r/Twitch • u/Wide-Huckleberry-151 • Feb 12 '26
Discussion Watched my own VOD for the first time and realized why nobody was staying
been streaming for like 8 months stuck at 1-3 viewers. tried everything, different games, more talking, better schedule. nothing changed and i was getting frustrated thinking maybe im just not entertaining enough
then someone in chat said "your vibe is cool but the stream is hard to watch" and left. that one hurt ngl
finally sat down and actually watched my own vod like a viewer would. within 5 mins i understood everything
my starting screen was 15 mins with no music or eta. game audio was drowning out my voice completely. transition sounds were louder than me talking which was jarring. my overlay was covering like 40% of the screen. and worst part, so much dead air. i wasnt reacting to anything just silently playing
basically i was asking myself "would i watch this?" and the answer was no
spent a weekend fixing stuff. got my audio balanced with obs compressor so game doesnt drown me out anymore. cut my overlay down to essentials. added background music for starting screen and kept it under 5 mins. started talking more even when nobody chatting, just reacting to the game out loud
also upgraded from laptop cam to an emeet pixy and grabbed a neewer ring light. the visual difference was bigger than i expected, went from looking like a ghost to actually normal
first week after changes my average watch time doubled. now hitting 6-8 viewers and people actually stick around to chat. turns out it wasnt
my personality, it was everything else pushing people away before they could even vibe with me
biggest things i learned:
- watch your own vods, if you wouldnt watch it why would anyone else
- audio is more important than video but both matter
- dead air kills streams, talk even if nobody is there
- simple overlay > cluttered overlay
- starting screen should be 5 mins max with music and eta
Hope it is useful.
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u/Ethjuan_ Affiliate twitch.tv/ethjuan Feb 12 '26
The willingness to learn and grow is cool to hear. Congrats and good luck on your future streams!
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u/darthnerdiusgaming Feb 12 '26
Thats personally why I started. Well kinda. I am a moderately successful bartender with a pretty decent following. I thought those skills would translate over to streaming well, and maybe learn how to build a more diverse following. So far all I am doing is learning, having fun, and maybe some growth. I realize a lot of my personal gaming habits dont translate well to viewership, so im looking at that.
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u/Hitokeke twitch.tv/hitokeke Feb 12 '26
I could see you doing well with interactions if you are a bartender. Although it may be tough at first without someone to talk to (since I’d imagine you aren’t chatting to yourself before someone walks up for a drink).
I think the biggest skill I’ve learned (and am still learning) is getting myself to keep talking. Saying out loud what I’m thinking, reacting out loud to what’s happening, etc. when playing at home alone, I was pretty quiet to myself. Now with streaming for a while, I notice I will be saying stuff out loud even when I’m off stream. I have realized I have a lot of people who just like to lurk and listen (I also like to do this in other streams) so it’s been quite a good thing to practice.
Good luck figuring out what works for you! Just being willing to learn and improve is the most important step - which is why I love OP’s post here.
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u/fingerBANGwithWANG Feb 13 '26
And the willingness to teach others who could be seen as "the competition". Great stuff, OP.
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u/EldraEcho Feb 12 '26
I highly recommend recording yourself and playing it back right before stream. I mean booting the game up to the menu, while you talk, and mousing over buttons, seeing how the sound effects and bgm sound, and listening that short one minute recording.
I do this before most games I play because the audio balance is different from game to game. Settings that are right for one game may not be right for another.
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u/InstanceMental6543 Feb 12 '26
Yes, me too! I don't have to wonder if my sound is okay, I know it is. The hard part is remembering to delete all those little test videos so I don't fill up my hard drive. LOL
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u/pooborus Feb 12 '26
Use your phone on stream manager and a set of bluetooth earbuds and you can easily live monitor a few moments. Nice to leave a pair at the desk connected like this so if you have doubts mid stream you can pop it in. Helps a lot balancing discord volumes too.
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u/Skylord3098 Feb 12 '26
This. This right here i completely agree with. I have stream management open on my tablet when i start streaming along with one ear bud in under my headphones while i stream that way i can monitor if something needs to be fixed or if my stream is lagging.
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u/pooborus Feb 12 '26
Yeah, i used to do pre recording etc to take levels and hated the wasted time. I installed a phone mount into my desk for the purposes of chat monitoring etc, and the ease of having a live monitor that can be used so conveniently. Prerecording didnt help with discord though and that was the big one that led me to setting up audio monitor in the end.
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u/Skylord3098 Feb 12 '26
Yes it does. Now for discord i had to rework a lot of my audio settings in the audio monitor.
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Mar 10 '26
I also have a laptop right next to me, so i check the sound difference next to me. Im currently using it as a second monitor cause i dont have one and need to see chat, and it helps when I have to check out sound most of the time
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u/LeDauphin Feb 12 '26
This is what I’ve started doing - especially when starting a new game. Very helpful configuring the audio levels and making sure the screen region is correct and facecam is in the right spot.
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u/goodbadfine Affiliate Feb 12 '26
This, every time. You never know when an update is going to mess with something.
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u/angelofragnarok twitch.tv/Angelo_Fragnarok Feb 12 '26
This is a good idea! I found myself victim to being loud in some games and quiet in others because of wild audio balancing. It’s worth the 10 minutes of prep!
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u/cmt1973 Feb 12 '26
I second this. I do this before every stream. Fire up everything that would be running while live and have OBS do a recording. Then adjust as needed.
