Tom Bilyeu’s Studio | Full Tech Audit and Live Setup Walkthrough!

 Hey, Tom and team, thank you again for having me come out to your studio to get a tour, to see all the tech and the things you have going on. It was really great to meet you and the team and really kind of get a deeper vision and view of what's happening in the studio. I went ahead and put together a tech stack audit document that you'll find in the email that I sent. This is a document that centralizes the feedback and has everything in one spot, and hopefully creates a clear picture of what you're doing with the live stream. Let's go ahead and talk through this document, and I'll give you my feedback along the way.

So kicking this off, we have Mission, the Why, and KPIs. I went ahead and wrote a sample for each one of these, but obviously this has to come from you and your team. So knowing your mission, your why, and your KPIs will help drive the performance of our audit and really let us know what we're aiming at. We want to make sure our solutions are tailored around your needs. So I've made my best guess of what those KPIs are gonna be, the mission and the why. I'm already a fan of the Tom Bilyeu show, but for future audits, having this information will help us shape the feedback that we give.

So stated simply, Tom's mission is to impact people and share the growth mindset. Why is this important? Is he ultimately wants to change and better the world, and what KPIs might he have while he wants to increase the viewer retention, have more people watching the stream and create a bigger impact on the community that he's already built. So our audit is gonna tailor around those things. So let's get into what we observed when we were on site.

So the first is the daily agenda or plan. From what we saw and heard, this started at 5:30 AM with a general crew call, followed by a five minute countdown starting at 5:55 AM. The show kicked off at 6:00 AM and had a series of topics. Now, each one of these topics wasn't exactly 30 minutes long. It just depends on the topic and where the conversation goes. The stream would stop roughly at about three hours where the team switched over to a tight, 60 minute format that they recorded for a video separate than the live stream. That's kind of what the day looked like. They were done by about 10:11 AM something like that.

As far as their team and talent went, they would typically have three people on camera. That would be Tom, Drew and Eunice. Sometimes we would see Lisa Bilyeu as well, and Eric is on the backend holding down all the technical things. I put some prep work and notes of what I think each person is focused on in doing, and generally speaking, I think your responsibilities are divvyed up pretty well. We also observed nine different composites or different angles that you would show of your live stream. A wide shot, a closeup, a medium shot of Drew, a closeup and medium shot of Tom, a medium shot of Eunice screen shares, a countdown and a super source. Now generally speaking, having all these angles, really helps compliment the image. There's not too many pointers that I'm gonna give here other than getting the cameras up to eye level. Now, why do we wanna do that? Well, ultimately, when your camera's at eye level, it means your audience and your communicators are at the same level, and they can connect a little bit better.

If the camera's too high in pointing down, it makes the host look inferior and it makes the audience superior. The opposites too. If the camera is too low and the subject's too high, it makes them look superior and makes the audience feel inferior. So we want to try to balance this out and keep the cameras at eye level. So we're not gonna go through each one of the technical things that we observed across the department. You can see the screenshot here from the audit. This is what we observed for their current tech stack and equipment set. And then just below that we have our feedback, which we are gonna talk through now.

So the first bit of feedback is for the crew members and hosts of the show. Starting with Tom, you're doing an amazing job overall. I love the show and honestly, I watch it regularly. It's really great. There's been a few times where somebody has left a comment that's been a little bothersome and it kind of drains you a little bit, and so what I would suggest is creating a morale meter. This internal compass will allow you to get a better beat on when you're feeling down. So if your morale meter is going down because of these negative comments, what we can do is pull the audience to see if it's a small local minority that's making the noise, or if this is a bigger issue that more people see than just a single person.

So Eunice, team up with Tom here and try to figure out a good balance of when to pull your audience to see if that sentiment is felt globally or locally. Tom, you've been great at verbalizing some of the pain points that you've had, so please continue to tell those to Drew and Drew feel free to pass them on to me if you'd like another perspective of how to address those. But overall, I think that your communication with the team has been great. I think one of my goals would be to get you into flow state as much as possible so that you can do what you do best, which is apply first principles thinking to different problems and solving those problems and really giving clarity and color to the things that are happening in the world.

