Audio and Video Setup for Ableton, OBS and Zoom in Windows

Example of a lesson on Ableton Live conducted by Ben Ang on Zoom for the NUS Electronic Music Lab, broadcast and recorded using the setup described below

 

Laptop A and Laptop B are both connected by USB to the j5create Dual USB 3.0 to Gigabit Ethernet Sharing Adapter. The Adaptor is connected the router by Ethernet cable. This allows Laptop A and Laptop B to have a stable network connection for sharing screens and for streaming.

Laptop A - Ableton computer

A1. Ableton Live 

The trial version of Ableton Live Suite is available at https://www.ableton.com/en/trial/

A2. Audiomovers ListenTo VST Plugin

Download from https://audiomovers.com/wp/

This is a VST Plugin that allows you to send your live audio stream in high quality and low latency to a web browser or mobile device. 

1. Drop the ListenTo Plugin onto the Master Channel of Ableton Live. 
2. You'll need to create an account and Log In
3. Set the Session Name and click on Copy Link (this link changes every time you have a new Session)
4. Click on the Start Transmission button
5. Share the Link, which you have copied, in a Google Doc, so that you can open it from Laptop B.

A3. NDI Tools 

Download from https://ndi.tv/tools/ NDI® Tools is a free suite of applications to connect Laptop A and Laptop B using the network (IP).  The most relevant for this use is the NDI Scan Converter.

When you run the NDI Scan Converter, it will create an icon in the bottom right of the Task Bar. Right click on the icon for the Settings

1. Framerate of 30 fps should be enough
2. Capture Settings - to capture whole screen, leave Region of Interest unchecked; to capture just one part of screen, check Region of Interest and Configure RoI
3. Capture Settings - Mouse Pointer, which you need for teaching
4. Audio Source - leave as Silent, because it can't capture your Ableton audio anyway
5. Webcam Video Source - set it to your webcam

Laptop B: Streaming Computer

B1. OBS Studio

Free and open source software for video recording and live streaming. Download from https://obsproject.com/

B2. OBS NDI Tools

This plugin adds simple audio/video input and output over IP using NewTek's NDI™ technology. Download from https://obsproject.com/forum/threads/obs-ndi-newtek-ndi%E2%84%A2-integration-into-obs-studio.69240/

You can then add NDI Source into any of your scenes. I'm taking two NDI Sources from Laptop B:

1. Entire screen of Laptop A (Ableton computer)
2. Webcam of Laptop A

B3. OBS Virtual Cam

This allows you to transmit from OBS into Zoom, so that your Zoom participants see your OBS screen. Download from https://obsproject.com/forum/resources/obs-virtualcam.949/

OBS Virtualcam has two main methods for outputting video from OBS. The first is the Preview output, which is enabled from the Tools menu. This output will provide exactly what you see in the Preview in OBS, including any changes or scenes you might switch to. This is the most common method, and probably what you would want to use.

Preview Output:

1. Select Tools -> VirtualCam in the main OBS Studio window
2. Press the Start button, then close the dialog
3. Open your program (Zoom, Hangouts, Skype, etc.) and choose OBS-Camera as your webcam

B4. VB Cable virtual audio cable

VB-CABLE is a virtual audio device working as virtual audio cable. All audio coming in the CABLE input is simply forwarded to the CABLE output. Download from https://www.vb-audio.com/Cable/

This allows all audio from OBS to be sent into Zoom. 

1. Setup your audio sources to Monitor + Output
2. Set Monitor Device to the VB-Cable Input, 
3. Set Zoom microphone to the VB-Cable Output.

B5. Audiomovers ListenTo website

Open your Google Doc where you stored the link for the Audiomovers ListenTo (from Laptop A).

Click on the Audiomovers ListenTo link and this page should appear. 

Click on Start Listening. Now Laptop B will be able to hear everything that is playing on the Master channel of Ableton Live on Laptop A.

B6. Detailed OBS Settings