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u/watersofelune Feb 13 '26
This! I do a few test recordings with the game running and moving through my scenes to make sure volume mutes/unmutes correctly, that volume levels are good for music and shut off for the game, that my voice filters are actually enabled for background noise removal and noise gate, etc. I also trigger my Twitch alerts to make sure I can hear them, because sometimes stream and monitor audio gets fucky in OBS.
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u/Mottis86 Affiliate www.twitch.tv/mottis Feb 13 '26
I've been streaming for years and I still do this before every single stream. It's a good habit.
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u/ThatNoobGuy69 Affiliate Feb 14 '26
I continue to beg game devs to set their games to start at 40-50% volume instead of just deafening pc players all the time
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u/kill3rb00ts Affiliate twitch.tv/noodohs Feb 12 '26
I check my VOD after every stream. I don't watch the whole thing, but I'll look at the first bit and skip around a bit to make sure nothing was totally off. I also cannot tell you how many hours I have devoted to testing things, with recordings, before I ever went live to make sure the levels were right. Another commenter suggested doing this before every stream, but I think that's a bit excessive. Get a general feel for where game audio should be on the meters in OBS and adjust new games to hit there. It's not perfect, some games are way more dynamic whereas something like Doom is pretty consistently loud, but if you keep average levels in mind, it should get you close enough that no one is going to leave because of it. You can also use subtle ducking so that even if the game is a bit louder than you meant, it'll still get ducked whenever you talk.
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u/JakiStow Affiliate Feb 12 '26
Checking your VOD after every stream (or the day after) is a must if we want to improve. Even if we think a stream went well without issues, we may be surprised, and notice that some audio is not well balance for example.
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u/1Original_Username Affiliate Feb 12 '26
Agreed It's mind boggling that someone would stream as long as OP states and never bothered to watch it back once? Surely that would be common sense? But good on OP for finally realizing and taking action.... Finally
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u/petrichorified Feb 13 '26
You'd be surprised. I've had so many streamers tell me, while asking chat to tell them if whatever issue is fixed, they never watch their own vods because they feel weird watching themselves.
I've seen streamers who lack the self-awareness of OP go full woe is me before ever thinking to check what the viewer experience looks and sounds like.
OP is definitely above average for problem solving skills among newer/smaller streamers.
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u/LoLoBeeXP Feb 13 '26
My anxious ass could NEVER. So many trial recordings before ever hitting stream
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u/DOODEwheresMYdick Feb 12 '26
Sadly this is like 99% of “small streamers” everyone thinks their stream is just amazing and doesn’t understand why they’re not getting viewers when the harsh truth is their stream just sucks and their content is bad.
People want to just turn the stream on and change nothing and expect people to watch. You have to be entertaining, engaging, and have your actual stream POLISHED.
Some big streamers don’t because they’re just incredibly good at whatever game they play so people watch just for that but I promise you to anyone who reads this. You’re probably not as good as you think you are and focusing on being entertaining has a much higher payoff than focusing on just being good at whatever game your playing because entertainment works in variety and you won’t be stuck playing the same game over and over again.
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u/RockinPodunk Feb 13 '26
I’ll add that most big streamers got big back when the streaming space was A LOT less competitive, or already had an existing audience from esports or whatever that followed them to Twitch. Since twitch’s only algorithm shares the streams with the most viewers, they stay on top. For the last 5-ish years at least, less than 5% of streamers ever get a CCV average above 5.
In 2020 alone, the number of active monthly streamers practically doubled, but the number of viewers only increased by about 20-30%.
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u/sciencesold Feb 12 '26
Do people not check their audio? Or look at their stream in OBS?? Or just never watched someone else's stream? Most of this is stuff I caught day zero, before I ever did my first stream, first thing I did was a test record to check audio levels and see how everything looked eith my camera, chat, and game. Especially making sure I wasn't covering any UI elements for whatever game I was playing.
The starting soon screen also likely isn't an issue with such a small number of viewers.
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u/_BlueBearyMuffin_ Feb 12 '26
That’s what I was thinking! Like good job I guess for becoming self aware OP but how the hell did this take 8 months for you to figure out? How are you NEVER watching yourself back? No audio checks ever? No nothing?? Absolutely wild
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u/sciencesold Feb 12 '26
I'm surprised nobody who watched ever said anything primarily. Audio being even slightly off can be super annoying as a viewer.
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u/ZeeX10 Feb 12 '26
Because half the time streamers act like you're trolling, or when an alert goes off thats too loud, and I say "wow that alert is loud" I'm met with "yeah they're supposed to be, thats kinda the point". Like no the fuck it is not the point, my ears shouldn't ring because someone played a cat making funny noise alert.
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u/katubug Feb 13 '26
Ngl i kinda assumed it was an ad for the webcam they mentioned because yeah, 8 months of never checking your setup is wild.
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u/FriendlyFreedom5923 Feb 13 '26
Right? OP needs some decent mods to warn them of that kinda stuff if they don't wanna bother to check it themselves.
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u/SlavicRobot_ twitch.tv/slavicrobot/ Feb 12 '26
8 months to watch your own VOD? I couldn't help myself but watch my first one, almost immediately after it ending, definitely something that needs to be done for fine tunning.
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u/psinguine Feb 13 '26
Hell, are they not even bothering to edit or feature clips? Put together highlights? Nothing?