For Drew, if I put myself in your shoes, I would think about can I see everything I need to see? I know we talked about having a separate multi-view for you and Tom to look at, but I think something that's even simpler than that would be to have a second monitor. Because the reality there is there's only two things that you guys need to see. One is the program and second is your screen share. Currently you're using your laptop to screen share, just that monitor. I would encourage you to separate your screen share monitor. So what you have on your laptop is the chat, and then we have a separate 42 inch TV that becomes a monitor for you, so that way you can see what you're sharing. This will allow you to make sure that you don't put anything on air that you don't wanna show, and it becomes a cleaner setup because it's a full screen share. Speaking of monitors, I would also look at Eunice and Eric's monitors. So Eunice probably needs a multi-view in her area or a view to see everything that's going on. And then on Eric's side, he should probably have a return after Ecamm puts in graphics and lower thirds and super chats and all of those things. Let's talk about that with Eunice now. Obviously, Ecamm is a central pillar of your production. You're routing your ATEM into Ecamm, and that's what's live streaming out.

So Drew, Eric, and Eunice of all dealt with Ecamm in some way shape or form. What I would do is hand the controls all over to Eunice and have her drive Ecamm as a whole. So whether that is a Super chat or a ticker or any other graphics graphical sources, that can all go through Eunice. So I know what you're probably thinking is like how do we connect Eunice's computer to the ATEM and get that all connected? Well, the best way I would suggest doing that is through a Thunderbolt hub from odyssey. This will allow you to have one cable to Eunice's computer that has ethernet, USB and power for the computer, so that way it simplifies your setup. You can have one of these hubs for each one of your positions, for Tom, for Drew, and for Eunice, and this would simplify your setup for each one of those team members. All they we'd have to do is plug in one cable to have all the connections they need. With Eunice driving the Ecamm setup, she could be the one in charge of making sure the right comment gets put on screen at the right time.

So moving over to Eric. Here's some feedback that we have for you. The first thing is ergonomics. So I would encourage you to try to centralize your gear into one spot so you have your audio mixer and your ATEM all within arm's reach. Have that on the same desk or surface so that everything's at the same level, and try to simplify all the other gadgets and things that are out in front of you. Having a good flow and understanding of where things are routed to, will allow you to troubleshoot a little bit faster. That goes both for your workstation as the technical director, but also across the studio. So managing cables, walking paths, and overall gear creating specific spots for everything and making sure that cables are well managed, makes a big difference for your guests who come into the studio and see your setup, you want to give them the best impression you can both in front and behind the camera. I would encourage you to look at each cable and make sure it's routed cleanly and professionally, and I would minimize cables going under walking paths as much as possible. I know currently you're using a lot of crossovers and rugs and that kind of stuff, which does work in a pinch, but long term we should try to reroute these cables so there's less crossover happening.

Post Production

I'd also love to see the ATEM connected to the network, so you can share the ATEM’s hard drive onto a local network if it's plugged in via ethernet. What this will allow you to do is have an editor access the files on the ATEM and edit while the show is being recorded. Now, this introduces a little bit of complexity and a little bit of risk to your files, so I would highly encourage recording in two spots, one on camera's SD cards and then one in the ATEM, on that shared hard drive. While the ATEM is recording these individual files to its hard drive that's being shared to your editor, the editor can access those files in real time and they can edit highlights of the show and other things to release even faster in your post-production workflow.

Stream Decks

Stream decks are another great tool we've talked about so far. So here are a few tips and things that you could use to help streamline your stream deck setup. First, let's use companion satellite. This allows you to have one profile across multiple stream decks and multiple computers. This means Eric can help manage and build profiles for the team. That way if Eunice needs a button or Drew needs a button, he can add it to their stream decks remotely. There's also a great listening tool that will allow you to trigger computers and use shortcuts on other computers remotely. Once you have these stream decks in place, talk to each one of your team members and see what buttons they need and would like to have. I think this is gonna take you the most time to really build out and finess, but once you have this in place, it'll make a huge difference for your team.

Audio

Let's talk audio. So we mentioned that individual compressors are gonna make a big difference for your team. Compressors basically help limit the dynamic range of each microphone, so that way when Tom's whispering or yelling, it doesn't blow out our ears, and it's a more consistent sound across the board. Right now we're doing this at Ecamm, which is okay. The problem is, audio can distort before it gets into Ecamm and you have less individual control. But if we have those compressors at the mixer on each individual channel, it will address that dynamic range before it gets to the software. And really, this is the spot where you have the most control over your audio is in that mixer. So we'll dial in the mixer, get those compressors on each channel, get limiters on each channel, and then by the time that hits Ecamm, your levels will be pretty close to what you need them to be.

