Best streaming setup for beginners 2024

Does the Logitech C920 HD Pro webcam offer the best audio or visual quality? No. The footage it captures comes out in low framerates (max 30fps) and the mic quality can be a bit tinny. We still love it though, because it’s a great entry-level choice that is reasonably priced and, despite not being the very best, it still has a pretty decent capture quality.

Nobody’s first stream is going to look perfect, and while you might want to invest in a pricier option further down the road, this oneis a great place to start. Besides the affordable price, it’s also very user-friendly and offers lots of easy ways for you to tweak the focus, brightness, and contrast of the footage you’ve captured.

We wish it had a lens cover (nobody likes the beady eye of their webcam watching them all the time) but it’s easy enough to buy or make your own. That’s about the only legitimate criticism we could aim at it. This is a webcam that’s been around for years, and its longevity is a reflection of its usefulness.

Read our full Logitech C920 HD Pro Webcam review.

Yes, new streamers might want to use the built-in microphone on their laptop or webcam, but if you grab a Blue Yeti mic, you’ll find that the sound quality is immediately increased exponentially. You don’t need to have a lot of technical know-how either, because it really is a simple case of plugging in and getting started.

Though it was released way back in 2009, it remains a fantastic choice today. Yes, you could opt to go for the slightly upgraded Blue Yeti X, which comes with a fourth condenser built in that helps you capture much higher-quality audio. For a beginner stream though, you’re probably not going to need that extra quality, and you’ll certainly be better off avoiding the slightly higher costs.

We wish it offered XLR support, but it’s a minor complaint. Overall, though, we were very satisfied with the Blue Yeti’s performance. It gives you broadcast-quality recordings, it looks pretty cool, is easy to set up, and is well-designed for sitting on your desk while you stream. If you’re after your first mic, make it this one. We’re sure many who buy it today will still be using it in ten years.

Read our full Blue Yeti review.

The Elgator HD60 X is the successor to the Elgato HD60 S+ and for the same price as the earlier model, you get everything that it did, plus VRR passthrough, 1440p resolution, and a greater capacity for capturing footage at high framerates. You won’t often see the HD60 S+ around these days, but a few retailers are still stocking it, so make sure you go for the superior HD60 X instead.

This capture card provides passthrough supporting 4k, 60fps, HDR10, and zero latency. While it does struggle to capture 4k footage (especially as higher framerates), the footage it does capture is still pretty fantastic, and it will be more than clear enough for the vast majority of streamers – especially those who are just starting out.

It’s another product that doesn’t require an especially high level of technical expertise, as its simple USB 3.0 connection ensures that you can get up and running very easily. Let’s say, for example, that you did/saw something really cool in-game ten minutes before you started recording – well, lucky for you you can go back and start the recording from a previous point, even twenty minutes previously.

Editing is a huge part of the streaming process. Not only is it important to create graphics and logos to promote yourself on whichever platforms you like to use, but it can also help to clean up the quality of the footage you capture. For this, we recommend a subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud.

If you get Adobe Creative Cloud, you’ll gain access to Photoshop (which is ideal for refining photos or creating logos), Premier Pro (video editing software), Illustrator (for creating a channel mascot, or custom Twitch emotes), InDesign (which you could use to make flashy social media posts to promote your streaming channel), and much more.

The Creative Cloud package includes a total of 27 apps that can also enhance your streaming content, from animation tools to visual effects. Plus, if you’re a student, you can get it at a discount price.

Another Adobe product that might serve you well is Adobe Stock – the wealth of stock media files that open of a world of possibilities. From custom emotes to royalty-free music, the Stock Library offers a broad range of multimedia assets that can be used to create a more professional and exciting streaming experience.

You can trial the entire library for free for 30 days, meaning it’s a cost-effective way to experiment with the look and feel of your streaming channel.

The Joby Beamo Studio Key Light is an appealing choice for anyone looking to light their first stream. It has three color temperatures and ten brightness levels that make it easy to get just the right level of lighting for your streams. Admittedly, you can find more powerful options in our list of the best lights for streaming, but they do carry a bigger price tag.

It comes with a handy 1.8-meter cable that makes it very easy to position the light in different spots throughout the room. This gives you the freedom to experiment and try different setups for your stream so that you can get it looking as swanky as possible. It’s also easy to put in most positions due to its small footprint and has lots of attachments for microphones.

It may not have as broad a color temperature range as others, or even quite as many connection options as we’d like. But if you’re looking for an affordable choice, and don’t yet have a solid idea of what your setup is going to look like, this is the one for you.

Read our Joby Beamo Studio Key Light review.

Streamlabs OBS is the streaming software that everyone should start out with. Not only is it pretty darn easy to use, but it’s completely free too. You might progress to more advanced options like OBS Studio later (which is built on the same open-source code), but this is the perfect software to use to get to grips with streaming without having to make any kind of financial investment.

It might like features like flashy overlays, graphics, and so forth that can help make your stream pop. But not everybody will want these, and if you do eventually decide that that’s something your stream needs, you can subscribe to Streamlabs Prime, which unlocks lots of customization options like these.

It’s free and it’s open source, so we’re reluctant to criticize it too harshly. Yes, there are a few bugs in the software here and there, and the way it stores stream footage can clog up your system memory a bit – but this is the software most streamers use as their starting point. It’s definitely the best for beginners, even if it’s not the best streaming software overall.-