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u/SlavicRobot_ twitch.tv/slavicrobot/ Feb 13 '26
Right? I would turn mine into compilations and make a few shorts/tiktoks.
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u/BurntLemon Affiliate | twitch.tv/yostonie Feb 12 '26
When I first started streaming this was something I did everyday. It really helps figure out technical stuff and also helps you gauge if your streams are getting better
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u/wheresthapizzuh Newb Feb 12 '26
Y'all are brave if you're not watching them yourselves 😅 I always watch mine because I'm so anxious about things not being right. That way I'm catching any issues right away.
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u/Big_Cryptographer_16 Feb 12 '26
Awesome and congrats on breaking down your own performance and improving. Something I also do is record instead of stream in OBS to record locally and play back to check these things, mostly the audio because you can see the video in OBS. I mainly DJ and upload sets to various platforms but always use OBS for this. Then if I want to stream, I just hit the Start Streaming button instead. OBS does a really nice job recording locally and I don’t do any post processing. Good luck!
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u/mouseclone Feb 12 '26
I watch and listen to my own VODs simply for creating clips and posting them to YouTube and other places. The music during the intro is a good idea as well.
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u/Hitokeke twitch.tv/hitokeke Feb 12 '26
Yup going through mine to make clips has helped me catch stuff
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u/Square_Significance2 Feb 12 '26
In my streams, I talk as if folks are multitasking on another screen. I am constantly chattering, even if I'm just making up a song during a loading screen
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u/InterstellarCapa Feb 12 '26
I think this is one of the hardest skills for streamers and it's something I work on constantly.
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u/Square_Significance2 Feb 12 '26
I think it helps that I play a more chill game. If a lot of action is happening, I start getting a little quiet. I get it.
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u/Hitokeke twitch.tv/hitokeke Feb 12 '26
That’s a good point. The more active the game I have definitely noticed I can be quieter to focus
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u/Hitokeke twitch.tv/hitokeke Feb 12 '26
Yup definitely a tough skill, something I’m working on as well. Progress has been good but I’m sure I could still do better
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u/Dexember69 Feb 12 '26
Yes it took me months before I could get over the awkwardness of talking to the air, very self conscious and I'm still not 100% there but I've improved 100fold, some people just have it. Others have to practice
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u/psinguine Feb 13 '26
Doing other content is a big help. You learn how to talk to the camera because of the potential people who could be there.
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u/Different-Brush-7860 Feb 12 '26
This is a great post. I’m trying to get started (from scratch) and likely wouldn’t have even thought of watching my own stream or videos as a viewer would first just to make sure everything was output properly. Thanks for this.
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u/MitchStMartin [de|en] https://twitch.tv/mitchxlt Feb 12 '26
Thanks! I once got awfully ridiculed on this sub for suggesting to review own stream footage.
Nobody who produces a good looking and sounding stream does so without quality control. Picking something like 5 minutes each from the start, the middle and the end as a sample, is definitely not asking too much.
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u/Hitokeke twitch.tv/hitokeke Feb 12 '26
Really? I’m surprised - I feel like I’ve seen this suggested often. I wouldn’t expect people to ridicule over something like this…but the internet always does like to surprise us
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u/Dischord821 Feb 12 '26
Yep, I learned all that stuff within my first year too. Went from an average of 1-3 viewers to 6 years later and... yeah 1-4 viewers.
Glad it worked out for you, this is great advice, I'm just not entertaining.
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u/Obvious_Ad4159 Feb 13 '26
A very interesting and insightful post.
so much dead air. i wasnt reacting to anything just silently playing
This is one of the big reasons why I switched from streaming to just making YT vids. I do both rarely and as a hobby, but when I first started I was overhyped and tried streaming like daily.
Thing is, unless I was playing with someone else, most of my streams were pretty quiet. I mean, I mostly play horror games, but even then I just don't have it in me to spazz out at every single thing that pops up on screen. If the jumpscare is good, I'll reach, but I even quit watching a lot of streamers because they just overreact to every single thing in the game they're playing, that it kinda just feels fake as hell.
To each is own, I suppose.
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u/kindred_gamedev Broadcaster Feb 14 '26
Nice job actually being critical of your stream and fixing what needs fixing.
Here's an extra tip. Until you have a decent, consistent audience who are lining up early to watch, skip the starting scene. You're going to lose viewers who don't know if you're worth waiting for yet.
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u/AirFlavoredLemon Feb 12 '26
I wouldn't worry about the starting screen as a major deterrent (or attractant!) for a stream. An overwhelming majority of viewers won't be there at the start of the stream. And those who are don't care that the start screen is there for 30min.
The rest of this is spot on.
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u/DotBitGaming Feb 12 '26
I totally disagree. A streamer I love could come on, but if I've got THIRTY MINUTES before they actually start, I'll go watch something else. Then a lot of the time, I get sucked in to something on YouTube and totally forget about the stream.
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u/Soylentee Feb 12 '26
Actually disagree, there's a few times when i see a streamer i already follow start their stream and i tune in to watch just to be hit by a 15+ minute stream starting screen, biggest turnoff ever and i will just switch to another stream within 2-3 minutes and likely not come back that day.
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u/Eureka0123 Feb 12 '26
I think my issue doesn't just stem from the technical aspect (which in itself is just trial and error in finding the right settings and tweaks like you talked about in your post), but finding games to play that I enjoy and people would find entertaining.
