My dream gear for 2025 would be a physical four-channel audio mixer from @Elgato. Here's my vision for what I'm calling the Wave Studio. It would basically register all four mics as individual microphones inside of Wave Link and integrate with Stream Deck for expanded functionality. Let me explain. My issue with current audio mixers is that they either have useless gimmicks like RGB or "smart pads" that only do a limited number of things. Or, they are so needlessly confusing that they make getting into audio VERY difficult. Elgato has a strong track record of making content creation and gear accessible to content creators of all levels, and their design philosophy keeps their gear practical, value-packed, and affordable. I think this poises them to be the only company that could actually pull off this device in the tasteful way that it would need to be pulled off (regardless of the Stream Deck+ integration). The device has basically two sides. The left side is where you would dock a Stream Deck+ for use as just that, a Stream Deck+. It acts as an expanded interface for the devices, and allows you to see more audio channels inside of Wave Link, and have knobs to adjust them. The right side of this device is where the audio becomes the star. On the right, you have four Wave XLR style "large" dials. Faders are limited in their movement, and so just like the decision to have knobs on Stream Deck+ means that they can now have unlimited rotation means that these dials as well can have unlimited rotation. The intention is that users would use the large dials for Audio. But realistically, you could use the large dials like the dials on the Stream Deck+. The larger dial and more ergonomic angle would make those large dials EXCELLENT for things like photo editing, video editing, and so on. And as a MASSIVE power user of Stream Deck, I do wish I had some larger dials that were easier to use. However, this device could also just be something that you slot the Stream Deck+ into without the four large dials. All the same, it would be a super powerful device and would really empower creators to make dope audio content like podcasts, just chatting streams, and incredible videos. @JFest, I really hope to see something like this next year. If you don't have plans for something like this yet, feel free to take this concept and run with it. I only ask that if you use it, I can get a unit to review xD And if you already have a device like this in the works, I would still love a unit to review xD I have been wanting something like this since I got my Wave XLR. I feel like Elgato is poised to take professional broadcasting by storm, and I think a professional audio solution like this would do Elgato well to further solidify its already strong first step into that world. And with the growth of podcasts this past year, I think this would be a very timely release. My DM's are open Elgato. Let's chat! xD

If you know anything about @elgato, you know they are about to give us leaks about things they have in the pipeline right now. So take notes and start sleuthing!

I will never not enter a giveaway for an elgato neon sign.

This is my super bowl.

Hey @Elgato, is there any chance of getting a button in the Control Center #StreamDeck app to toggle studio mode on the Keylight Mini? Would make it really easy to toggle between the two, and then I can grab it and go places easier. Please and thank you 🙏🏻

Probably the GREATEST EXAMPLE of a standard feature that should be included with ANY streaming software that @StreamWithMeld has greatly cleaned up with their UI and UX implementation is the encoder view. They make it SO EASY to just see the flow of data for your stream. This way, you know exactly where the problems are. If you have encoder lag, you'll see it on the left. If it's network lag, it's on the right. This should be the new standard for visualizing stream issues.

AI RANT! STORY TIME! I AM BEYOND FRUSTRATED! And no, this isn't about AI art... It's, in my opinion, WAY worse than that. I have an incredibly deep love-hate relationship with AI. It's an incredible tool that can be used to augment human output and inspire incredible creativity! But then there is also the case of the store-bought cookie at a bake sale. Today, someone tried to pass off to me a store-bought cookie. I have been spending the last few months looking for a job. I just recently decided to get involved with an employment service to help me in my job search. They were quick to respond and even sent 5 great-sounding job postings! However, the formatting of the job listings looked like they were copied and pasted straight from ChatGPT. Each listing had a link to a job board site like Indeed or Simply Hire, as well as a link to the company's website and job listings. I clicked on them just to check, and sure enough, none of them existed. As a father of three with a wife who has been looking for work for a few months now, getting this kind of lazy treatment is incredibly hurtful and lacks the professionalism that I would expect from this kind of employment service (which I have used in the past and was wonderful). These are the kinds of experiences that I see that are robbing humanity of what makes us special. We are losing the human connection as we continue to lazily perpetuate the sort of raw AI slop that comes out of these models. Again, I think AI can be an INCREDIBLE tool! I use it often, and I'm amazed by how well it can do. But when it's used as a shortcut so that you don't have to do your job, the problem is not the AI... It's you.

