Roland has made a live streaming studio for your smartphone

GO:LIVECAST functions like an instantly-accessible, mini broadcast studio to make online live video production for programs from music, to beauty, to cooking. Roland says it has been designed to make streaming easier, more accessible, and more fun for everyone, so that inspiration can take shape in the form of music or media.

The Roland GO:LIVECAST is essentially a plug-and-play setup. Simply connect a smartphone and headphones for sound monitoring and you can start streaming. GO:LIVECAST improves average built-in microphone smartphone audio by giving content creators the ability to connect to other sound sources - such as electronic instruments. You can also insert pre-recorded audio and video clips into livestreams via six customizable controls. There are also options to quickly adjust the volume of your microphone or media clip through knobs and mute buttons to keep audio at a comfortable level and omit unwanted sounds.

Through the companion app, available for both Android and iOS (the hardware also comes with both Lightning and USB-C cables), users can access a variety of video features. Roland says that even content-creators without production experience can introduce new elements to their broadcasts to elevate content. The GO:LIVECAST app allows streamers to log-in and connect to their preferred platforms and start broadcasting directly, eliminating the need for other third-party streaming software. Streamers can also simultaneously monitor comments from their viewers directly in the app while managing their stream.

The hardware itself, a small simple looking white box, features an XLR input. There's also a stereo line input for adding a guitar preamp, synth, mixer, or other sound sources. You can shoot video from either your smartphone's rear or selfie camera as well as add skin filters. Portrait or landscape mode is automatically set by your phone’s positioning, while in-camera mirroring displays the proper left/right perspective to your audience.

Roland says it is making in-the-moment content creation easier than ever before by providing a platform to increase professional production value for everyone from novice vloggers to professional streamers on-the-go.

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Roland GO:LIVECAST will be available later this month for a price of $250. That seems attractive, and the Japanese could be onto something with this product. In a promotional video, Roland showed how the product can be used for musical performances, makeup tutorial videos, cooking shows, and skateboarding videos. For the aspiring YouTuber, this relatively affordable package could be irresistible.