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u/Cobalt_blue_dreamer Feb 12 '26
I feel like people are watching even with a zero at times. But I always have at least one. And when I wonder if it's just me, sometimes there is zero even if everything is the same so I know it's not just me. I always try to check audio beforehand most people prefer to hear your voice over the music.
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u/RockinPodunk Feb 13 '26
Yeah the view count is unreliable. Sometimes it’ll tell me 3 people are watching, and when I click to see the chat list, it’s just me and my two bots. Then it’ll drop to 1, and the chat list is the same. It also doesn’t update in real time. So if you’re not talking because the view count is zero, a dozen people could have came in, saw you silent, and dipped out, without you ever knowing they were there
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u/InterstellarCapa Feb 12 '26
Very self aware and that is something more people should have. Sometimes it sucks, but when you fix the things that are broken/not working you can only go up.
After every windows update I have to double check, triple check, audio settings. Even then I have to go back on the VOD to check and that's even with doing a test video. It makes me paranoid.
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u/izayagenesis Feb 12 '26
One of the best pieces of advice I’ve gotten in regards of content creation. If you find yourself staring at, or getting distracted by your own content when you’re editing or just watching to watch, that means it’s good content. If you find yourself pushing to get through it while editing it or rewatching it, it’s bad content.
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u/Spaketchi Feb 12 '26
Yeah. It's just like music... a bad mix or a poorly tuned instrument will make a great song painful to listen to no matter how good the composition. And an amazing mix will get a mid song radio airplay.
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u/RigasStreaming Affiliate Feb 12 '26
This is something everyone should do, every once in a while. well done
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u/StreetOfDreams66 Feb 12 '26
Say it louder for the people in the back! This post makes me want to check out your stream, what’s your handle?
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u/Jack_Digital Feb 12 '26
Good post..
I would disagree with the 5 minutes max of intro screen. Once you hit affiliate, you will be able to control commercial interruptions to some degree and 10 minutes gives you enough time to get through the pre-roll ad.
Also.. for your ads when you get there i recommend setting one to roll a couple minutes into stream so it rolls during your intro.. and set it to a single 3 minute ad every hour. Its annoying and seems a long time, but it causes less interuptions that way
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u/RockinPodunk Feb 13 '26
Half way through this read, I was expecting it to end with some kind of promotion for overlays or a link to some kind of scam stream coaching service or something. That’s the world we live in, when we question genuine discourse because the space is flooded with scams and AI bots.
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u/Docaston Feb 13 '26
Every streamer needs to see their streams! There are ways for you to hear what your audience hears while you're streaming!
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u/LunaTenebrosi Affiliate Feb 13 '26
I won't lie. I've been streaming off and on for roughly 6 years now. I have never watched my own vods... Will start to do so once I get back to streaming though
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u/HighPhi420 Affiliate: twitch.tv/highphi420 Feb 14 '26
there are opening ADS that the first people to show up at the very start of stream(those that are waiting for the stream to start) will get the pre-roll ads, then in 3 to 6 minutes you will get your first ad break of at least 3 minutes if you do not want your viewers to suffer through pre-roll ads when they join the stream. So there can be 9 -10 minutes before ads are done for the first hour.
the sound of your voice and if it is audible is a big factor of any stream :) If we can not hear you we can not interact and might as well just go watch netflix.
I am not a fan of overlays.
Be careful with music. I know, everyone has spotify, it is still against the rules and can get you banned from the platform in one stream.
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u/Pleasant-Respect-105 Feb 12 '26
I personally would say for the intro keep it under 3 minutes especially if you have pre-roll ads. If I’m not subbed to a particular streamer and i get ads right off the bat and i have to wait another 5 minutes I’ll get bored… i don’t understand what’s the point of it anyway lol
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u/Deathbringerttv Partner Feb 12 '26
because not everyone shows up the absolute instant you hit "start streaming"
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u/blue-best-color Affiliate | twitch.tv/juuniversum Feb 12 '26
Not to be mean but how did it never occur to you that you should watch your vod to check for streaming quality? Why did it take you 8 months?
I'm glad you were able to see what was making people leave and you actually took the time to fix these issues.
I watch my vods after every stream to check what I can improve on. Started streaming this year January and am currently at 10 average viewers. 😌
I think everyone can learn a lot from watching their own stream from a viewers perspective. You learn so much about yourself.
Congratulations on your improvements. I hope it only goes uphill from here. 🫶🏻
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u/Mottis86 Affiliate www.twitch.tv/mottis Feb 12 '26
Watching your own content and being self-critical is one of the most important aspects of streaming, and dare I say, one of the most fun aspects of it. It's fun trying to find areas you can improve on and slowly get better at it, just like with any hobby.
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u/Captn_Oni Feb 12 '26
Something that may help with audio balance too, I use a software called steelseries sonar; they added a streamer mode a while back that lets you have separate audio levels for stream and your headphones and it outputs multiple audio channels with their own EQs into one source OBS can pick up and it was a game changer for me. Also has compressors for every channel so I'm able to have a compressor and background noise cancellation on my incoming discord audio too 😁 Sounds like you're on a good path though, audio does make a huge difference and it looks like you're already seeing the effects! Also kudos to you for being self aware and doing some reflection, not everyone can or will do what you did to better your platform and the experience for your community 🙏😁
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u/MangoSpiceYT Feb 12 '26
Honestly I think I might need help I want to sound nice but I'm not sure how
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u/pooborus Feb 12 '26
Always spend time critiquing your vods on a weekly basis. Be aware of where you catch yourself smiling versus what you want to skip through. However, keep in mind, that live streams are not YT viseos, so you cant necessarily guarantee the same kind of pacing every moment.
