StreamLive ProHow to do a live interview with a remote guest
How to run a live interview with a remote guest: send one browser link, check their sound before air, place them on screen and stream to every network at once.
To interview a remote guest live, open the browser studio, press Add guest, and send the guest the link that appears. The guest opens it in a browser, with no account and nothing to install, checks their camera and microphone, and waits in your studio muted. You decide when they appear, choose a layout, and go live to all your networks at once. The link is valid for 4 hours, and the same link works for every guest.
Before you start
- A plan that includes guests. How many guests a live room holds depends on the plan; see /pricing?lang=en. When the room is full, the next guest is told so plainly.
- The guest needs a computer or phone with a recent browser, a camera and microphone, and headphones. Headphones are the single best protection against echo.
- A quiet test. Send the link 15 to 30 minutes before air and do a short check together. The link stays valid for 4 hours, so a rehearsal and the interview can use the same one.
- The browser studio. Remote guests are part of the browser studio. The desktop app does not have them switched on yet.
Steps
- Open the studio. Choose Live stream, start a new live and pick Browser Studio.
- Create the invitation. In the inputs strip click Add guest. The window Invite Guests to Live Stream opens with a link and three ways to send it: copy, WhatsApp and email. The link is also copied to your clipboard.
- Send the link. One link serves every guest. It opens in your interface language, so a guest gets the same language you work in.
- Let the guest prepare. The guest types a name, chooses how to join (camera and microphone, camera only, microphone only, or listen only) and watches the level meter react to their voice. This screen catches a wrong microphone before it reaches air.
- Bring the guest in. The guest lands in your participant strip, muted. Check their picture, unmute them and talk off air. Give them a place on screen when you are ready.
- Choose a layout. Open Layout in the bar under the picture for the guest layout, which arranges host and guests by the number of cameras. With Preview on, prepare the shot there and press Take: Preview, Program, Take and Cut explained.
- Turn on Active Speaker if you want. Under Audio, Active Speaker switches the picture to whoever is talking. It depends on the plan; see /pricing?lang=en.
- Go live, and press Record. Press Go Live, then Record if you want to keep the full interview. Without Record the video is removed about two hours after the end: Where is my live stream recording?.
During the interview
- Each guest hears everyone except themselves. The studio builds a separate sound mix for every guest, which prevents echo and lets guests talk to each other.
- Your controls per guest: mute, camera off, volume, rename, placement and remove. The guest sees a message when you mute them, so they do not think their microphone broke.
- Screen sharing by a guest is not available in the live studio; share the screen yourself: How to share your screen in a live stream.
- A dropped connection reconnects by itself and returns the guest to the same place. If you, the host, drop, guests wait for you for a minute and a half.
- Show the guest's name. Add a title from Graphics, or read How to make lower thirds for a live stream.
What can go wrong
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| There is an echo during the interview | Usually a guest without headphones, or a second device in the room. See Echo during a live stream with guests |
| You cannot hear the guest | They joined muted, chose listen only, or picked the wrong microphone: I cannot hear my guest in the live stream |
| The guest sees Access blocked | They click the lock in the address bar, allow camera and microphone, and reload |
| The guest's camera is in use | Close Zoom, Teams or another tab holding the camera |
| The link says the room expired | More than 4 hours passed. Create a new link from the same invite window |
| The guest picked the wrong microphone after joining | There is no device switch mid-call. They leave and open the link again, choosing the right device |
More about the invitation itself: Guests and invitations — bringing people into the room. For a recorded conversation without going live, see Record a podcast with remote guests.
Frequently asked questions
Does the guest need an account or an app?
No. The guest opens the link in a browser, allows camera and microphone, and joins. Nothing to install and no sign-up.
How long is the guest link valid?
Four hours from the moment it is created. After that, create a new link from the invite window.
Can I send the same link to two guests?
Yes. One link serves every guest. Each one gets their own name and place in your participant strip.
Is the guest recorded separately?
No. Remote guests are part of the main recording. Separate files per camera exist only for cameras connected to your computer in the podcast studio.
Do viewers see the guest before I am ready?
No. A guest joins muted in your participant strip and appears on screen only when you place them.
Keep reading
Echo cancellation removes your speakers from your microphone; noise suppression removes background sound. What each does, its limits, and the StreamLive Pro settings.
How to live stream a panel discussionHow to live stream a panel discussion with remote speakers: invites, layouts for three to five people, a moderator's run sheet, audience questions on screen, and Shorts.
How to live stream a fitness classHow to live stream a fitness class: a camera that shows the whole body, a clear voice over music, a private class or a public live, and Shorts from each session.
What is mix-minus? Echo-free sound for remote guestsWhat is mix-minus: a sound feed for each remote guest with everyone except their own voice. Why it prevents echo, how it works, and how StreamLive Pro builds it.
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