See above re likely FX limitations. May be better to use the amp and the Katanaās line out(s) to feed the mixer.
Thank you @TheMadman_tobyjenner !! I donāt quite understand all of that yet, ha, but I believe that I am heading in the proper direction.
Iām a big fan of the iPad and Iāve used an iPad Pro as my main device for the past couple of years but ultimately you do occasionally run into stuff thatās either a pain to work around or just isnāt possible. Itās quite frustrating because the iPad Pro is more powerful than a lot of Windows laptops, only let down by the limitations of the operating system and the lack of premium software (because no one is willing to pay good money for iOS apps).
I relented in the middle of this year and got a Windows laptop. I still use the iPad Pro as my main device, it has a lot of advantages over the laptop (such as built-in cellular modem), but when I want something like Guitar Pro, or the software for my multi-fx device, then I need a laptop. And if youāre wondering why I didnāt choose a Mac, I wanted a touchscreen.
So you can do a lot with an iPad, maybe some musicians do manage with just an iPad, but I think it will be a world of compromises and sooner or later youāll run into a wall with it.
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I agree 100% about the laptop @mattswain !! I feel like I have been limited by not having a modern laptop and all of the amenities.
Plus I will be using as a main tool for DJing moving forward.
@TheMadman_tobyjenner Toby, I am sure you are right. But I think to get going with simple home recording and streaming to a platform, the blended output may be all that is required, which was the immediate use case that @Traveler was looking at.
@Traveler Travis, if you purchase a dynamic mic for vocal use (I use this one but there are many to choose from) and either plug the guitar into the mixer or guitar to amp to mixer, then you should be fine for making home videos and feeding audio into StreamYard/Zoom. That is assuming you can get the mixer output fed into the iPad.
In time you may run into the issues that Toby is raising, if you want to play and sing simultaneously and route the inputs from a guitar and a vocal mic as separate outputs into a DAW like GrarageBand. This then allows you to add fx, change volume, and do panning in the DAW while having other things like a drum beat. Then you would need an audio interface.
The right choice of gear really depends on your use case(s), considering immediate and future, plus of course budget.
So if money was no object then maybe youād acquire a suitable laptop, audio interface, and the dynamic mic immediately.
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Thanks for all of the help again @DavidP !! I basically save gig money to put towards equipment. In general, Iām of the approach of purchasing the best thing once instead of buying the cheap thing several times.
Iāll probably start with the mic and interface right away, then save up for the laptop. I think Santa is going to bring me headphones 
Good insight here from everybody, thanks again!
David
I quite agree, which is why I mention the ālimitationsā. It kinda negates the need for adding a DAW into the chain, as all you will be doing is Mastering the combined stereo output from the AI and that will have limited scope for improvement, as most can be gained on the mixer itself. It why I longer go AI>DAW>OBS> āstream destinationā for just vox n gtr.
Travis best thing to do is experiment, as youāll learn a lot that way but I think there is plenty here to get you started with a good foundation. But you can always ask more questions when the need arises and be sure they will arise, as we all hit snags and mysteries now and then. Just take this weekend!
Cheers
Toby
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I have AKG K92, they were pretty cheap, comfortable and a flat sound. They have cheaper ones too.
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@Traveler The stuff for streaming is mostly the same as the stuff for home recording. Justin has a good lesson on it here that got me started.
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I hope this question fits here, but Iām following along trying to learn about improving my setup. I keep hearing about OBS. I have read about it on their site, but I still donāt understand why I would need it if I also have a DAW.
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Iām right next to you on this question!!
Donna
If you are just recording audio a DAW is fine. If you want to record video with audio from the DAW OBS can accept that as input. Also you cannot pass audio directly from a DAW to Zoom or StreamYard so OBS acts as an interface between the DAW and the products and handles your video as well. You can also record audio and video in OBS if not using a DAW, same with Zoom and StreamYard or just use your phone.