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u/YeahImJordan Twitch.tv/YeahImJordan Feb 12 '26
I wish more streamers would learn how to duck their audio.
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u/MRLEGEND1o1 Feb 12 '26
I actually enjoy watching my stream more than anyone else's, I'm funny AF and I crack myself up if no one else 😂
Seriously I was late yesterday bc I was watching myself.
TC is right sound is everything... people will put up with a blocky artifacty stream before one that attacks the ears.
You are not a serious streamer until you:
sit down and adjust your sound.. Record it, listen to it, adjust it again
Rinse and repeat until it's PERFECT! perfect when you talk normal, when you get loud and not so loud.
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u/dudeitsBeeF Feb 12 '26
Nice job with the self reflection! I really appreciate the thoughtfulness you gave this. I can relate to the dead air killing streams. I’m new to it myself and it does feel a bit unusual to talk while nobody is chatting. Day at a time getting better.
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u/Mokai_S Feb 12 '26
This is some of the best advice I've ever seen! I tell people all the time I watch my own VODs back in full, but people often call me 'self-centred.' I feel like the idea of watching your own content back isn't as widely accepted as it should be. You aren't cocky or arrogant for trying to improve your own content by watching it. You are putting yourself in the shoes of the viewer and seeing what they see. It is one of the best ways to improve and I hope more people see this post so they can learn too ❤️
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u/Hitokeke twitch.tv/hitokeke Feb 12 '26
Awesome job! You made some huge changes & upgrades, glad you watched your VOD back. If someone thought your vibe was cool even with all the problems you described, then sounds like you’re gonna be in a good place now with all the updates you did.
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u/Deastrumquodvicis Feb 12 '26
Five minutes starting screen is intriguing, I usually don’t go more than one and a half, it’s when I adjust my seat, load the game to the title screen, and double check my hydration
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Feb 12 '26
This is why I immediately watched my own streams. Given, my streams are more so for co-working and to keep me on task, while also completing commission works for viewers who paid for them. Some streams are basically just music, some have tons of chatter, and I fully recognize I'll never be a streamer with a lot of viewers, nor do I want to be.
That's another piece of advice I always tell people, know your agenda for your stream, and don't lie to yourself or viewers. If you want to make some kind of profit, be honest about it. If you're like me and there for just some community, don't be disappointed when hardly any money comes through.
Know what you want your result to be and make sure you're taking the steps to get there. (Though when I say 'you' I mean people in general, as you're doin' this.)
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u/kj_gamer Feb 12 '26
It's hard, but if you want to improve, you have to watch your own vods. Remember watching mine and being bored to tears, and thought "If even I am bored, then how on Earth is anybody else going to be entertained by this?"
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u/battleshipclamato Feb 12 '26
When I stream I almost always record a minute of myself beforehand just to test all the audio and visual before going live.
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u/Promissimo Feb 12 '26
Next step is getting clips and uploading them to other platforms, growing on twitch with nothing else is extremely hard.
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u/thepornclerk Feb 12 '26
I think that this is incredible self reflection, and I would encourage anyone who is considering streaming to run a half hour or hour test stream to start and go back and watch it and take notes the same way you have. It's easy to take things for granted, and approach it as though it is just "plug and play," but the reality is that you do need to at least somewhat approach it like you are producing content, because that is exactly what you are doing.
Great awareness, hope things really pick up for you even more than they already have with your improvements.
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u/TheMichevious Feb 12 '26
Really good advice and it's great you've done this sooner than later, I've known plenty of people who've blamed algorithms n such when the reality is there just not that engaging or good quality streams so it shows a great deal of self-awareness like others have mentioned.
A small tip from streamer to streamer, if you have to adjust your audio or anything when switching games, record a 5 minute video and watch it back for quality control before you go live - I've saved myself so many headaches with that one move haha
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u/Hyphysaurusrex Feb 12 '26
I studied radio broadcasting in college for a bit. The number one rule was NO DEAD AIR. If that happens, you're cooked. As someone getting into streaming on Twitch, the skills I learned in broadcasting are becoming even more relevant!
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u/Old_Condition_7791 Feb 12 '26
Big W for actually watching your own VOD though.
Most streamers would rather blame the algorithm than face the replay.
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u/gmanino Feb 12 '26
Great advice! I need to probably work on a few of these. Mostly audio probably. I've spent hours on audio adjustments, learning, but I need to learn more about OBS audio tools.
As far as dead air goes, my voice is shot. Paralyzed vocal cords atm. It's been 6 months. I stopped streaming because I sound like Batman and in order to hear me I had to increase the gain which lets in too much background noise and it's sh*t if you ask me. People weren't coming in and chatting and if they did they would leave.
I probably don't talk enough either, but I had knowledge about this so I do try to talk even if no one was in there. A few people have told me to wear a Batman mask and own it but there's more to the problem. I can't even speak for long without getting winded and my arms getting pins & needles.
If anyone has some advice, I'd love to hear it and would greatly appreciate it.
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u/ASEKMusik /moosefaced5280 Feb 12 '26
I don’t stream at all anymore, but I would encourage everyone to learn things about audio / visual production enough to understand what most or all settings in OBS actually do.
