These set-ups range from what would be considered the bare minimum required to stream a performance (Good), to an expanded equipment list that will provide additional flexibility and, likely, a higher-quality end result (Better), to a third list that could help to set a livestream apart from others like it (Best). Each set-up builds upon the one before it, but none should be considered definitive.

​Network Requirements: A dedicated, temporary, password-protected, high-speed wireless network connection is the best way to limit potential connectivity issues during your streamed performance. This network should consist of a dedicated, high-speed wireless router/access point, with its data provided by a wired ethernet cable to your local area network (LAN). When properly configured, this private wireless network should provide a stable connection, free from interference from other devices that are not streaming the performance. This will allow you to make the most of the available bandwidth.
If a private network is not available, and you are required to make use of an existing wireless network, disconnect as many wireless devices from that network as possible to limit unnecessary bandwidth consumption that may interfere with the stability of your data connection. This is especially important for the Director Console’s connection, as it is the source of the livestream.
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​Kit 1: GOOD.
​Equipment list:

To live-stream your performance, you will need a minimum of two primary components: an iOS device connected to an external power supply - like a wall charger or an external battery pack - with the Switcher Studio App installed; and a tripod. Using these components, you will be able to stream a live performance directly through On The Stage. This simple set-up makes production extremely easy to manage. It may not, however, produce the result that you’re hoping for, because you’ll be relying solely on the singular iOS device to capture all audio and visual elements, while also controlling the production from that same device.

Consider your goals before making any decisions about your equipment. For a play produced in an intimate space, with a limited cast, and performed without an audience, this kit could create a satisfactory pre-recorded show or livestream. For an elaborate production, however, one of the more complete set-ups will allow you to better translate the nuances of your staged performance to an at-home audience.

Optional Equipment:

Without an external mic, you will have to rely on the microphones located inside your iOS device, which pick up ambient sounds inside the room: air conditioning, chatting crew members/staff, doors opening and closing, etc. A directional microphone does a much better job of picking up only the sounds in the direction in which it is pointed.
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​Potential options for this setup include:

Either option above is a good choice for improving your streamed performance’s audio quality.
*Please note that a pre-amp (the one listed here or a similar model) is suggested for other applications in the subsequent kits below.
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​Kit 2: BETTER.
​Equipment list:

​Standard theatre amplification system components:

In addition to building on the iOS components in Kit 1, this set-up and equipment list leverages the sound system and equipment that your organization may already have access to in your performance space. The overall configuration of Kit 2 assumes that your show is recorded or streamed live from a performance space in which there is no audience present, or, if there is an audience present, that the actors are not amplified (mic’d up) for the benefit of the audience.
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Starting with the addition of the iPad, this configuration makes use of the Director Mode built into the Switcher Studio app. In this mode, the iPad is utilized to remotely control the video feed coming from the iPhone/iOS device used as the primary camera. Using the Switcher Studio app in this way, not only is the stage manager or director, who is calling the shots on the iPad, given more physical screen space with which to work, but it also isolates the iOS device being used as the camera. Benefits of such isolation include the facts that: your video feed is protected from errant vibrations or movements by the operator; the screen doesn’t need to be touched to change settings during the live camera feed; and there is less chance that the tripod may be kicked or jostled by the operator in the process of production.
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The more important benefit of this configuration is that it incorporates the functionality of your in-house sound equipment and amplification system with a line out directly from your soundboard. The Switcher Studio toolkit was designed with this usage in mind. If your performance space routinely makes use of the stage/area or body mics, those audio sources can be fed directly into your Director Mode iPad (or other iOS Device) via the soundboard, providing your at-home audience the best possible audio experience.
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Depending on the type and configuration of your equipment, and how it is used in your performance space, there may be no additional equipment required other than a basic audio cable with a 3.5mm audio jack adapter, to plug into your iPad’s headphone/microphone port. In some cases, however, it may be necessary to run the audio line(s) from your soundboard’s output cables to the same type of pre-amp as in Kit 1, which then connects to your iPad. This sort of line-in connection to the Switcher Studio app from a house soundboard has the potential to provide the most stable and consistent audio capture for your live or pre-recorded stream.
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​Kit 3: BEST.
Equipment List:

​Additional equipment for multiple camera angles:

​Theatre amplification system components:

Building off Kit 2, this configuration makes use of the multi-camera setup available in the Switcher Studio app. This functionality enables multiple camera angles and close-ups, with seamless transitions between them. It also provides for a more complex sound system set-up, which may be required for productions with an audience present in the performance space, where the performance is amplified for their benefit, or for performances of musicals that may have a live orchestra. The complex nature of this configuration may require additional personnel and/or equipment, to which your organization may or may not have immediate access.

As in Kit 2, the iPad will be used in Director Mode with the iOS Device Camera 1 marked as the primary video source. Along with Camera 1, you can connect up to 8 additional iOS devices to the app in Director Mode, either to provide a wide range of camera angles of your performance, or to act as backup feeds in the event of a technical problem.

When mixing audio for a large production (or even a small musical) with two different audiences - one in the performance space and one viewing your stream at home - you must include two very different considerations in your approach to sound, in order to serve both audiences in the best way.

The “house mix,” which is what the audience inside the performance space hears, is a combination of live sound from performers and musicians, as well as components of sound coming from the amplification system. The “mix” is how those sounds work together inside the room. This is typically achieved using the primary house board, operated by a single sound technician. When properly mixed, the resulting sound is perceived as a seamless blend of the different sources of audio in proper balance. However, if you were to take this house mix, using the line out from Kit 2 described above, the sound feed heard by the audience viewing your streamed performance at home would likely be something different - and not necessarily good - because they could be missing half or more of what makes the house mix sound cohesive.

This is where a second auxiliary soundboard comes into play. Making use of the primary board’s direct connections to the house amplification system, the auxiliary soundboard is provided a number of lines out, each of which contains multiple individual audio feeds that have been logically grouped together. In this case, a second operator positioned at the auxiliary soundboard listens to the performance through a set of headphones connected to the auxiliary soundboard, and mixes those audio feeds in a way that sounds best for the streaming audience. The sound mix generated by the auxiliary soundboard provides a line out directly to the iPad, or first connects to the pre-amp (when required) that is connected to the iPad, either of which ultimately becomes the audio mix heard by the audience viewing your streamed performance.