Gradual can receive any RTMP stream to display within a livestream or hybrid event on a specific stage. Gradual doesn't have a native "stage" or livestream studio to create your stream.

From within the dashboard, you will navigate to the livestream or hybrid event, to Event Setup, and to the Stage Settings tab. Here you can edit stage names, add stages, and find all the information to conduct live streaming into your event.

All events will automatically configure one stage and title it 'Stage 1'. If you want to change the name of the stage, select Edit, enter a new title, and select Submit to save your work.

If you are hosting a multi-track event where you will be streaming video for two or more sessions at the same time, you will need to add stages to accommodate multiple stream feeds. Each stage in Gradual requires it's own RTMP feed.

You add a stage by selecting the + Add A Stage button in the upper right. You will need to name each additional stage and the platform will automatically build a Stream Key and Stream RTMP URL for you.

Because Gradual does not have a native streaming service, the platform supports any streaming service or encoder that can output an RTMP stream.

When it's time to connect your streaming service to the stage(s) in Gradual, you will navigate to the Stage Settings tab within the event dashboard, and select 'View' beside the stage you're linking to the streaming service. Here is where you will find the Stream RTMP URL and Stream Key.

The Stream RTMP URL and Stream Key are the two pieces of information you'll need from your event dashboard.

Navigate to the Stage Settings tab within the event dashboard, and select 'View' beside the stage you're linking to the streaming service. Have this tab open when setting up the streaming destination.

Gradual uses a standard RTMP streaming protocol. Details below are provided as a starting point. It is strongly recommended to test your content thoroughly to ensure smooth playback.

Twitch has a clear and concise guide to broadcast encoder settings. YouTube has a bit more detailed guide as well. Here are basic recommendations and parameters for your stream setup:

Consider your available upload bandwidth when choosing an encoder bitrate. For a more reliable connection, we recommend using no more than ~50% of the available upload bandwidth for your live stream ingest.

Any software or hardware encoder that can support RTMP streaming should work with Gradual.

Here are a few software encoders we have used and are familiar with:

Reach out should you have another service you're hoping to use, and we can help you connect it to Gradual.

We recommend testing the stream in the actual event environment ahead of the event to ensure all settings are in place, and the stream displays in Gradual.

Set up the RTMP URL and Stream key in the streaming platform or service for the event (following specs above), and ‘go live’ with the stream. We recommend a motion graphic, video or live recording with audio to test the stream.

Access the event early with the preview link and ensure that the stream appears in Gradual. If no stream displays, check the stream destination specs and try again.

Gradual does not record your livestream. To record your livestream, we recommend you do this at the encoder-level or from the main program output being sent to the stream. Most commercially available streaming software has an option to record your stream output.

Every online stage is created with two streaming destinations: a primary stream, and a backup stream on a separate content delivery service. You don't need to request a backup stream — it is set up with the stage, and you'll find it in the same place as your primary stream details.

Navigate to the Stage Settings tab within the event dashboard, and select View beside the stage. Under Enable Backup Stream (Cloudflare) you'll find:

These details are available before the backup stream is turned on, so you can set the destination up in your streaming service or encoder ahead of the event. In-person stages don't carry a stream, so their primary and backup fields stay empty.

If the backup fields show a dash for an event you created some time ago, select Edit beside the stage and then Submit without changing anything. Stages created before the backup stream was introduced are filled in this way.

Note: Treat your backup Stream Key like a password, the same as your primary Stream Key.

Attendees stay on the primary stream until you turn the backup stream on — Gradual does not move them to the backup on its own. When you need to switch:

Attendees are switched to the backup stream automatically, with no need to reload the page. Turning the toggle off returns them to the primary stream the same way.

Note: The toggle controls which stream attendees are watching. Sending video to the backup destination on its own does not move them to it, so confirm the backup is receiving video before you turn it on.

The same stream content is sent to both destinations concurrently, so attendees can be moved across with minimal interruption. This method requires multiple encoders or "simulcasting" your stream with a service. To truly be a backup, we encourage using a completely separate streaming chain (internet connection, encoder, etc).

You stream only using 1 encoder. Should the primary stream destination have an issue, you will end the stream, change the stream destination to the backup, and restart the stream, then turn on Enable Backup Stream (Cloudflare) in Gradual. This requires no additional encoder or connection, but will result in some outage experienced by attendees.