Some good guides on option here.
Always a pleasure to share what I know and have experienced, Travis. I consider myself an advancing (slowly) beginner in all things music, including recording.
I suggest starting just with the mic.
You can plug either a dynamic mic (ideal for vocals, with good ability to reject sound of guitar with careful positioning) or a condensor mic (more sensitive, better audio quality, and suited for recording vocal or guitar only but can be harder to get a good balance between guitar and vocal of recording both while playing and singing) into your mixer.
Then investigate your options of connecting the mixer to the iPad.
An interface would require a device to plug it into. There are interfaces designed specifically to plug into an iPad. But if long-term intent is to rather use the to be acquired laptop for home recording and streaming, then perhaps better to acquire that first and then the interface, assuming you can easily get sound from the mixer to the iPad.
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I think the question is: ādo I need OBS for livestreaming?ā
The answer is no, and you donāt need a DAW either, if your setup is simple: webcam and a single audio stream (such as from a mixer).
You can just select the camera and audio source from the streaming app.
Where OBS does come in useful is some of the cases that have been mentioned:
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if you want to use multiple audio sources (multi-channel audio interface, local PC audio such as a backing track) as OBS offers simple audio mixing.
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if you choose to use a DAW for some reason, such as using plugins which donāt work in OBS, or playing backing tracks from the DAW. I will repeat that, in many cases, you do not need a DAW for livestreaming.
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if, instead of streaming, you want to record audio/video to your local PC for editing and possible upload to YT, etc. (although there are other apps that do this too)
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If you want to incorporate any sort of overlays, scenes or special effects (including using multiple cameras).
So, in general, your choices for live streaming are:
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For simple cases, configure the streaming app (Zoom, Streamyard, Meet, etc.) to use your webcam and audio interface.
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Just use OBS, configure OBS to use your webcam and AI, and configure the streaming app to use the virtual output of OBS
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Use a DAW in conjunction with OBS; configure the DAW to use your audio inputs, configure OBS to use the webcam and a virtual audio output from the DAW (using ReaRoute, Jack, etc.) configure the streaming app to use the virtual output from OBS
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It may be possible to use the DAW on its own without OBS. In this case, you configure the DAW to use your AI for input, and configure the streaming app to use your webcam and the virtual output from the DAW.
Note that I havenāt tried number 4 and Iām not aware of anyone else who has tried it, so it may not work, or may work badly. It is also going to be OS dependent.
Again, this is for the case where you want to use a DAW for some reason. A DAW isnāt, generally, used for streaming. Itās primary function is local audio/MIDI recording and mixing. It can be beneficial to use a DAW in a streaming setup in some cases, but a DAW isnāt required for streaming.
Cheers,
Keith
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Hi Travis,
I have a lower spec Yamaha mixer ā¦
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You can put into stereo mode to split the two main inputs left and right at the output.
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You can feed any backing tracks into the mixer. (Although if you are playing backing tracks from the iPad, not sure how that would work if also recording on there).
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You can apply the onboard effects to individual channels (mic and instrument inputs)
You can plug headphones in and listen in while not affecting the main outputs.
My mixer doesnāt have a usb out so I use a separate DI, as it is unpowered I would need an IOS camera power adapter in order to feed the signal into an iPhone/iPad and power the DI unit. Not sure if this would be the same for your mixer.
I got a condenser mic first, and although it definitely āsounds betterā than the dynamic mic, I struggle to use the condenser unless Iām wearing headphones as the feedback is crazy with an amp on near by. So additionally bought a SM58 but probably should have just got this first.
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Awesome feedback, thank you! I watched Justinās video on home recording in grade 3 and that was pretty helpful too. Lots to ponder here!
I actually already have 2 SM58ās that I use for gigging, now I think I need to look at a condenser mic with phantom power.
Thank you for the detailed response! I want to try situation #4. If I figure it out, Iāll give an update about how it went.
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