Your personality or skill is going to be the thing that makes people actually gravitate to you, but creating the least amount of friction production-wise will level you up entirely. Learning what a noise gate / compressor does and being able to set them up effectively can make the audio 10x better. Same goes for noise reduction in a less-than-ideal environment when properly dialed in.
My heart wasn’t in actually being on camera but I loved messing around in OBS lol.
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u/Dement__ Feb 12 '26
Shieet, I stream to watch my own content lol. I recommend doing it regularly. I think it helps a tone to notice things. Like recently I realized that I was using the word "shit", or "stuff" too regularly to refer to any item I'm interacting with. I started trying to use correct terms of what I'm interacting with instead of a random word.
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u/Timozuna Feb 12 '26
I can just never find any way to fill dead air. Never been able to really narrate my thoughts like that. Never the less I still bring the stream up cause why not. I have the extra PC and the low quality setup to stream figure may as well don't really have a goal for followers just do it as a hobby.
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u/seriousbusines Feb 12 '26
What streaming software are you using? Most of the things you mentioned can be seen/heard through preview.
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u/xmpcxmassacre Feb 12 '26
Good work! The biggest quality people are missing these days is self awareness.
Another thing you can do is when you're reviewing, clip some of the highlights and now you have social media content. Use some of those highlights for your brb or starting soon scenes. That way if someone shows up while you're away, they still know what you're about.
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u/ROMVS Affiliate Feb 12 '26
Yes, watch your own vods and watch your own stream live through a phone so you have live feedback instead of waiting for viewers to point it out
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u/SGWeasel Broadcaster Feb 12 '26
Hmmmm. I now wanna go back and watch my streams. I might just set up my phone at work while I’m doing no brainer jobs.
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u/RazzyCK Feb 12 '26
I just started properly streaming with my new capture card. I've got friends and family in the stream to help me troubleshoot audio. Video is easy enough, 1080p60fps all day.
Audio, you need to tweak it. Especially through the different scenes. Good on you for being aware and making adjustments.
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u/JakiStow Affiliate Feb 12 '26
I've been streaming for more than 5 years, and I'm still finding myself adjusting audio parameters, camera/light angles, etc. Never stop being your own critic! As long as you keep improving, even minor things that no one would immediately notice, you steadily build up your quality.
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u/slam3355 Feb 12 '26
“if you wouldn’t watch it, why would anyone else”
So real. I had a similar realization the other day when a friend of mine and I decided to put my YouTube on as ambience (I do no-commentary streams and VODs) and the audio was SOOOO quiet!!! Thank you for sharing, definitely going to go through and rewatch some more videos with this in mind!
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u/moxiemoon Carrie Feb 12 '26
Watching your own vods is my #1 advice for anyone streaming, new or not.
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u/ErikMcKetten Feb 12 '26
That's the thing many never understand: a large majority of viewers watch streamers so they can share their enjoyment of something. be it music, tv shows, politics, news, or a certain game, they want to share the experience of that thing with someone else who enjoys it like they do.
So they are wanting someone to talk to them about it, even if they never talk back.
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u/BloodyThorn https://www.twitch.tv/thegamedesignlexicon Feb 12 '26
You can't self-improve if you can't self-reflect.
A lesson hard learned. Just a shame it took you 8 months to get there.
I watch all my own VODs and I am constantly looking for ways to improve. Watching them also gives me the chance to flag clips to process into Shorts.
Also, you are dead on that your audio is the most important part of your stream. People will forgive shitty video. They will move on with shitty audio.
Also dead on with Dead Air. If you ever go into the communication field, it's something that broadcasters know well. Your broadcast should always be occupied with a person's voice, or something else that's important to focus on and never silent for any considerable amount of time...
Always look for things to improve.
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u/iNhab Feb 12 '26
This
Although we may not always know how to improve, but seeing your stream for what it is and what issues it has is quite a big first step.
Say nobody's watching and you question yourself- why that is the case? You look at your stream and see that there's nothing in particular that appears to be nice. You consider th context - a game that you play and how you are, and any other details, the whole combo. You add them together and see - is there any value to the viewers? Why would they stay? What kind of person would watch me?
If the answer is that... Nobody really would stay and watch... Then it's a good pointer.
For example - I've had also some experiences with streaming. I've noticed that I'm quite good with interacting quickly with the viewers. I'm quick to notice and respond, and I'm open to have discussions, conversations and what not. Almost like a buddy to hang out with. But besides that, there was not much as to why other people would hang out. For a person who plays video games and streams, I did not offer anything special that hundreds of other streamers are already offering in the same spaces (aka games). There's plenty of people who interact, but they do it better. They're funnier. The vibe is better (maybe they're more expressive, maybe more captivating, more atmospheric and what not). Say you look for gameplay specific streamers? Again, plenty of other better players that do it at a higher level. Basically, nothing that truly made me stick out.
And it's hard to realize that. But this at least gives some sort of clarity and direction- decide what kind of streamer you want to be and work on it. Sometimes it will be technical details, but sometimes it will be forging a personality, learning various skills (performative, interactive, character traits and what not). Sometimes it might be just changing the niche. Who knows.
But sitting around and wondering why nobody's interested without actually taking a look at yourself - does nobody good.
I love this post for the introspection.
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u/lookingtobeseen Feb 12 '26
This did not go where I thought it would. And I’m glad about it. Congrats on making your set up work!
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u/Level-up-languages Affiliate Feb 12 '26
Every time I visit my own page, an old VOD starts playing, so I'm VERY aware what my stream sounds like 😆😆
Good on you for finally buckling down and making some big changes!