Dang... I was really hoping to go this year... But Ticket Price, plus airfare, plus hotel, plus food, plus other things that one just doesn't account for... It's honestly pretty crazy... One day though... One day.

*uses Claude once* Am I vibe coding?

I just used Claude AI for the first time. And while I am pretty strongly opposed to using AI for creative work, for data analysis, I am ALL OVER IT! And the fact that I was able to create a tool that I could use to quickly create data visualizations to share with clients and team members is INCREDIBLE! There are still some refinements that need to be made to the tool, but for using the free version, I have no complaints. It is REALLY cool!

It's store-bought cookies at a bake sale. All this means is that lots of thumbnails are going to start looking exactly the same. Because why wouldn't you use the top channel in your niche as inspiration? I generally like what MrBeast is doing, but this one feels like it's going to be a net negative for the creative space. Not because the tool isn't awesome, but because people are going to abuse it.

Just watched the interview between @nuttylmao and @joelcompiles. If the @StreamWithMeld team is actually able to pull off what they are planning to do, they are going to change the game. Having a video editor directly integrated with your streaming software is HUGE. I share some of the concerns that Nutty has about resource usage, but if they can manage to optimize resource usage and create a fluid experience (which so far they are doing well), I think they have a shot at punching up against the big dogs. I am THRILLED to see your growth!

Figured I would throw up a cheeky co-working stream today! Come check it out! I'd love to have some co-workers today! twitch.tv/salta72

Hot take. But while this technically got the job done, I can confidently say that there are enough subtle errors to be able to tell that this isn't Miyazaki's work. And I'm not even talking about the owl's head in the last scene, or the Cat Bus's legs messing up, or how some things should be moving like the cloth on Kiki's delivery as she is flying through the sky. I'm talking about Miyazaki's intentionality with movement to reinforce the story. When a movement occurs with a character, it is done with great intention. There is thought given to how the movement adds to the message that is being shared in the scene. For example, the scene from Whisper of the Heart with Shizuku walking down the street. You see the firmness of her outstretched arms reinforcing her confidence in the moment, with just enough shake in them to foreshadow the uncertainty of the future. This adds so much to the moment, but is such a small detail. Midjourney's interpretation of the scene shows an almost careless excitement about it. It doesn't add to the moment. It really becomes a distraction from the moment. Now, this can ultimately boil down to the prompt used, but at the end of the day, there are nuances to human expression, especially in the way that Hayao Miyazaki does it, that are just far too subtle for AI to pick up on. Ultimately, it's a case of store-bought cookies at a bake sale.

This is exactly why companies need live streaming. Not strictly for the sales aspect, but for the human connection. As AI advances, many companies are going to be looking for ways to increase their profit margins. But my fear is that they are going to sacrifice their humanity in the process. Remember, people do business with people. And this is like bringing store bought cookies to a bake sale. We need real people.

When are companies going to realize that this is the future of content marketing? If your company isn't ACTIVELY developing a live streaming strategy, you will likely drift into obscurity.

If you are a full-time content creator, what is your plan if you have to quit? What skills can you bring to a traditional employer? I'm not saying that it's going to happen, but it's good to have a plan in case you need to crash out. I've seen a lot of full-time content creators get close, and they got REALLY nervous.

And this is why I love Elgato. It's a company that ACTUALLY LISTENS to their consumers. They have had this record for as long as I've known about them (almost 10 years). They're the only company I've ever seen go from a subscription only model to a one time fee model. They get it.

We are LIVE right now! We are doing our first stream using Meld Studio. I have some things that I want to test, and we have some things to talk about! Like people getting banned for having a multichat on their stream?! twitch.tv/salta72 kick.tv/thesalta72

The current Terms of Service is MASSIVELY out of touch with the spirit of streaming and content creation. I generally think @djclancy999 has done some INCREDIBLE things for Twitch and has really helped to breathe some new life into the platform since he took over. But these policies are massively out of touch. If the problems they mentioned were real issues (moderating external platform chats, etc.), every platform would have the same policy. But they don't. When this policy was added to the terms of service, oher platforms saw this as an opportunity to clown on Twitch, and said that it's fine on their platforms. I believe that Twitch is the home for live streamers. But these kinds of policies and terms of service are like opening the door and inviting people to leave.