4K Streaming

Finally, there's some long-term upgrades that you might consider. The first one is 4K streaming. Now, this is a significant upgrade that's gonna take more than one purchase to fulfill. The reason for that is the ATEM Mini Extreme ISO does not have 4K recording capabilities internally. So when you step up to 4K across the board, you kind of have to rethink the equipment stack that you have to execute at that level. So what does that mean? Well, you're gonna need a new switcher, you're gonna need hyper deck to record each individual channel. and you're gonna need 4K converters across the board. Now you could skip the hyper deck and just record internally for each camera, but honestly, I like to have dual recordings both in camera and in Hyper Deck because I have had SD cards fail on me in the past. So if you want the greatest chance of success record in two spots.

4K Upgrade Cost

It's gonna be around $16,000 to upgrade all the components needed to move up to 4K. Honestly, upgrading to 4K may not be worth it at this time because it does add extra layers of complexity. Black Magic is adding a gear regularly and they just announced more gear for the 4K workflow so that you could potentially introduce shared network storage for Hyperdeck recordings. They also have cloud storage devices that are coming out, but this stuff hasn't been tested quite yet. So the EcoFlow and the system to move to real-time editing in 4K isn't quite there yet, but it probably will be in the next year or two.

Camera

Speaking of upgrades, I know you're using the C 200 cameras, which are still great cameras, but they're about eight years old at this point. So when you do decide to upgrade, I would highly encourage you to look at the FR7 lineup from Sony. These are full frame PTZ cameras that allow you to remotely control these cameras. There's also a new firmware update that's gonna drop in June, and that firmware allows you to have AI auto tracking. So when your talent adjusts in their chair, the camera will follow along with them. I would also suggest bumping up to prime lenses because you're in a fixed studio location and prime lenses add a lot to the cinematic look of your setup. For your closeups, I suggest a 135mm f/1.8, and 85mm f/1.4 for your medium shots. And honestly, you could probably just match it at a f/1.8 there too. And then your wide shot could be a 35 mm. Of course, if you wanted to keep the 7,200 lenses that you currently have, you could buy meta bones adapters, but because of the autofocus, I would use the Sony native lenses.

Set Designs

Then finally, there is a set design upgrade. Now, I know you've talked about in the past moving up to an LED wall, which would cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $200,000, even though that would be a wonderful upgrade and it would probably be a beautiful set piece. I have a suggestion that will help meet you in the middle. So instead of moving up to an LED wall where the whole thing gets replaced by LEDs, you might consider adding televisions to your set. So here's how I would go about that. First off, I would move your desk about four feet forward to maximize the distance between your subject and the background. This will allow you shallower depth of field, so your subjects are more of the focus and the background is more blurry. This is also amplified if you switch the prime lenses and have lower F stops of course. Then once you move your desk forward, your closeups and your medium shots are gonna be shooting off the set.

So what I would suggest is to move those sidewalls forward towards your cameras and then add vertical 100 inch televisions in the gap between your back wall and your sidewalls. These vertical screens can be powered by a Mac mini and can show loops in different graphics, and this will expand your set, give you better depth of field, and allow you to add visuals on set as well. You might also consider adding televisions just below the desk. Now if you do, add a TV to that center spot. Where the IT logo is currently, I would highly suggest buying a television with really good reflective properties and I've linked one in this audit.

Alright, so those are the major upgrades. Let me go a little bit deeper into each one of the categories that we've talked about so far.

Audio - We mentioned in audio the Yamaha DM3. I would suggest that your team have a hardware mute switch, that way they can mute if they need to cough. In Eunice's case, she might actually invert the switch so that way she can push to talk instead of push to mute. You can introduce an XLR speaker for Drew and Tom to hear playback. The cheaper one is 154 bucks, but if you want the optional industry standard Fostex speaker, it's about 300 bucks.

