The go-live checklist for every show
7cubit Team
More in Creator Guides
The last two minutes before a show are a poor time to discover that the wrong microphone is selected or that last week's test destination is still enabled. A short, repeatable check catches those mistakes before they become part of the recording.
Run this list in Web Studio before you click Go Live.
1. Confirm the host audio path
Select the microphone you intend to use and speak at your normal show volume. Watch the input meter, then confirm that noise suppression is active. Web Studio requires suppression to be processing before it will publish; the requirement applies to both live and record-only starts.
Listen for the common problems: laptop microphone selected instead of the external mic, keyboard noise louder than speech, or a guest hearing the room through speakers. Noise suppression is not echo cancellation, so headphones remain useful for guests and hosts.
2. Review Your Channels
Open Your Channels and check every destination toggle manually. Do not assume last week's routing is right for today's show. A tutorial may belong on YouTube and Twitch while an announcement may belong on LinkedIn or X.
Check the count against your plan: Free 2, Hobby 3, Creator 5, Scale 8, and Enterprise 50. Turn off destinations that do not belong in this broadcast.
3. Check the title, description, and privacy
Leave enough time for this check because a destination can be technically connected while its metadata is still wrong for the show. A public broadcast with a test title is not a routing failure, but it is a preventable publishing mistake.
Review the active channel's Edit screen rather than treating every platform as the same form. YouTube can use title, description, and privacy fields; other destinations may receive less metadata. Make sure a test privacy setting has not carried into a public show, and make any per-channel adjustments your audience needs.
4. Run a two-minute unlisted test
For an important show, set YouTube privacy to Unlisted and run the real path for two minutes. Check the frame, microphone, scene changes, overlays, captions, and any countdown or product card you plan to use. Watch the destination from another device if possible.
Hobby and above can review stream health and cloud recording after the test. Look for muted audio, dropped frames, a wrong crop, or a recording that never becomes available. Fix those while the audience is still absent.
A test is most useful when it uses the same scenes, destination toggles, and encoder or browser inputs as the real show. Do not replace the whole setup with a silent placeholder and call the route verified. Speak at normal volume, make one scene change, and let the destination receive enough media to expose a bad microphone or a wrong crop.
Keep the test separate from the real show
End the unlisted rehearsal before changing the title or privacy for the public broadcast. Give the test its own short name so you do not mistake it for the final recording later. If a guest is participating in the real show, invite them to the rehearsal when their camera, browser, or audio setup is a risk.
5. Do the room sweep
Confirm that guests have passed pre-flight and are waiting in the green room. Check that the scene you intend to start with is selected, Brand Kit overlays are ready, and the unified chat panel is visible if you plan to reply to YouTube, Facebook, or Twitch.
Take one final look at the lens and the audio meter. If all five checks pass, click Go Live once and watch for the destination confirmation.
If something fails after the final sweep, stop and correct that item rather than changing several settings at once. A single known change makes the next test useful; a handful of simultaneous changes leaves you unsure which one solved the problem.
A checklist is not a sign that the show is fragile. It is how you keep predictable mistakes out of a live recording.
Keep the list short enough to use every time. The value comes from repetition: the same microphone check, routing check, metadata check, test, and room sweep before every broadcast.
Once the show is live, keep the checklist nearby for the ending too: give the sign-off, stop the broadcast from Web Studio, and wait for the recording status to move into its post-show work.
The two-minute version
- Speak into the selected microphone and confirm the meter and noise suppression.
- Review destination toggles and the per-destination title, privacy, and description.
- Run the real route as an unlisted test when the show matters.
- Confirm the starting scene, guests, graphics, and unified chat before clicking Go Live.