This guide goes over how to connect the Stream to your home network and connect your mics and instruments.
What's in the box
- Stream Device: The hub of your sessions, where you'll connect all your sound sources.
- Lutefish subscription: Your included subscription to the Lutefish session platform and creative community.
- 6' USB power cable: A USB C to USB A cable used to power the Stream.
- USB power wall adapter: Wall adapter used with the included USB cable to power the Stream.
- 25' Ethernet cable: A long Ethernet cable to connect the Stream directly to your router, providing the lowest possible latency for your sessions.
- Quickstart guide: A reference guide we recommend keeping handy during your first sessions.
- Stream user manual: Your main hardcopy reference to the basic functions of the Stream hardware.
- Earbuds: Use to monitor your audio when using the Stream.
- Registration card
You'll also need the following to set up the Stream:
- Cable or fiber internet service (test your connection here[AA1] )
- Computer (ideally connected to your router via Ethernet)
- Router or gateway with at least one available Ethernet port
- Audio cables for your mics and instruments
Stream Setup: Step-by-step
Step 1: Connect the Stream to router
Step 2: Link your Stream to your Lutefish account.
Step 3: Connect your sound sources (mics & instruments).
Connect the Stream to your router
The Lutefish Stream connects directly to your router via Ethernet to minimize latency and provide the fastest possible response times for your sessions.
Step 1: Connect one end of the included 25ft Ethernet cable to the Ethernet port on the back of the Stream and connect the other end to an Ethernet port on your router.
Step 2: Connect the included USB C/A cable to the included power adapter. Connect the USB cable's larger USB-A connector to port on the power adapter. Connect the smaller USB-C end of the cable to USB-C port on the left side of the Stream.
Step 3: Power up the Stream by plugging the USB power adapter into a power outlet. Wait while the Stream initializes (waving blue and orange LED) and updates (blinking white and blue LED). A solid blue LED means the Stream is ready to use.
Internet connection
Connection type: Cable or fiber internet service
Latency (Ping): 30ms or less
Distance: 500 miles or less
Lutefish sessions should run over a low-latency cable or fiber internet connection. You can use the Lutefish connection test [AA2] to find out if your internet service is suitable for Lutefish sessions. You can also check your connection's latency with an internet speed test, just look for the "Ping" measurement (measured in milliseconds [ms]) in your test results. We recommend a ping for 30ms or less for the best experience using the Stream.
Distance
For the best experience, we recommend limiting sessions to players that are within 500 miles of each other. Keeping all session members within a 500-mile radius allows for rhythmically tight sessions that feel like a live jam. However, it's important to note that Individual experiences may vary due to differences in internet infrastructure, among other factors.
More about audio latency and music
Musicians are always subject to some degree of audio latency, which is the delay between when a note sounds and when it's heard by the player(s). Sound travels at roughly one foot per millisecond (ms), so even sitting next to a guitar amp, you experience about 3ms of audio latency. This usually isn't a problem because the delay is so minimal that you perceive the sound as instant.
But when we add hundreds of miles of networking cables into the mix, the audio latency can get bad enough that you start to notice the delay, making it harder to play in time. When you're using the Stream, we want you to feel like you're jamming with everyone in the same room, so we aim for an audio latency of approximately 30ms or less: the equivalent of being about 30 feet away from other players on stage.
Link your Stream to your Lutefish account
Once your Stream is online, you need to link the device in your Lutefish account settings. On your computer, open a web browser and navigate to https://app.lutefish.com/#/login, and log in.
Step 1: On the account page, click on your account name in the upper-right corner and select Account settings.
Step 2: Select Device Setup from the left-hand menu. On the device page, click Add Device.
Step 3: Enter the serial number found on the bottom of your Stream.
The Streams LED will flash white, indicating it received a test ping from your account and that your stream is ready to use.
Connect your mics and instruments
For safety, we recommend turning the volume and input gain knobs counter-clockwise until they are set all the way down before you connect anything.
Audio Inputs
Use the Stream's two audio inputs to connect your instruments and microphones. Both of the Stream's XLR / ¼" combo jacks accept mic, line, and instrument-level sources.
Each input has a line/instrument switch, which is used to set the appropriate initial gain and impedance for 1/4" jack input.
Use line level for keyboards, synthesizers, and outboard gear. Switch to instrument level for DI guitars, bass guitars, and electro-acoustic instruments like acoustic guitars and violins if using an onboard pickup.
Microphones using an XLR connection are automatically set to the correct preamp initial gain and impedance. The Stream does not have built-in phantom power, so you may need to power some condenser microphones with a preamp or other external device before the signal reaches the Stream.
Signal monitoring
Plug in a set of headphones or the included earbuds to monitor audio from the Stream. A 3.5mm headphone output and a ¼ inch headphone output can be found on the side of the Stream.
Gain Staging
Setting the correct input gain (smaller knobs) is different than setting your desired volume. Setting input gain is all about getting a strong and healthy audio signal, whereas the volume knob is then used to set your preferred monitoring volume.
When setting preamp gain for your audio sources, you want to achieve an audio signal that sits between your sound source's noise floor and the input preamp's clipping level. Using too little gain will result in a noisy or weak audio signal, and using too much gain can result in distortion and clipping.
Here's how to set the correct gain levels for your mics and instruments:
Step 1: Turn the volume and input knobs all the way down.
Step 2: With the preamp switch on the correct setting for your audio source, connect your instrument or microphone to one of the combo inputs.
Step 3: Slowly turn the volume knob to sit at about 9 O'clock. Then, while sounding your instrument or mic, slowly turn the corresponding input gain knob until you hear audio. Once you hear a clear signal coming from the audio input, adjust the volume knob to a comfortable monitoring level.
If your sound source's signal is low, you may need to adjust the volume knob, but try to avoid compensating for low preamp gain with the volume knob; in doing so, you increase the potential for loud unexpected bursts of volume.