fluance Ai41 Right Speaker connects to DB10 over Coaxial line.

Summary:
HDMI sources connect to Scarlett 2.
Scarlett 2 feeds to Scarlett 1.
Microphones, Instruments, WiiM, Turntable connect to Scarlett 1.
Scarlett 1 feeds to RME.
RME outputs to Headphones, BT Transmitter, and Speakers - RME is configured to cycle between outputs, so each output has independent volume, EQ, etc. settings.

My room has two rows of recessed lighting. This works for day to day work, but is too harsh for streaming or video recording.

The area lighting consists of 1 Elgato Key Light Mini, 1 Elgata Key Light Air, 1 Elgato Ring Light, 2 Elgato Light Strips, plus any light put off by monitors/keyboards/desktop toys/etc.
The Key Light Mini is mount on the Elgato Prompter mounted above Monitor 2 to give front lighting for PC Streaming, light for top down camera shots, and back lighting for Studio Streaming.
The Key Light Air is raised between Monitor 2 and Monitor 3 to give off center lighting for the same area.
The Ring Light is mounted behind the Theremini to provide front lighting for Studio streaming and back lighting for PC streaming.

If I need extra direct or area lighting for a product unboxing or something I'll grab a light from my portable lighting kit.

Video recording/streaming is done by 2 Elgato Facecams, 1 Elgato Facecam Pro, and 1 Logitech Mevo Core with the Olympus 14-42 mm lens.
Facecam 1 is mounted behind the Elgato Prompter above Monitor 2.
Facecam Pro is mounted on a flex arm above Monitor 2 for overhead or larger room shots.
Facecam 2 is mounted on an arm just behind the Theremini.
The Mevo Core is mounted on the dresser at the back of the room for overview shots from that angle.

Ironside Yggdrasil (Limited Edition Gaming PC)

Asus Prime x570-pro
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 3600
1TB NVME
4TB Seagate HDD
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 ti 8gb
Ironside Yggdrasil Case
Be Quiet! 750w 80+ bronze
Corsair H100i RGB PRO XT Cooler

Media Cougar (Self-Built Streaming/Production PC)

Asus ROG STRIX B550-F Gaming
Ryzen 5 5600G
Crucial Ballistix 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 3200
Crucial P2 500GB M.2-2280 NVME
Cougar MX330-G Mid Tower Case
be quiet! Pure Power 11 CM 600W 80+ Gold
Elgato 4K60 Pro MK.2
Elgato Facecam x 2
Elgato Facecam Pro
Elgato Prompter
Elgato Stream Deck XL

Framework 13

Ryzen 7 7840U
64GB DDR5
1TB NVME
Dual booting Nixos and Kali

Pluggable TBT3-UDZ Thunderbolt 3 Dock
Kootek Laptop Cooling Pad

Used for Photo Editing, Video Production, and general everyday use.

All PCs have a Ducky Shine 5 mechanical (Cherry MX Reds) keyboard and Logitech G900 Chaos Spectrum mouse.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 11“

Runs Stream Deck Mobile for streaming.
Runs apps to control WiiM/Mevo/Lights/etc.

Audio Recording and Editing is done using Reaper on the Streaming/Production PC.

Studio, Streaming, and direct capture video recording is done using OBS on the Streaming/Production PC.
Other video recording is done using my Atomos Ninja V hooked up to my Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III camera.
Editing is done using Openshot or Davinci Resolve on the Workstation Laptop.

Streaming is handled by OBS on the Streaming/Production PC.
My primary stream assist tools are StreamElements (primarily for automod), Restream (to send to Twitch and YouTube), and Firebot (for most commands/alerts/etc.).

I have 7 primary scenes configured:
Starting Soon - A picture with an audio loop
Game - Uses the Elgato 4K60 Pro MK.2 as the video/audio capture source, Facecam for face, and the Sparks for voice
Studio - Facecam for video, the Theremini (via Scarlett audio source) for audio, and the Sparks for voice
Just Chatting - Defaults to Facecam for video, has all video sources available to switch between, and the Sparks for voice
BRB - A picture with an audio loop.
Stream Raiders - Stream Raiders game window, Local PC Audio, Facecam for face, Sparks for voice.
Streaming Ending - A Picture with an audio loop

The sparks are the 2 channels of a single stereo audio source.
I am currently using a single OBS audio source for both scenes using the mics.
I have the source configured as mono so both mics will mix to both channels in the stream.
This is an important point. If you don’t set the source to mono, the mic being picked up will only be heard on the channel it is on on the interface - Left or Right.
Mono mode in OBS mixes both source channels to both output channels, so no matter which mic is active you will get it on both channels.
I could make 2 audio sources to fully separate the mics for the scenes (I have tested this and it works), but I don’t currently see a reason to do that because of how the pickup of the mics works and their locations.

I make heavy use of nested scenes in OBS.
I have a scene with all my overlay/alert sources.
I have two scenes for each camera - 1 with my border and 1 without my border.
This allows me to use the un-bordered copy as the main video source in any scene (such as just chatting) without having a double border from the overlay and use bordered copies as movable cameras in any scene.
If you want more detail on using nested scenes, feel free to ask!