Camera - We've talked about the Sony upgrade and the lenses. You might also consider filters. I like to have a basic UV filter on the front of all my lenses to protect them from scratches and drops. There's been at least three instances where those filters have saved lenses for me, so it's just my standard operating procedure at this point. If you decide to introduce televisions to your set, you might also consider using circular polarizers. This will help minimize some of the reflections, at least on the televisions. So I've listed those as well, depending on which lenses you need them for. Now your team's not using PowerPoint decks, so we're gonna skip over that section.

Engagement - For engagement, with your audience, there are web widgets that can integrate with Ecamm. So the one I would look into is social StreamNinja. This will allow you to have tickers, lower thirds, and other graphics built into your E-cam live stream. This one's a little bit bulky and has a bit of a learning curve. It feels a little bit like OBS, but honestly, once you get it, there's a lot of great things that can come from this.

Graphic - Graphic wise, we talked about extending the set with those televisions, so I would suggest a Mac mini and some cables to connect everything together.

Lighting -Overall is really solid, but moving the desk four feet forward would allow you to have more light on your subjects and less light on the background. Which will also draw people's focus to your subjects more.

Makeup and hair -I like to utilize for teams that need to feel their best and to give the team confidence. Honestly, your team's doing a great job with what they have, so I don't have really any suggestions in that department.

Network and internet - We mentioned companion satellite and the listening program. You'll probably also need to introduce a few more ethernet switches so that you can plug in those odyssey docs so everybody can have wired ethernet connections.

Playback/Screenshare - For playback or screen share we talked about the deck links and odyssey docs, also linked some shorter cables and some longer thunderbolt cables. And then if you do a 4K upgrade, you won't be able to use the 3G deck links, but you'll want to use the Ultra Studio 4K Minis to do screen sharing and playback

Power - For power if you want a battery backup, the EcoFlow 3,600 watt, Delta Pro is a great option. Props haven't really been relevant for your streaming so far, so no notes there.

Recordings - Like I mentioned before, should happen in camera, whether you're at 1080p or 4K, at least for backup. And if you decide to go to 4K, having hybrid X Studio 4K pros will be helpful as well and I link those in cables here.

Screen - For screens, honestly, you can use any sort of television, but I've linked some 43 inch televisions that are relatively inexpensive, along with some SDI to HDMI converters and cables to compliment as well. And just like the deck links, moving up to 12G converters will be necessary if you decide to do 4K with these monitors.

Safety - For safety, a simple solution would be fire extinguishers and first aid kits on set. These are all relatively inexpensive and as mentioned before, having better ergonomics, flow and studio organization will help minimize tripping hazards.

Set Design - For set design, we linked televisions and stands

Special Calls - For special calls, we have a template to a run a show that you can use for free. So feel free to make that your own.

Post Production - And we've also talked about the post-production workflow, so that way your team could edit even faster.

Stream - Now for stream details, we have E-cam that's outputting directly to each of the three platforms, Twitch, YouTube, and X. You might consider outputting your stream to Vimeo and then Rebroadcasting or Multicasting out to your platforms. This will minimize the bandwidth needed from your studio and push those resources to a cloud infrastructure. Now, we didn't click into the streaming platform and what you have for setup there, whether it's 1080p and your bit rate and all those things. Honestly, so far you've had some pretty strong streams, so I'm not super worried about it.

Talent Wardrobe - For talent wardrobe, we like to say wear what makes you comfortable and represents your brand well, we have a separate video for what's ware on camera and tips that we have for that, but honestly, your style is your own on the show, and we like what you're wearing.

Teleprompter - Teleprompter hasn't been utilized on this stream so far, but the studio did have a teleprompter in place. But we don't have any specific notes for the teleprompter

Switching - For vision mixing or switching, we've mentioned this in the previous video, but mix effect Pro will allow you to build super sources and animate those in and out as needed and then if you decide to go up to 4K, you'll need a different switcher in a different micro switcher panel.

Cost - So our general upgrades are around $8,000. If you decide to add those televisions and extend the set, it's about $4,500. If you upgrade to 4K, it's around $16,000, and if you do the camera and lens upgrades, it's around $63,000.

So hopefully this has been helpful for you. I would estimate this will take your team between 50 and a 100 hours to implement all of these changes in upgrades. So if we can assist in any way, please let us know. Thanks for everything you do and keep up the great work. We'll see you in the next stream.