Dual PC Connections for Streaming

Posted by admin on March 9th, 2016

I’ve been trying to find time to work out how to explain my Dual PC streaming setup and I thought I would write a few words about it to see if it inspired me to explain everything clearly.

Video:

Console(s) to HDMI Switch Input 1

Gaming PC to HDMI Switch Input 2

HDMI Switch Output 1 to Capture Card

HDMI Switch Output 2 to Gaming monitor

Streaming PC to Streaming PC dual monitors (only one monitor in image below just because of space)

 

Audio:

HDMI from HDMI Switch provides audio from Gaming PC and Consoles and is consumed in OBS or XSplit, I have my default Audio output set to my Nvidia card on my Gaming PC to facilitate this.

Microphone (XLR) -> Mic Amp (XLR) -> Compressor (XLR) -> External Soundcard (USB) -> Streaming PC (nothing else comes in on this Audio input it’s Microphone only)

This basically gives me all the audio I need for streaming and I could preview in OBS or XSplit if I wanted to so that I could hear game audio however…

 

Gaming PC Monitor Audio Out -> Mixer (This is a neat trick as the audio from the gaming PC ends up at the monitor via HDMI and I just hijack it back into my mixer.)

Streaming PC Audio Out -> Mixer

Consoles (via an external amp) -> Mixer only required for Headphone usage otherwise audio goes out via amplifier

Mixer Out -> Desktop Speakers

Mixer Out -> Wireless Headphones base station

I can choose both or just headphones based on the output I choose on the mixer.

 

This is obviously not the usual way to do things, preferred standard is as follows:

Microphone  (via whatever pre-processing gear) -> Mixer

Gaming PC Audio Out -> Mixer

Streaming PC Audio Out -> Mixer

Mixer -> Streaming PC

Mixer -> Headphones

This way you have the complete audio stream in one go which you can then consume into OBS or XSplit.

 

The reason I don’t do this are as follows

1. I don’t like hearing my own voice, I get echoes and get confused, with my configuration I never hear my mic unless I listen to the actual stream.
2. I like separate tracks in my recording for commentary, game audio and other and this configuration means I have each on a separate device in OBS or Xsplit. Microphone on USB Soundcard, Game Audio on Capture Card, Streaming PC for music on Desktop Audio. With a mixer everything comes into the PC on one device and so you can’t separate it into different tracks, not important if you only stream but if you record as well it might be important.
3. My setup started without a mixer and you could effectively stream and definitely record without the need for a mixer, just previewing game audio would give you all the sounds you need in the headphones/speakers attached to your Streaming PC.

 

Here’s an image I made of the configuration that I use, click to show the details 🙂

 

Update, here’s a list of the cables I used

XLR Male <-> XLR Female x 3 used for Mic to Pre-amp, Pre-amp to Compressor and Compressor to Sound interface

Dual RCA Male <-> 3.5mm Male used for Mixer to Wireless Headphone base-station

Dual TRS 1/4″ Male <-> 3.5mm Female used from Mixer to Speakers – the speakers have a 3.5mm Male connector

3.5mm Male <-> Dual TRS 1/4″ Male x2 used for Streaming PC and Display audio to Mixer

If you have trouble finding the right cables then this might help

Most standard devices use 3.5mm jacks.

Higher end audio equipment tends to use TRS 1/4″ (6.3mm) jacks there tends to be one jack per channel so if you are using stereo you will have two jacks (dual) one for the Left channel and one for the Right channel.

Here’s a couple of sample links:

3.5mm Male to Dual 1/4″ TRS

Dual RCA to 3.5mm Male

 

Just for completeness sake,

Compressor: http://dbxpro.com/en/products/266xs

Mic Pre-Amp: http://artproaudio.com/mic_preamps/product/tube_mp-ps/

 

 

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