Twitch Tips: 5 Ways to Improve Your Twitch Stream Quality

The biggest thing that sets Twitch’s top streamers apart from the rest isn’t their gaming chops—it’s the professional production value of their streams. Learn how to improve your Twitch stream quality with our Top 5 Twitch Tips!

Find Your Voice

One of the simplest and most effective ways to improve your Twitch stream quality is to simply be original. It may be tempting to stream popular titles like League of Legends, Fortnite, or World of Warcraft, but you’ll have a much easier time gaining new viewers by streaming titles with fewer active players.

Try to select a game that reflects your personality. If you’re competitive, play a multiplayer FPS. If you’re more into adventure and lore, stream an action/adventure title. If you’re more of a creative type, try a simulator like The Sims or Farming Simulator 19, which has a surprisingly large following. It doesn’t matter if you’re smart, funny, fit, or just really good at gaming—lean into it. Just be your authentic self and try to make a genuine connection with your viewers.

Upgrade Your Equipment

You don’t need to spend a fortune on a state-of-the-art streaming rig, but upgrading from your built-in computer microphone and camera will make a huge impact on the technical quality of your stream.

USB microphones like the Yeti and Snowball series are quick, easy and affordable. They plug directly into your computer and deliver professional, broadcast-quality sound. For even more options, like the new Yeti X with Blue VO!CE effects for gamers, check out our blog on the Best USB Microphones for Twitch Streaming.

Webcams like the Logitech C922 and BRIO plug directly into your computer and offer resolutions up to 1080p, frame rates up to 60 fps and useful features like autofocus for crystal-clear, high definition gaming.

And for those looking to upgrade their microphone and webcam, check out the Blue Pro Streamer Pack, which combines the Yeti USB microphone and Logitech C922 Pro HD webcam. 

Use Proper Mic Placement and Settings

Any gamer will tell you, purchasing the most powerful weapon in the game won’t do you any good if you don’t know how to harness its powers. The same goes for your streaming equipment. Even with a professional streaming microphone, you can still capture a lot of background noise and unpleasant distractions by using the wrong settings or mic placement.

When it comes to microphone placement, start by placing your microphone roughly 6 to 12-inches away from your face. To avoid “plosives” or popping sounds caused by “p” and “t” sounds, don’t speak directly into the capsule of the microphone. Instead, point the microphone at a 45-degree angle towards your mouth.

As for settings, using a cardioid pickup pattern is typically best when streaming, as it helps reduce unwanted background noise for clearer, more intelligible vocals. To set the volume levels, start speaking at a normal volume and increase the gain knob until the audio meters on your microphone or in your streaming software turn green. Avoid turning up the gain so loud that the meters go into the red, as this can cause clipping or distortion.

Learn Pro Lighting and Camera Techniques

Gamers are notorious for filming in poorly lit rooms, hunched over the cold blue light of a computer screen. One simple way to drastically improve the production value of your stream is to use a professional video setup. Don’t worry—it’s not hard to learn and it won’t cost a fortune.

First, start by framing up your shot so your camera is at eye-level. This will help your viewers feel more natural and comfortable—like they’re in the room with you. You may prefer a tight, zoomed-in look, or a wider shot that shows off more of your room. Just make sure everything in the shot looks clean and presentable.

When it comes to lighting, there is a wide range of affordable, easy-to-use video lighting options available online. Start by turning off the overhead lights and placing a light directly behind the camera. If your camera feed still looks dark or lacks definition, try placing an additional light source to the side or even behind you. The most important thing to remember is that the foreground should always be brighter than the background.

Automate Your Stream

There’s a lot more to live streaming than just playing video games. Not only do you need to focus on the game—you also need to interact with viewers, moderate the chat window, shout out new subscribers, thank people for donations and more. It can be overwhelming at times. But with the right streaming software, you can automate your Twitch stream to do the heavy lifting for you.

Start by utilizing the features built into your streaming software. Programs like Streamlabs Desktop and XSplit Gamecaster come packed with useful features like a customizable HUD, hundreds of themes and powerful editing tools.

Give your stream a custom look with OvrStream, an automated motion graphics app with custom graphics, alerts and overlays. Score six months of free premium access to OvrStream for PC with the Yeti Streamer Bundle.

Stay on top of the chat window with Streamlabs Chatbot, which lets you create custom commands to quickly trigger preset chat responses. Make your chats stand out with built-in timers, quotes, counters, giveaways, sound effects and more. Make your streams more interactive and engaging with Twitch extensions like heat maps, real-time game data, mini-games, music requests, leaderboards and more.

Follow these five simple Twitch tips to take your live streams from common to legendary faster than you can say, “Thanks for subscribing.” For more information on how to improve your Twitch steam quality, check out additional blogs in our Gaming section.