Category: Community

With more and more work being remote or a hybrid of office and remote, job interviews are being held remotely. When it comes to a virtual job interview you’re going to want to look your best and be easily heard so we put together some of the best virtual job interview tools available today!

Setting the scene for your virtual job interview

The most important thing is lighting, no camera looks good without lighting. So open a window, turn on the room lights, whatever you can do, but preferably you can have a dedicated video light. Good options are the Elgato Key Lights, which are designed to work with your desk, and the Aputure MC light, which are small, easy to mount, and controllable via an app.

Next is the camera. Now there are a lot of great webcams out there, but unless you have a big budget, the best camera you have is likely going to be your smartphone. You can use your smartphone as a webcam with XSplit Connect: Webcam on iOS or Android. All you need to do is connect your smartphone and computer to the same WiFi network or connect via USB. Then open up XSplit VCam and select your phone.

With XSplit VCam you can blur or replace your background if you’re working in a place that is a bit messy. You can use XSplit VCam as your camera in whatever video conferencing software will be used to host the interview like Zoom or Google Meet.

Being Heard

Next, you need to be sure the interviewer can hear you and not what’s going on around you. While having an expensive podcast-style mic like the Shure SM7B is a good choice, it can be a bit distracting having a huge microphone in the frame, unless you are interviewing to be a radio host. 

So you may want to opt for a super-cardioid or shotgun microphone that you can place outside of the camera frame. Some good choices here are the Rode Videomic Go, Rode NTG series, or Shure VP83 series of microphones. We also recommend the Blue series of USB microphones like the Snowball and the Yeti for ease of use. Just plug them in and you have a quality-sounding microphone!

Now with the microphones not as close, you may get some background noise. With XSplit Broadcaster you can use the built-in noise removal. You can then use XSplit Broadcaster as your microphone source in your call software so that the noise removal effect will be applied as well. Just remember the closer the mic the better!

Note-taking and highlights

Likely you’ll be getting questions based on your resume, so it’s good to have that in front of you and give yourself notes on any parts of your resume that may raise questions, like a work gap or a specific skill set or training you have.

Also, be sure to do research about the company you are interviewing with. Being able to ask relevant questions about the work environment and describe what you can bring to that specific company will help you stand out from other candidates. Simply having a document open and going split-screen with your interview window will make the world of difference! Plus, you can note down any questions you may have as the interview goes along. It’s always important to ask questions, a job interview is as much for you as it is for the employer!

Black Friday is here and we have one of our biggest deals yet! 25% OFF all of our licenses, FOR LIFE! You can get access to our entire suite of apps, or just purchase a license for a specific program for the length of time you’re after! And yes, for life means for life. You will get 25% off every renewal if you’re paying monthly or even yearly!

This promotion is running from November 24th – November 30th so don’t miss out!

Getting this deal couldn’t be easier, first of all, head to the Buy Page here where you can select what kind of license you’d like to buy. Then, you’ll be prompted to create an account, and after that, it’s just a case of making the purchase using one of the promo codes listed below!

Nov 24th – 30th 2021 – BF25
Nov 29th – Dec 2nd 2021 – CM25

Remember, only one of these codes will work at a time. If you’re new to XSplit or just don’t know about our entire suite of apps, why don’t we look at what licenses we offer?

What Licenses Do We Have?

So, when it comes to our licenses, we have a few options. The best value is the XSplit Premium Bundle, which includes access to our entire suite of apps. So that includes XSplit VCam, Presenter, Broadcaster, Capture, Connect: Webcam, and anything else we release in the future! Not only that, but you will get early access to new apps and private beta access to upcoming apps!

After that, we have Premium Licenses for each app, that’s Broadcaster, VCam, and Presenter. Each of these unlocks the full potential of the app and you’ll also receive VIP support from our 24/7 live support team! This is something that is, of course, included with the Premium Bundle!

When it comes to duration, you can select a number of options from one month, which will renew automatically, all the way to a lifetime license. That’s right, if you’d rather not pay monthly you can simply pay once and never have to worry about it again! This option, of course, includes all updates going forward, VIP support, and all the same benefits you get from paying monthly.

As we mentioned, this deal is only on for a limited time so be sure not to miss out! And as ever, if you have any questions, we are available here in the comments or on our social channels!

