Josh Hendrickson
At first glance, Roland’s new $250 Go:Livecast hardware doesn’t look like anything special. In many ways, that’s precisely the point. Setting up a live stream studio can be tedious and difficult. But Roland managed to package nearly everything you need in one easy-to-use box. All you need is a phone and an app. Better microphones optional.
If you don’t already have a live streaming setup, the idea can be daunting. Most streamers use a combination of high-end PCs, expensive microphones, headphones, and various (sometimes multiple) mixers and sound effect boards. Never mind the expense, getting all that to work together is a chore. And that’s before firing up any software.
You could settle for simply using your smartphone, but you’ll miss out on better filters, sound effects, and an easy way to tie in other tools you might need like microphones. The Go:Livecast gives you the best of both worlds: it’s a full-fledged live streaming studio, that’s easy to set up, relatively inexpensive, and works with your smartphone.
The Go:Livecast has four twist knobs for volume and 10 circular buttons you can hit for actions, muting their microphone and bringing up basic on-screen text. You can even pre-record audio and video clips to use with the buttons.
Look on the sides, and you’ll find two USB Micro-B ports for power and connecting your smartphone. Roland also included a microphone jack that supports XLR and 1/4-inch TRS cables. And you’ll find two standard stereo jacks on the left-hand side for headphones and instruments.
Once you have everything connected, you’ll pair it with Roland’s app, choose your favorite streaming service, and go. The app gives you extra controls, like switching between your front and rear camera and pairing additional smartphones or tablets over Wi-Fi for a second camera.
You can add as much or as little as you need, bringing the expense of running your live streaming studio down. It’s clear the target market here is vloggers, who need a bit more oomph than their smartphones can provide. It’s that simplicity that led to us giving Roland one of our Best in CES awards.
If that sounds like the studio perfect for you, keep an eye out for when the Go:Livecast drops later this month.
