Getting your network ready for Fan2Stage isn’t very hard, but it is important.
Having a computer that can handle video streaming is just the first step to hosting live shows from anywhere. If you want to have a great looking show, not only does the computer play a big part in making sure you put on a quality show, the network does too. In this video Scott talks about a good solid set up for live streaming.
Scott is the host of CoolToys® TV and he will talk about the exact network set up that he uses, the computers and the gear. He’ll also talk about options that he has set up for others and how you can start live-streaming on a budget.
Live streaming is a big thing and trying to manage and understand your audience is an even bigger challenge. That is why we created the Fan2Stage Virtual Audience Server. You get real feedback from real people when you are hosting live shows.
Those that do will get the audience, those that wait will be fighting for the scraps. Get your network ready for Fan2Stage. CoolToys hosts Scott and Josh also put out The Easy Guide to Internet and Network Stuff to help you keep track of all this stuff the easy way.
The Gear We use in the Studio and the Easy Guide Book:
Can Talk Shows Survive with a Virtual Audience? Can They Survive Without Them?
Talk shows have been very different thanks to the lifestyle changes imposed on us by the government. All television is changed for that matter just slightly. While I can’t fix soap opera’s lack of intimacy issues, I can bring in a virtual audience.
If you are thinking, “But Scott, the pandemic is almost over.” I’d say you are looking at the problem wrong. Have you ever been to a live talk show taping? The security hassles are incredible. What if there is an issue with security, or another pandemic? Covid-19 is just the most recent pandemic. During the last election we had the Zika pandemic.
Our world is changing and it might be time to change with it. Even if you keep a live audience, a virtual audience can be a great addition to the show.
DayTime TV
Since I generally work very early in the morning and shoot video during the day, I haven’t watched much day time TV. I can’t imagine a show like “The View” being nearly as cool without an audience. Sure a few people could zoom in. In the crazy land of TV I bet someone pitched putting an iPad at every seat and having everyone in the audience FaceTime their own seat.
Late Night TV
I do from time to time catch a few minutes of late night talk shows. Sadly none measure up to the great Johnny Carson or even Jay Leno. Those guys were centered and funny. They could make fun of anyone any time without making a ridiculous political statement. These days everyone apparently wants to clearly be “on a side”.
You can Take a Virtual Audience With You!
Late night talk show hosts complained incessantly about not hearing the laughter of the audience. I agree. COOLTOYS® TV isn’t nearly as fun without fan energy. We tried the chat box on our live stream. It was a failure. We tried the Q&A box and had someone reading them and giving us signals. At a social distance of course. That too failed.
Meeting an Audience
While zoom and Microsoft Teams are great tools for virtual meetings, they are failures at the virtual audience. FaceTiming more than a dozen people on iPads is crazy, but lame as well. The reason the audience is there is to feed energy to the performers. Talk show hosts are performers. If you don’t believe me, try it some time. I spent a lot of time in class at Marki Costello’s “Become a Host” program to understand the dynamics of talk.
Talking to a person and making it interesting for an audience is a lot harder than you think. One key piece is the feedback from the audience. Without live feedback energy the show lacks life. Someone in the booth pressing the applause button doesn’t add life.
Sound Designers
Yes there is a job designing sound. Specifically sound for pro sports. The guys that sound design for the NFL do a great job. The audience sounds real. The problem is that the players and the few fans that are there know it isn’t. Therefore the fans know it isn’t.
Fan2Stage isn’t about designing sound. It is about bringing real fan energy back to the stage or the field. If you want to hear your real fans, get Fan2Stage.
F2S is the cloud based version of Fan2Stage for smaller venues.
Realizing that not everyone has the budget or the fan base for a full Fan2Stage system, F2S was created. F2S is the cloud based version for entertainers and smaller houses of worship that allows fans and parishioners to participate from home or anywhere else they can stream an event.
The F2S system provides a visual chart and audio feedback of the inputs made by the people on their phones. If you aren’t sure which version you need there is a handy comparison chart on the F2S.Live website.
Fan2Stage offered two free years to the first 100 artists that signed up but there is a catch. “The first 100 are helping to debug and perfect the sound feedback. The big difference is the customization” said Scott Lee, the lead programmer. With Fan2Stage we can use recorded response from your venue to keep the acoustics unique to your location. With F2S the response is scaled based on the number of people logged in and participating.
The more that log in and the more that participate, the “bigger” the feedback according to Lee. That makes the Virtual Audience System by Fan2Stage® a solution that works for anyone.
The Fan2Stage App is now available on Google Play and the Apple App Store.
Just because your venue can’t fill the seats, it doesn’t mean you can’t bring in real fans. The Fan2Stage system brings the energy of the fans to your events while virtual, it is real. Real energy is what athletes and entertainers need to perform at their best.