Setting the mood for your online Halloween party is essential, so having the right spooky webcam background can make all the difference! However, spending time trying to find the perfect image through search engines can be a bit of a chore! So, we’ve got a whole bunch here that should do the trick! Since our own program, XSplit VCam, can use videos and gifs as backgrounds, we have some extra spooky moving ones as well!

Spooky Webcam Backgrounds

Horror Movie Backgrounds

Here are some images from various horror movies that would make great scary backgrounds for your next call! From iconic images to more modern classics, we’ve got you covered!

Spooky Horror Gifs

Pop these in the background of your next call, and you’re ready to go with a spooky background guaranteed to add atmosphere to your next call! Not every call platform can support gifs and videos as a virtual background, but if the program you’re using can (did we mention our own XSplit VCam can do this as well as videos from places like YouTube?), then these will be great!

We hope these spooky webcam backgrounds help you out with your next virtual Halloween party. Or, if you want to add a bit of the horror world to your next call! We don’t recommend showing up with one of these for your next check-in call with your boss, though! If you’re looking for some more webcam backgrounds that are less specific, we have a long list right here!

We have a new logo!

Everyone knows and loves the old logo, it’s iconic and has been with us since 2014 so why change it, you might be asking? Aside from naturally wanting aesthetic improvements, a lot has changed with XSplit since that time. Our overall focus has gradually shifted especially during the last couple of years with newly-released products and some upcoming ones.

Fun fact: Not many people know that XSplit wasn’t originally created with gamers in mind. When the first XSplit product was launched in 2009, it was more of a productivity suite aimed at helping people share content with others in the form of screenshots, short videos with annotations, etc. 

Long story short, XSplit Broadcaster eventually became widely known as a live streaming and recording software that was embraced by gamers, and the rest was history. While the previous logos were not super explicit, they still communicated content creation and sharing throughout its evolution.

The last logo stayed for a while undergoing minor revisions. Our product portfolio began to grow to the point where XSplit was no longer just about Broadcaster. Our markets had expanded outside of gaming and content creation. Last year was the pinnacle when the interest in XSplit VCam skyrocketed as more and more people worked from home. Other people have started using XSplit Broadcaster as well for other purposes like online meetings and webinars.

We’ve come full circle, once again serving the productivity and the general workforce market. And while gaming will always continue to be ingrained in our identity, the need for tools and applications that will help people face the ‘new normal’ has been stronger than ever, and we know we can deliver!

At this point, we know there’s no delaying the inevitable, and the time is now to reveal our new logo (unless you’ve seen it at the top there, but hey, we like to build suspense).

The new XSplit

This new logo better encapsulates, thanks to the work of our designer Diana Chanco, what and where we are as a brand and slots in nicely with our existing and future products. More importantly, it looks more refined and flexible to scale easily in various applications which cannot be always said with our old logo. 

In addition, we will be retiring SplitmediaLabs corporate website and consolidating all communications, updates, and job postings through the XSplit brand. Be sure to stay tuned for more updates in 2021! We hope you like it.

Tanya De Pass has been a shining light in the streaming and gaming world for a while now and we have gone from fans to working together on a few projects. In this interview, we got to sit down and talk with Tanya not long after her XSplit 101 stream, where she ran down how she uses XSplit Broadcaster and it’s benefits.

Hi Tanya! Tell us a little about yourself and how you started streaming!

I was born on a chilly spring night in Chicago. Seriously though, I’ve been a lifelong gamer, from D&D to arcades, pong and more to today. I started streaming because I wanted to share Dragon Age: Inquisition with friends and because I discovered I could stream directly of my PS4 without a fancy set up. So once the game came out, I set it all up and that was my first streaming experience! I found I enjoyed it (despite the trolls, harassers and then stalkers) and haven’t looked back. 

Did anyone inspire you to start streaming?

I found SimplyUndrea (who no longer streams) and iambrandon (known as UGRGaming at the time) via someone hosting their streams. They were some of the first black streamers I’d seen on the platform, showed I wouldn’t be alone if I started streaming. 

Tabletop seems to have been a big interest of yours for a while now, where did you first get introduced to it?

