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Line 1: − On this page, we'll summarise everything you need to start making radio from home.+ − == Computer ==+ − You'll want a fairly fast one, just to make sure there are no issues, but anything bought in the last 5 years (and even a lot of older ones) will do just fine. Any MacBook that still works will probably do, as should most Windows laptops made after 2013. Chromebooks may work, but you might start having issues with external microphones and such, so we wouldn't recommend them unless you have no other option.+ − You'll need [https://www.google.com/chrome/ Google Chrome] installed. WebStudio MAY work in other browsers, but Computing won't support it - if you ask us for help using anything except Chrome our response might just be "try again in Chrome". (We're using a lot of bleeding-edge technology, and don't always have the time to test it in all browsers. Support for other browsers is planned, but for now, Chrome is the only one we will support.) While you're at it, make sure it's got the latest updates installed (usually it'll do this automatically).+ − Try to avoid any unnecessary programs running in the background, even programs like Spotify and Microsoft Office can negatively impact the performance of the computer, and interfere with the stability of your connection to URY's servers.+ − If possible you should also disable your VPN while connecting to webstudio in order to improve connection latency and stability. You do '''not''' need the university VPN running in order to access webstudio. − Try to have all your equipment set up and tested before you do your show, and not disturbed from a working configuration until needed. Even doing something as innocent as plugging a new set of headphones in can break everything (speaking from experience here...), which you may not have time to fix before you need to begin.+ − === Using a phone ===+ − + − + − + − Hard-wire Ethernet is always preferable over WiFi, not for speed but for stability. The line is only as good as its stability - WiFi may be fine when you first test it, but can you guarantee that will be the case when you are doing your show? Sharing a WiFi connection between multiple people will perform much worse than you might expect, so if possible get a wired connection. If that's not an option, consider timing your show when as few people as possible will be using WiFi, or ask the people you share the internet with if they could curtail their usage for the period of your show.+ + + + − == Headphones ==+ − Please, please, PLEASE do not try to do a radio show using laptop speakers. It will sound God-awful whenever you turn on your mic. You don't need high quality studio headphones like we have at York, even a pair of EarPods will do you just fine, but make sure you have some. Be aware that if you are using an external USB microphone, the direct monitoring port on the microphone may not also pass you audio from webstudio.+ − Also, do not use Bluetooth headphones, unless you have no other option. Not only does Bluetooth introduce a delay which can throw all your timings off (fun fact: it takes longer for sound to go from your laptop to your AirPods than for data to go from London to York - no, really!), the quality of Bluetooth microphones on computers is, for lack of a better word, total crap. A pair of Bluetooths is better than nothing at all, but anything hard-wired will almost always be better.+ − == Microphone ==+ − The tricky one. Take a look at our [[Working From Home Resources/Microphone Recommendations|microphone recommendations]] page and choose one that fits your budget. You don't need to splash out on a mic if you're only doing one show a week, as even an EarPod mic will sound ''okay'', but do think about it if you want to get more serious about making radio from home. <!--There are best practices about how to setup your microphone and get the most out of equipment available to you on our [[Working From Home Resources/Microphone Technique|Microphone Technique]] page, this may also help you decide on what type of microphone may be best for you should you wish to purchase one.-->+ + + + + + + + + + + + +
Working From Home Resources/Advanced (view source)
Revision as of 20:33, 5 January 2021
, 20:33, 5 January 2021→Pre-Record Entire Show
<small>[[Working From Home Resources|back to hub]]</small>
<small>[[Working From Home Resources|back to hub]]</small>
WebStudio is great and all, but doing a show all by your lonesome gets a bit samey. Perhaps you want some company on your show, someone to share the airwaves with.
Sadly, at the time of writing there's no great solution for this. This page will attempt to summarise the current best practice for getting other people on your show.
== Pre-Record Links ==
If you can't get your co-hosts' voices into WebStudio live, a good option is to pre-record your links. This involves you recording your chatting in advance, then uploading it into Show Planner, and then playing it out live in between songs in WebStudio.