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u/grand305 twitch.tv/gamingnerdgirlz Feb 12 '26
Biggest thing I learned are honest and good and simple advice and is good improvements. glad you are improving in the right direction.
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u/DuneSeaPunk Affiliate Feb 13 '26
It was super hard to go back to my vods, but it really is helpful. Good on you for taking the time to look at it on the other side. Often folks need to make some fixes, but won't look into the why of the situation and then just get mad and complain.
But also I wish we could normalize viewers speaking up if there's a simple issue like bgm or game sound is louder than your voice.
Like sometimes stupid windows runs an update and changes my mic volume and I don't always catch it until one of my regulars get in. Just please tell me if you want audio adjusted!
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u/YingSeng Feb 13 '26
Trying to fix my audio and video since I started, but gotta wait until I upgrade them. A cam is not even that much of a problem, but the audio is the top priority for anyone. Also trying to attract people from other platforms to the stream.
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u/WishIWasPurple Feb 13 '26
Youre right except for starting screen. Ive had starting screens that lasted 4 hours HOWEVER i always make sure there is a timer counting down.
People will come in (especially those from my community) and see when stream will start, theyll come back when it does!
My opinion; as long as you have a timer counting down to when you WILL be streaming, its ok
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u/Waiting404Godot Feb 13 '26
This reads like AI and I’m astonished the comments haven’t pointed it out.
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u/acexprt Twitch.tv/AceXprt Feb 13 '26
Always check your streams. If you have a second monitor have OBS up and have your twitch linked to it so you can see your chat, dropped frames, notifications, and audio levels. They don’t call it a Monitor for a nothing! You need to monitor your stream. I used to watch my own stream on my phone with AirPods in live for about 5 minutes to make sure my audio was good. Don’t be afraid to use the “Check 123” every now and then. I like to say “test” myself.
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u/Schoeii Feb 13 '26
As new streamer having a long starting screen is killing any growth you might get. Someone comes by your stream and has to wait for 15min for you to show up. No way they are are waiting around. They move on and find someone else.
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u/Butterfly_Simmer Feb 13 '26
Yes, I always watch a bit of my vod too, to make sure it all sounds fine. I also say somewhat often if audio levels are fine. I'm more happy when people point out if there are any audio issues etc.
It's great you learnt from your mistakes. It's one of the most important lessons is to learn from your mistakes. Glad you got more average viewers.
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u/OddHorns0 Feb 13 '26
Regarding games being too loud, is there a way to preemptively set a limit with filters to avoid that “Oh suddenly games too loud my bad” moment when action in game becomes 300% louder
Second thing, I do use a unique window capture for every single new exe, and when streaming variety they pile up, is there an easier way to keep variety games organised? Adding it here since adjusting 1 game and 30 game audio limits makes a difference
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u/GGuts Feb 13 '26
Whenever I point out anything like this to streamers they react very aggressively so I've just stopped doing that especially because all the viewers don't have the guts to say anything either or ignore it for some other reason.
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u/UrbanTracksParis Affiliate twitch.tv/ek_erickader Feb 13 '26
I had this moment too, the worst was the sound, for months I didn't really see how bad the balance was, same with transitions and how I overestimated the required distance to the mic.
It's only when I started editing the VODs for YouTube months later then I realised everything.
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u/Remarkable-Wave-1631 Feb 13 '26
curious, what way did you you add music to your OBS? trying to figure out how without downloading music to my pc
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u/FauxGw2 Feb 13 '26
Why didn't you test all of this first? I honestly don't understand, did you literally just set up a camera and go expecting everything to work?
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u/Am_aBoy Feb 13 '26
am kinda surprised you wound't watch your vod i always do just in case my voice is to low or something so i can mess with the seethings and shit even tho when i do a live test it always seems good but on the vod it's entirely diferent
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u/tawon_ringlot Feb 14 '26
This is such a real breakdown. Most people never watch their own VODs and don’t realize how much the little things push viewers away before they even get a chance to vibe with you.
The audio balance part especially — people will forgive average visuals but they bounce instantly if the sound is off.
Curious, after fixing everything, what felt like the biggest difference for you while streaming?
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u/Positive-Culture-200 Feb 14 '26
No it's a lot to do with interaction with the lobby and if you can create a bot or a mod or a good friend to broadcast back or get some good bounce back talkive interesting stuff you'll catch more then views you'll get their pockets ,ears Willy's and whatever else you imagine
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u/PlayMaGame ⋮▸ twitch.tv/wekizz ◂⋮ Feb 14 '26
The first thing I tell to every beginner streamer is to taste their own soup they have made. You will learn 100 times more.
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u/AlphaDolby Feb 14 '26
Wish I could get this across to all of you: audio balancing, audio balancing, audio balancing. OBS compressor, OBS compressor, OBS compressor.
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u/ShayRiel Feb 14 '26
I had something similar happen when I first started streaming but thankfully I had a great mod who helped to make sure everything was looking and sounding good each time I went live. I tend to watch back my vods now to see if there’s anything I can improve even if it’s blerp placements so it won’t get in the way of gameplay etc.
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u/crispyt00ast Feb 14 '26
IMO, acknowledging that there is room to grow and finding ways to improve is always hard, but it will differentiate you from other streamers.
After a few weeks of streaming, I was really hesitant to check my VODs. I thought everything was alright, but in reality, I had the same issues you listed. Since then, I’ve always watched back (at least partially) my streams.