Funnily enough I was trying to remember my first D&D session and couldn’t. I played in my early teens onward, and had to hide my gaming from my mother, who fell to the Satanic Panic of the time. She thought it was demonic, and well it was easier just to not say exactly what I was doing with friends. I do remember it was friends that introduced me to it, and knowing how much I love storytelling and fantasy; I was hooked.

Rivals of Waterdeep, the Tabletop D&D show on the official Dungeons & Dragons Twitch channel has gone from success to success, how did it get started?

Rivals came about due to Greg Tito over at WotC. He had been following my work on I Need Diverse Games for a while, and had invited me on to Dragon Talk about inclusion in tabletop & my history with D&D and other RPG’s. We kept in touch, often chatting about our shared favorite game Dragon Age II. Earlier in 2018 he reached out and asked if I’d be interested and if I knew anyone who’d want to do an actual play D&D show. The reason for our show being put together was to show anyone can play learn to play D&D. We also are a unique show in that we have an all Black and POC cast, and we change up DM’s (Dungeon Master) every season. 

Can you tell us about I Need Diverse Games?

INDG came about because I was mad about video games in October 2014. It was very much a lightning in a bottle moment of right time, right topic and the hashtag I was adding to tweets about my displeasure with aspects of the games I loved, #INeedDiverseGames being shared by folks in the industry.

Out of those conversations happening, a community slowly grew out of those. I got invited to podcasts, was interviewed and eventually INDG became it’s own entity. In December 2015 I was let go from my day job, so I decided to see if I could make INDG my main thing until unemployment ran out. So between freelance, Patreon and other small gigs here and there; I’ve been able to do this as my full time job ever since. 

You’ve been using XSplit Broadcaster for a while now on your streams, why is that?

I found it pretty user friendly, easy to set up and get going without feeling like I needed an advanced CS degree to just get my stream added into it. It let me add a bunch of scenes, and more importantly profiles into one installation rather than having to have more than one instance installed if say, I wanted to stream on the I Need Diverse Games channel instead of my channel. Updates are clear and I can’t wait for what’s in the PTR client to come to the production version. So many quality of life improvements as a broadcaster are in the pipeline. 

You recently ran an XSplit 101 stream, but what advice would you give to someone inspired by you looking to start streaming today?

Make sure you’re not in it to get rich immediately, or ever honestly. Stream whatever content you enjoy and don’t obsess over numbers. Also, make sure you like streaming before you go all in and buy a bunch of expensive equipment then it turns out you don’t actually like it. Try Gamecaster for free, then upgrade to Broadcaster if you continue to stream. Lastly, be patient. Building an audience and community will take time. There is no one game that will make you an overnight sensation in the streaming world. 

Thank you for your time, Tanya, where can people find you on the internet?

You’re so welcome Chris! Thanks for chatting and for the chance to show off why I love using XSplit to my community! I can be found on the internet as cypheroftyr everywhere like; instagram, twitter, Patreon, Twitch, Facebook page and right here on cypheroftyr.com!

It’s been a little over one month since we launched XSplit Gamecaster V4, a complete reworking of the app and we were blown away by the tremendously positive feedback we received from our community. For that, we are truly humbled and have been listening carefully to all of your thoughtful comments and suggestions via our Discord and Feature Upvote.

We still have some way to go as we continue to update the app with new features and improvements, but as we approach the end of the year thought it appropriate to give you all a special thanks for taking a chance on trying out XSplit Gamecaster.

With that in mind, we are introducing the Founders License, available for all who try out Gamecaster through the open beta and grants them complete access without any license restrictions for life. 

How To Claim your Founders License

To be eligible to claim your free XSplit Gamecaster Founders License, you need only open up XSplit Gamecaster and click your user account in the top right corner and follow the onscreen instructions. It’s that simple and takes just a few seconds.

The XSplit Gamecaster Founders License is our way of saying thank you by guaranteeing you free access for life to the app as we continue to develop it. While we have yet to announce any further plans for monetization options in-app, we know there has been some confusion from our early-adopters as to if they will eventually be locked out of the app and served a paywall, this license is our promise to you that will not be the case. 

The XSplit Gamecaster Founders License will be redeemable throughout the Open Beta period. We expect to announce a date for the end of this period in the new year, so make sure to claim your Founders License while you still can!

What’s Next for XSplit Gamecaster?

