Design solutions that pursue the sound quality and experience you need
Most major streaming platforms deliver live content over RTMP or its variants, so the transport layer is rarely the bottleneck. The real differences sit in audio codec parameters and loudness policy. Douyin and Kuaishou typically use AAC at 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz and around 128 kbps, while Bilibili and WeChat Channels apply stricter loudness normalization: if the program audio exceeds the target loudness, the platform compresses it on ingest and the result sounds dull and lifeless. A broadcast device that outputs a fixed set of parameters will therefore degrade on at least one platform whenever several are simulcast. Well-designed hardware should expose configurable sample rate and bitrate outputs, letting the switcher or capture box adapt per platform.
The core hardware challenge of multi-platform streaming is distributing one clean signal to several destinations. A professional design uses a USB audio interface or streaming capture box as the audio hub: the microphone signal passes through preamplification, 48 V phantom power and A/D conversion, then a DSP applies noise reduction, EQ and reverb before fanning out to multiple outputs — one to the streaming PC, one to the monitor headphones, and one to a smartphone's USB-C or 3.5 mm port. At Liwei Electronic we focus on keeping level and latency consistent across all output paths so mobile and desktop streams stay in sync with video. Acoustic echo cancellation (AEC) is the other critical block: when viewer audio played through speakers is picked up again by the microphone, it produces echo and howling. The design must include AEC with a proper reference signal loopback.
For simulcasting, normalize loudness at the capture stage to roughly -16 LUFS to -14 LUFS and let each platform apply its fine adjustment — this preserves fidelity far better than relying on platform-side compression. On the hardware side, a DSP loudness detector with dynamic gain handles this without extra software. For the monitoring chain, the streamer's earphones should tap the final program output, not the raw microphone signal, otherwise what the streamer hears differs from what the audience hears. Provide independent volume control for program and backing track, plus a low-latency mode keeping earpiece delay under 10 ms so singers are not thrown off rhythm.
When specifying audio hardware for multi-platform streaming, evaluate four points. First, the SoC must provide multiple I2S/TDM output ports to support the one-input-multiple-output architecture. Second, DSP headroom must simultaneously carry noise reduction, AEC, reverb and loudness normalization. Third, the USB firmware must implement a multi-channel UAC device so the PC recognizes it correctly. Fourth, analog performance matters: signal-to-noise ratio of at least 95 dB and THD+N below 0.01% keep the voice track clean. With over 10 years of audio solution design experience, Liwei Electronic delivers complete live streaming audio solutions from chip selection and PCBA design through firmware tuning. Contact us to request a quote for a custom solution.
Q: Why do volume levels differ between the mobile and desktop streams in a simulcast?
A: Each platform applies different loudness processing, and mobile streaming apps and OBS on desktop have different gain staging. Normalize the hardware output to about -16 LUFS, then fine-tune each streaming client's gain to eliminate the mismatch.
Q: How do I fix echo or howling during a live stream?
A: It is usually viewer audio played through speakers being re-captured by the microphone. Use earphone monitoring instead of speakers, or enable AEC with a correctly connected reference signal. Liwei's streaming audio solutions include built-in AEC that can be tuned per scenario.
Q: Can one streaming device serve both Douyin and Bilibili at the same time?
A: Yes. As long as the capture device supports configurable sample rate and bitrate output, the switcher can set per-platform push parameters. The key is a clean, unified source signal at the hardware level; platform differences are absorbed in the streaming step.
Shenzhen Liwei Electronic Technology Co., Ltd has over 10 years of expertise in audio solution and PCBA design, serving 15+ renowned brands and 300+ customers. Our live streaming and karaoke audio solutions cover sound cards, monitoring, noise reduction and vocal effects. Contact us for a custom multi-platform streaming audio solution.
Keywords: multi-platform live streaming, live streaming audio solution, loudness normalization, AEC echo cancellation, streaming sound card