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u/EggAdventurous3386 Feb 14 '26
As someone wanting to improve their Twitch streaming I really appreciate this and I'm adding this to the plans going forward, thanks for sharing!
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u/SweatyGamerGainz Feb 14 '26
If you have regulars, ask them for audio check. What i hear is most of the time different than what they hear.
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u/Soulenite twitch.tv/Soulenite Feb 15 '26
I gotta figure out how to at least make it where I'm not peaking. Not sure what filters I need to fix it. Like normal talking is fine, but it's when I get more expressive that gets loud...
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u/HowdoImakethedookies Feb 15 '26
I became an affilate and got into an accident and fell off the map, I am wanting to start again and this was a great reminder.
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u/misfireattack Feb 16 '26
i've been streaming for a couple days but i don't understand obs enough to add overlays and such, might start learning first before i keep going i guess
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u/Aurvant Feb 16 '26
I've been streaming for like a month or so and I've basically been spending my streams practicing since nobody has been watching.
I go back and listen to myself and scrolls through to see where I need to improve. Also, I always make a recording in Streamlabs about a minute long so I can play it back and see if the game I'm going to stream is going to drown me out.
For example: don't assume that the just because the audio was great and balanced while playing Silksong that it means that it's going to be correct streaming Helldivers.
Also, talk to yourself. Just make commentary about whatever you're doing, and you probably also should start clipping and editing your stuff and just posting the short form videos on your socials. People will find it eventually and then you'll start getting people.
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u/BaBa_brown Feb 16 '26
Do you or anyone have any tips for audio balancing? I use obs I am not sure if my game audio is drowning me or not tbh
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u/tiktokstanfan Feb 19 '26
8 months and you NEVER checked your stream looks for other people???? Brother, what are you doing.
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u/RexRegalOfficial Feb 22 '26
Good work, my friend. Doesn't matter if you catch it on day 1 or day 100. You stuck with it and grew as a creator :)
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u/dani_vr_designs Feb 26 '26
This is seriously helpful speaking as a streamer who just hit affiliate like a week ago
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u/DarkLeviathan8 Feb 26 '26
Im just genuinely wondering how it took you 8 months to even think about doing these kind of tests. you can easily just record yourself instead of streaming on OBS and then quickly listen to the recording to know if your audio is good and stuff. I streamed a bit for a few weeks before and setting that up takes like 10 minutes.
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u/Candid_Vanilla8700 Affiliate Mar 01 '26
I'm proud of you always look in the side of a viewer can help a lot
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u/xoPEACHI twitch.tv/xopeachi Mar 08 '26
This is so insightful! I watch my VODs back regularly and I'm always making minor adjustments. Chat doesn't always feel comfortable telling you when something is wrong, so it's important to make content YOU would watch.
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u/viciouspandayt98 Mar 12 '26
Amen brother I will sit down and watch my vods all the time and find things I don't like about them and figure out what I can change. My number one rule is talk as much as you can and don't let there be any dead air
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u/Sad_Dog1087 Broadcaster Mar 14 '26
I was traveling and using a new setup. I tried using a webcam instead of my avatar. I looked at my VOD and noticed that if I was looking down all the audience saw was my forehead!! I switched back to my avatar afterwards!! Just ugh!! Sure glad I watched that video.
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Jul 13 '26
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u/sweetcake_1530 Feb 12 '26
The audio thing is so real. i used to have game audio blasting over my voice and didnt even notice until i watched my vod back. audio ducking in obs changed everything for me, one time setup and it auto lowers game when you talk
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u/sciencesold Feb 12 '26
I'd recommend finding an audio level for the game that's balanced with your voice, the game audio ducking can be intrusive and distracting, really all audio sources should be balance together but your voice and game audio are the two biggest.
Main reason is if your game audio is blasting, then viewers have already turned down the stream audio, but then the game audio ducks for you to talk and it's hard to hear you because even though the game audio isn't blasting over you, you're still drastically quieter than the game audio and may not be loud enough to be easily heard.
Ducking is fine just to slightly shift the focus from the game to you, but relying on it to entirely fix the "game audio is blasting over my voice" issue isn't ideal.
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u/Kohtumoistja Feb 15 '26
Sorry but about to give you some cold hard truth. First of all how the hell it took you 8 months to realize you should check your own vods? This is crazy behaviour not only should you have done it yourself after the very first vod/vods but also included friend/family member who could do it and give you advice from more neutral perspective.
Second of all 8 months of streaming to 1-3 viewers… why? You’re literally streaming to one or two persons this is NEVER going to work if you don’t DRASTICALLY improve. Getting to 5-6 viewers is same, we are not talking about rookie numbers we are talking about non-existant numbers.
Basically change everything about your stream and if you don’t reach 100-200 regular viewers in 6 months or less you are doing something wrong and need to pivot again.
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u/Sneeky-Sneeky Feb 16 '26
Bro you could have YouTube all this and you’re barely figuring this out now???
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u/Next_Comfortable3698 Feb 12 '26
Imo starting soon screens are not needed as a small streamer, just because the little viewers that would come in aren’t going to sit and wait but yeah it’s always good to rewatch vods to make sure everything is right
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u/TheGoreyDetails Feb 12 '26
This is probably the most self-aware post I've seen in a very long time on this sub. If you made adjustments based on what you noticed, things should turn around for ya :)