Since launching back in October the XSplit Gamecaster team has been introducing new updates at a rate of nearly once a week, each time addressing bugs and issues as well as polishing the user experience for easier navigation and greater control of your broadcast. 

As we move into 2020, We are looking to introduce new features into XSplit Gamecaster as well as continue development on XSplit Broadcaster, XSplit VCam, and XSplit Express Video Editor. In the meantime, to stay up to date on the latest developments of XSplit Gamecaster and our other applications, make sure to follow us on Twitter, as well as join our Discord where updates are shared. 

Did you know that XSplit’s development takes place in Manila, Philippines? Since establishing SplitmediaLabs back in 2009 (ten years ago!), we have proudly been a part of the growing gaming and esports scene of the Philippines. It’s been an absolute pleasure to watch the scene evolve and grow over the years, with prize pools and international viewership going from strength to strength.

REV Major, taking place this weekend, is no exception. With over 800 participants already registered to compete this weekend, REV Major is set to be a landmark event for the Philippines belonging in the same conversation as ESL One Manila and Manila Majors / Masters.

Prepare to experience the HYPE once again as the Philippines’ premiere fighting game event returns.

See you this Sept 28-29, 2019 in The Tent Solaire Resorts & Casino for REV Major 2019.#REVMajor2019 #DoItAgain pic.twitter.com/OrbtCPFED4

— REV MAJOR PH (@revmajorph) September 24, 2019

We’re excited to see REV Major this year, with some of the world’s biggest Tekken 7 players flying into Metro Manila to duke it out with our country’s best. Naturally, the XSplit team had to be involved, so we are helping the folks over at Playbook (who organize the event) with production duties, so the live stream is powered by XSplit.

Our production stream monsters will be making sure everything runs smoothly from Solaire casino, with a few other team members there watching the proceedings! Even our Korean Community Manager, Kevin “Burnout Fighter” Kim will be competing. Adding to the festivities is SplitmediaLabs’ staff member Steef Reverente who will be holding a Retro Game Arena station at the event, featuring a bunch of classic fighting games from the 90’s and early 2000’s.

So make sure to tune into the stream this weekend for some FGC hype and to see who takes the pot. You can also follow XSplit on Twitter, and Instagram for a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to pull off this kind of production.

Speaking of which, interested in broadcasting your own fighting game event? Our Brand Ambassador Chris Slight, took some time back at EVO earlier this year to chat with some of the FGC’s best broadcasters for the best tips, and how to strategize when the inevitable blow-up happens. Check it here:

Keep up-to-date with REV Major this weekend

• Rev Major September 28-29, 2019
• Location: Solaire Resort & Casino
• Live Streams: Twitch (1, 2), Facebook

It’s the 5th season of the best Twitch convention ever and just like in previous years, some of the XSplit staff members are going to be in attendance thanks to Logitech/Blue who will be having an exhibitor presence at the event. Our team will be staying on their booth for the entire duration of the event to demo some cool integrations we have with their products as well as share some of the cool things we’re working on recently.

We’ve been working closely with Logitech for quite some time now and it’s no secret that our products complement each other well (not to mention that we also like each other). They will have demo stations with the C922 and the Capture software on Logitech’s side and have their awesome and much-hyped Yeti X microphone on Blue’s end. They will also be bringing in some influencers on their area for all the days of the event which is definitely something to look forward to.

Friday: Dr. Lupo, DJTechLive, The Expedition Team

Saturday: VioTCZ and Jaybrotatoe

Sunday: Broken blade, Smoothie, Spica, Grig, Tactical, Lothar and Orb

From our end, we have our Director of Developer Relations Miguel Molina, US Community Manager AJ Arends & Chief Commerical Officer Sean Fee present at the event doing demonstrations and conducting business meetings. If you happen to bump into them, don’t hesitate to say hi and ask for an XSplit license!

We will be giving people an exclusive look at the next-gen XSplit Gamecaster version that we’re working on. The product is currently in closed beta with few people getting their hands on it, and helping us finetune it further. All I can say for now is it’s gonna be leaps and bounds better than the current version of Gamecaster when it gets out.  If you want early access and don’t mind getting down and dirty, you can join our Discord server and join the #gamecaster-v4-feedback channel.

