Live from the Kitchen - First Solo Live Streamed Performance Using the MKE200 Mobile Kit, It was A lot of Fun but Also Embarrassing!

I had started to prepare for the revival of my former band in 2020, but with no end in sight to the self-restraint mode, the members were hesitant to even get together at the practice studio.
I have not been able to respond to the requests from those who used to come to see the band and ask when the band will start, and it has been a very disappointing time.

During those days, my hero band was performing live on Facebook with just a guitar and singing, and also playing some rare numbers.
I actually enjoyed the humorous interaction with the audience that I normally couldn’t experience when I saw them at a live house, and I felt that experience taught me a new way of performance.
In 2022, I decided to hold a live performance limited to my Facebook friends with just a guitar and voice, focusing on the new songs we had written before the reunion.
I decided to use our dining room as the stage for this simple live performance, without any lighting equipment. We called it “Live from the Kitchen!”

However, I was wondering how we were going to do it, and when I consulted with my boss at work, I learned about this Sennheiser MKE 200 Mobile Kit, a microphone kit for smartphone live streaming!

SENNHEISER / MKE 200 Mobile Kit

Now, let's open it up.

A compact sized tripod. What a surprise, when you look at it, it is made by Manfrotto!
I’m so excited!

Then, let’s set up the boom section to hold the phone in place.

Install the microphone that comes with the kit in the upper part of the boom. Tighten the fixing dial.

Once the phone is fixed, connect the cables provided.

Two types of cables are included, both TRS and one TRRS cable.
I tried the TRRS cable.

A hood for the microphone is also included, so if you are fancy enough to want to do it in the garden, why not do it with the hood on?

Now, the performance will be really simple, with the volume of the guitar amp turned down and the singing into the microphone of the MKE200 Mobile Kit.

I just made a little recording to try it out and check it out,
I thought I did a good job for the first time, even though it was my first time setting it up by myself.

Okay, now I'm ready to go!

To tell you the truth, my wife and children were lying on the kotatsu and playing on their phones on the audience side of the stage...
I was concerned about the difference in tension between the audience and me, but I was playing for the audience, so I didn't care. I was concentrating on the live performance!

The live show started with a computer on the floor as I was watching myself playing and seeing if anyone was watching me.
During the live performance, I was able to relax and enjoy the comments from members of the band I used to play with and from my classmates during the MC between songs.
It was also refreshing to perform inside a house, in a well-lit kitchen.

After the concert was over, I packed up my equipment and had a delicious dinner.

I think I will try to do this “Live from the Kitchen” regularly using the MKE200 Mobile Kit in the future.