StreamLive Pro

Live stream checklist: before, during and after

A printable live stream checklist: test broadcasts, stream keys, sound check, backup internet, what to do if the stream drops, and the work after it ends.

Updated November 4, 2026 · 7 min read

A live stream often fails for boring reasons: an expired stream key, a muted microphone, a laptop on battery, a phone notification on the shared screen. Each one takes a minute to check and an hour to explain afterwards. This checklist is the minute.

Print it, or copy it into your notes, and go through it in order. It is written for a weekly class, a service, a lecture or an event, with one camera or several, from a browser studio, OBS or vMix.

The day before

For the arithmetic of how much upload you need, see Upload speed and bitrate.

30 minutes before

1. Power from the wall, not battery, for the laptop and any camera that can take mains power. Check the cable is not where people walk.
2. Network cable plugged in if the computer has a port. Turn off Wi-Fi on the computer if it should use the cable, so it does not switch on its own.
3. Close everything else. Cloud backup, file sync, browser tabs with video, updates. They take upload and processor time.
4. Notifications off on the streaming computer and on any phone used as a camera: Do Not Disturb or Focus. A call that comes in on the camera phone can stop the camera.
5. Sound check with headphones. Listen to what goes out, not to the room. Speak at the volume you will use; the meter should move well into the middle without hitting the top. Check every microphone, including a guest's.
6. Picture check. Framing, focus, light on the face, nothing private in the background (a whiteboard with notes, a calendar, a window onto the street).
7. Screen share check, if you use it: share the window, not the whole screen, and check the font is readable on a phone.
8. Destinations ticked. Make sure every network you planned is selected, and only those.
9. Chat moderator ready, signed in to each platform with moderator rights, with the rules pinned.
10. A holding slide or countdown ready for the first minutes, so people who join early see something.
11. Recording on. Check that a recording will be made, whether in the cloud, in the encoder, or both.

During the broadcast

Someone watches the public stream

A second person (or a second device) watches the stream as a viewer would, on the platform, with sound. There is a delay of several seconds between what you do and what viewers see, so this person catches what you cannot: no sound, sound from the wrong microphone, a frozen picture, a black screen on one network only. Agree a simple signal for "there is a problem" that does not interrupt the speaker.

The moderator watches the chat

They answer simple questions, remove spam, and pass real questions to the presenter at agreed moments. If you stream to several networks, the moderator needs to see every chat; some tools show several in one panel.

Keep an eye on stream health

• In OBS, watch Dropped Frames (Network) in the status bar. A number that keeps climbing means the connection cannot hold the bitrate: lower it.
• In YouTube Studio, the live dashboard shows the health of the incoming stream.
• Do not minimise the streaming window or switch off the display in the middle; some browsers slow down hidden tabs.

If the stream drops

1. Do not panic on air. Say it calmly if it is noticed, or carry on if only one network dropped.
2. Check what dropped. Your whole connection, or one destination? One platform having trouble does not mean the others did.
3. Let the reconnect work. Encoders can reconnect on their own (in OBS, Settings, Advanced, Automatically Reconnect). If the encoder comes back within a short time, the platform usually continues the same broadcast; if it takes too long, the platform may end it and the reconnect starts a new one.
4. Switch to the backup connection if the main line is down. Plug in the hotspot or the second line and restart the stream.
5. Post in the chat or on the page if the break is long: what happened and when you will be back, or a link to the new broadcast.
6. The recording continues if it is local or on the server side. Check afterwards that it is complete.

After the broadcast

What goes wrong

• "It worked last week." Keys and permissions change. Test the day before.
• No sound on the stream, sound fine in the room. The wrong microphone was selected, or the stream is muted. Headphones on the output catch it.
• The laptop dies. It was on battery. Wall power.
• A message pops up on the shared screen. Notifications were on.
• Only one network is black. Nobody was watching each network. The second person catches it.
• The stream dropped and nobody knew what to do. Agree the steps before you start.
• No replay because there was no recording. Turn recording on and check it.
• The best moment of the stream is buried in a two-hour video. Clips and chapters fix that.

For specific messages and their fixes, see Troubleshooting the common problems.

Where StreamLive Pro fits

Some items on this list are built into StreamLive Pro. Before going live, the 10-second camera check confirms there is a picture and sound, and does not start the broadcast if there is no picture. You choose all destinations on one screen and send one stream; if one destination fails, the others continue, and a background check tries to restore the one that dropped, with a notice when it starts and when it succeeds. Chat from YouTube and Facebook appears in one panel. You keep a broadcast by pressing Record (otherwise it is removed about two hours after the broadcast), and when it ends automatic Shorts with captions are cut for you to review before publishing.

It does not replace the person watching the public stream or the backup connection, and it cannot fix a key that a network has expired: reconnect the account. Details on the multistream page, plans on the pricing page.

Frequently asked questions

What should I check before going live?

A test broadcast the day before, stream keys and connected accounts, power from the wall, a wired connection, notifications off, a sound check with headphones, destinations selected, a chat moderator and recording on.

How do I test a live stream without anyone seeing it?

Stream to YouTube as Unlisted or Private, or to Facebook with the audience set to Only me. Use the exact settings you plan to use and stream for at least 20 minutes.

What do I do if my live stream drops?

Check whether the whole connection or one destination dropped, let the encoder reconnect, switch to a backup connection if the line is down, and tell viewers in the chat if the break is long.

Why do I need a second person watching the stream?

There is a delay of several seconds and you cannot see what viewers see while you present. A second person catches missing sound, a frozen picture or one network gone black.

What should I do after a live stream?

Trim the start and end, add and check captions, add chapters, cut short clips, reply to comments and note what to change next time.

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