The advantage of this is that it requires no special fiddling on the day of the show. It's just like any other WebStudio show, except that you play your link recordings instead of doing them live. This is certainly the lowest-tech approach.
A related advantage is that you can try your links over and over again until they sound good, which may make your show sound slicker. (Though it must be noted that the perfect is the enemy of the good, and to not stress about it too much.)
The obvious problem with this approach is that you lose the immediacy of live radio, which is certainly undesirable. Also, sitting there pressing the "play" button over and over again can get a little boring.
If you are not the presenter on a show and do not need access to webstudio and other virtual studio features, consider using your phone with a set of headphones, most modern phones have respectable microphones built in, and are easily capable of accessing URY's recommended remote high quality audio line for studio guests [https://cleanfeed.net/ Cleanfeed.net], be sure to follow best practices on microphone usage and keep your battery well charged when doing this though!
To use this approach, [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PwHvL9HU8eY5GqAvQgJGOEyZnmdGoc18CzFvP3alcWo/edit follow this guide]. (If you can't access the document, contact someone on the [https://ury.org.uk/teams/management/ Management Team] on Slack.)
== Internet connection ==
== Pre-Record Entire Show ==
You'll want a fairly fast connection. If you're on campus, the network is more than sufficient (although we still recommend connecting to Ethernet if possible instead of using eduroam). If you're at home, most home broadband should do, but go to [https://speedtest.net Speedtest.net] to check your speed - you'll want at least 10mbps down and 3mbps up (slower download will slow downloading of songs but still be fine, slower upload may cause connection issues). If you're having issues, 4G may work better than home broadband, but that causes reliability issues, so broadband is preferable unless yours is hopelessly slow.
You may be thinking, "if I'm pre-recording bits of my show, why not edit it all together in one go?" And indeed, this is possible. There are quite a few caveats though:
* This is very time-consuming. You will need to record all the links, and then edit them together with the music, in advance.
* You will need legal copies of all the music you want to play - you '''cannot''' download songs from Show Planner.
* You will need to tracklist each song as it is played (otherwise you are in breach of the [[Presenters' Contract]]).
* Currently there is no way to play it automatically, so you will need to play the show out via WebStudio at the scheduled time. (The Computing Team are working on this though.)
Given the above, if you wish to use this approach, please speak to the Programme Controller ([mailto:pc@ury.org.uk pc@ury.org.uk] or ''@Michael'' on Slack) and he will point you in the right direction.
== Have Someone Else Mix It ==
If you don't have the technical skills to mix a multi-person show yourself, you could ask someone else to do it. A number of our presenters and technicians have the skills and equipment to do it - so for you it'd be as simple as joining a Zoom call.
One massive caveat though: many (if not all) of those people are '''extremely busy''' at the present time, with uni work, URY admin, and personal commitments. Don't count on this.
If you want to do this, ask around in #remote-broadcasting in Slack. '''Make sure you have this sorted at least a week before your show.''' Remember that ultimately your show is your responsibility, and we will not be held responsible if you can't find someone to mix it for you. For this reason, you should always have a back-up plan.
== Mix It Yourself ==
If you're adept with audio routing (either physical or virtual), there's no reason why you couldn't mix in your guests yourself - essentially, mix them on top of your microphone feed into WebStudio.
There are many different ways of doing this. We have [https://ury.org.uk/ceedox/engineering:documentation:voicemeeter_guide a guide] to one way, using Voicemeeter on Windows. If you're using macOS or Linux, there are certainly tools for that. If you prefer to do it in hardware, there are ways to do that too.
Remember, however, '''you do this at your own risk'''. While members of the Engineering and Computing teams may make an effort to support you, there are no guarantees, and responsibility remains with you if your show goes wrong. For this reason, this should only be attempted if you know what you're doing and how to fix it without anyone from URY helping you.
== Bribe The Computing Team To Implement Native Multi-Person Shows In WebStudio ==
I'm told they accept payment in alcoholic and/or caffeinated beverages.