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The Mothers' Day from Hell and Common Twitch Streaming Software

Common Twitch Streaming Software with some Mothers' Day Shenanigans

If you're streaming video games via Twitch, check out this blog entry on common software products to use.


It was around 2001-ish when we had a Mothers' Day celebration at my old house in Florida. This was before my grandmother passed, so it was my immediate family and her celebrating together. I loved my grandmother, but at times my family and I wondered about her mental state. Often times she would go to the grocery store and pick up the handheld scanner gun, look directly at the laser, and ask if it was hers. She was loved, albeit a little bit loose upstairs.

This Mothers' Day was no different. I remember we ordered fried chicken from some restaurant around the corner, and mid-way through the meal she started coughing and vomiting up the chicken. My dad went to help her, and the rest of the family vacated the dining room table because vomit.

If you're streaming video games via Twitch, generally there are two programs you'll want to consider. XSplit is my favorite. OBS is not my favorite, but it's a favorite of many. I'd recommend taking a look at both to see how they function.

There are many audio programs to consider, but two of my absolute favorites when streaming video games are Virtual Audio Cable and Ableton Live. The former costs around 30 dollars, the latter you can usually get for free if you add a pre-amp to your audio setup like a Focusrite Solo. Plus, if you pair Ableton with something like a Novation Launchpad, you'll be able to use it as a soundboard. The Launchpad mini features up to 64 buttons. It's just an extra piece of functionality to your stream to make it more entertaining for folks. This kind of stuff is covered in my Full Extensive Guide to Streaming Video Games. I'd highly recommend reading it if you're new to streaming on any platform.

Another common piece of software a lot of videogame streamers use is called Snaz. It's a neat little tool that stores timers in text files so you can easily add a text source for a timer. If you're starting streaming, fire this little piece of software up and set a "chrono" timer to 10 or 15 minutes, however long you think it may take to get all your software pieces in place before you begin your presentation.

Streaming video games via Twitch isn't a difficult matter, especially if you have the right software. Try out the software above and see if you like it. If not, try something else and see if it fits what you're looking for.

Mothers' Day was drawing to a close. I was sitting next to my grandmother when I suddenly got a very strange signal to stand up and avoid her. She hobbled out to the car eventually, when my family noticed that there was a large dark spot where she sat on the couch. It turns out my grandmother had pissed herself on our couch after eating.

Game on.


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