Photo processing and editing is done using Darktable and Gimp on the Workstation Laptop.

Most control of my HDMI Matrix Switch, lighting, and streaming is done using an Elgato Stream Deck XL with accompanying software.

Control Center
Camera Hub
OBS Studio
Custom - CPU Plugin
Advanced Launcher (BarRaider)
Twitch Tools (BarRaider)

There's a bunch of others, most of which I believe are built in.

Lights - Turn all Elgato Lights On/Off
Lights (Folder)

• White - Sets color of under desk Light Strip
• Red - Sets color of under desk Light Strip
• Green - Sets color of under desk Light Strip
• Blue - Sets color of under desk Light Strip
• Purple - Sets color of under desk Light Strip
• Defaults - Sets all lights to my default settings

Matrix (Folder)

• MC-L - Send Streaming/Production PC Output 1 to Monitor 1 (default)
• MOG-R - Send Gaming PC Output 1 to Monitor 2 (default)
• Switch-L - Send Switch to Monitor 1
• Switch-R - Send Switch to Monitor 2
• PS5-L - Send PS5 to Monitor 1
• PS5-R - Send PS5 to Monitor 2
• Cube-L - Send Fire Cube to Monitor 1
• Cube-R - Send Fire Cube to Monitor 2
• Roku-L - Send Roku to Monitor 1
• Roku-R - Send Roku to Monitor 2
• Extra-L - Send Temporary to Monitor 1
• Extra-R - Send Temporary to Monitor 2

CPU Usage - Displays CPU Usage
Stream (Multi Action) - Launches OBS, FireBot, and Stream Raiders
Reaper - Launches Reaper

(This changes as I tweak things, but this gives a good idea of what I do. I'm also starting to play with Stream Deck Mobile on the tablet to tidy things up a bit.)

Lights - Same as Main Profile
Lights (Folder) - Same as Main Profile
Matrix (Folder) - Same as Main Profile
CPU Usage - Same as Main Profile

Capture (Mute/Unmute) - Mute/Unmute 4k60 audio
Sparks (Mute/Unmute) - Mute/Unmute Sparks
Cap SR - Start/Stop Source Record plugin on 4k60
Overcam - Hide/Unhide Overhead Cam source in Game Scene
4k60 SRC (Folder)

• Matrix Switch Commands to switch capture source

Chat Cam (Folder)

• Multi Action buttons to switch which camera is live in Just Chatting Scene

REC - Start/Stop Recording
Live - Start/Stop Streaming

SS (Multi Action)

• Sets brightness levels on Ring Lights
• Switches OBS to the Starting Soon Scene

Game (Multi Action)

• Sets brightness levels on Ring Lights
• Switches OBS to the Game Scene

Studio (Multi Action)

• Sets brightness levels on Ring Lights
• Switches OBS to the Studio Scene

Chat (Multi Action)

• Sets brightness levels on Ring Lights
• Switches OBS to the Just Chatting Scene

BRB (Multi Action)

• Sets brightness levels on Ring Lights
• Switches OBS to the BRB Scene

ES (Multi Action)

• Sets brightness levels on Ring Lights
• Switches OBS to the Stream Ending Scene

The HDMI Matrix Switch has network control capabilities.
It has a web interface as well as support for raw TCP commands.
I use the Advanced Launcher plugin to run the Packet Sender tool in command line mode to control the HDMI Matrix Switch.

A note for people using a similar HDMI Matrix Switch:

• There are older and newer versions of the switch, with differing firmware.
• The newer version of the switch is identified by the ADVANCED label on the front.
• The older version uses UDP instead of TCP and has a different command set.
• Shout out to the awesome support folks at No Hassle AV who helped me out with this when I emailed on a holiday weekend trying to figure out why the UDP commands were not working!

The switch listens on TCP port 8000 for ASCII commands
To control input/output routing the command is as follows:

s in [input 1-8] av out [output 1-8]!

Example:

s in 2 av out 8!

This sends input source 2 (Gaming PC output source) to output 8 (the Atomos Connect 4k)

So in this setup the Application field in the Advanced Launcher plugin is set to the full path to packetsender.com (the command line executable), and the Arguments field is set to the appropriate command for the button.

Example:

-taqw 500 192.168.100.4 8000 “s in 2 av out 8!”

t: TCP
a: ASCII Mode
q: Quiet Mode
w 500: Wait 500ms for response
192.168.100.4 8000: IP and Port of HDMI Matrix Switch
“s in 2 av out 8!”: Command to send

My only complaint is that Advanced Launcher doesn’t have an option to run the commands silently in the background, so you just need to be aware that if you stream from your Gaming PC and hit one while in a game, it will likely switch you back to the desktop when the command prompt window opens to run the Packet Sender command, so don’t switch sources in the middle of a boss fight (All the more reason to use a 2-PC setup like this for streaming)!

I stream occasionally, so drop in and say hi if you catch me on!
Twitch
YouTube

Reaper
OBS
OpenShot
StreamElements
FireBot
Restream
Darktable
Gimp
Packet Sender

Ironside PCs
Elgato
Blue Microphones