If you’re going to be at the convention anyway, there’s no reason not to see the app in action. 🙂

Giveaway and Fun stuff

Logitech will be running a giveaway but the mechanics and other details are still being determined so make sure you follow their social channels for any further updates!

Not attending the event? Not a problem!

As awesome as it sounds that you guys are there and enjoying all the TwitchCon awesomeness, we perfectly understand not everyone can attend due to various reasons. Worry not! Our team will be doing social media coverage for the event just like the old times so make sure to follow and tune in (Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram) so you don’t miss any of them.

But if you’re going…

We look forward to seeing you!  Drop by Blue and Logitech’s area, witness all the awesome new tech in action and ask for a swag. 😀 But seriously, you would want to see the new XSplit Gamecaster next-gen in action. Only then you’ll understand how exciting this new product of ours is.

All in all, I’m sure there’s enough hype for TwitchCon and you already know how you’re spending your three days so there’s no need for me to yap at the nitty-gritty stuff of the event.

Not very often would we write something local on the blog on the latest activities and community events within the Philippines, this one is an exception. XSplit has recently partnered with eSports team, BrenPro, and Next Talents PH; and local video game publisher – Playpark Philippines for their stream needs.

With eSports and video game tournaments proliferating in the local scene, we cannot deny the expansion of streaming not just abroad but also in the local market. The Philippines having over 108 million people and having named one of the top internet users worldwide staying online for more or less 10 hours a day is no bother. With 72 million who use social media – Filipinos are indeed a formidable opponent in making their online presence known. With the recent boom of mobile gaming and Facebook game streaming in the country – broadcasting softwares have become a need for seasoned and budding content creators. Facebook is the top platform of content sharing and communication to most Filipinos, it has also created a new avenue for gamers and other content creators to share the latest games that are trending in the country today.

Last July 20, the XSplit media team arranged a workshop for these talented local talents and shared their knowledge in setting up and optimizing their stream for better content. Offcasts and Digital Anomaly was there to clarify and answer more of the technical streaming questions.

XSplit continuously supports live streamers and content creators from here in the Philippines and abroad, no discrimination here! Be part of our growing community, follow our social accounts and the official Discord server to join the conversation. If you want to invite us for a workshop or event talk, don’t hesitate to let us know.

Here’s a glimpse of the workshop on the Xsplit Monthly Episode 2 at 0:52.

More photos on our Instagram:

XSplit is back at EVO 2019

The XSplit stream production team is heading back to Las Vegas this year for another round of EVO madness. EVO or Evolution Championship Series – the most prestigious fighting game tournaments in the northern hemisphere (if not, the world)!

Our team will be at the Mandalay Bay from August 2 to 4 for the largest and longest-running fighting game tournament that brings together only the best and finest gamers from around the world. Expect a competitive yet fun atmosphere where fans gather and skilled gamers compete to become the best of the best – champions in their respective games.

In this years’ line up, the final numbers are up! Over 14,000 participants from all over will compete for the honor of being the best in their beloved games, not limited to – Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition, Tekken 7, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Mortal Kombat 11, Soul Calibur VI, UNIST, Dragon Ball Fighter Z, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle and Samurai Shodown.

There is no doubt that this year’s competition is going to be really intense! We’ll be sure to have our socials updated for the latest activities and news on the event day itself, so make sure to follow our socials for fresh news from our event correspondents – AJ and Kevin Kim.

Evolution of streaming in the FGC

Since 2011, XSplit has been used for the Evolution Championship Series live stream broadcast. The event was broadcasted to Ustream back in the day reaching over 2 million unique viewers consuming over 1.9 million hours of video content in total. This live stream was produced as collaborative efforts of fighting game sites iPlayWinner, Team Sp00ky, Offcast, and FinestKO.

The growth of the fighting game communities and streaming has expanded through the years, and XSplit has had the honor to be part of and is always in full support of the FGC since the early days. For nearly 10-years, we’ve seen the FGC scene and live streaming expand to greater heights – making our love for fighting games more accessible and appreciated by many audiences across the globe.

If you’re attending EVO, check out the Evolution of streaming in the FGC panel on Friday (August 2) at 2PM – Chris Slight, Maximilian Dood, Spooky and Gooteck will be onsite to discuss more on how live streaming has evolved within the FGC, from individual creators sharing their strategies to tournaments like Evo being broadcast to millions of viewers around the world.