“I STARTED STREAMING BECAUSE I PLAY
GAMES A LOT AND NEEDED A WAY OF
JUSTIFYING IT TO MY GIRLFRIEND”
STUFF MEETS
Jack Saunders
BBC RADIO 1’S NEW MUSIC
GURU ON LAUNCHING A MEDIA
EMPIRE FROM HIS BEDROOM
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I like thinking
outside
the box.
No one wants
to be in the
situation
we’re in but we’ve got to make
the most of it, and I’ve tried to
do that. I started Quarantine
Karaoke on Instagram, and we
got some huge artists (Glass
Animals, Este Haim) to come
on, so I ended up taking it
to Twitch. That was when
I really started to think
about tech and what I could
use to make my house a
professional setting.I really invested in gadgets.
The Shure SM7B is the best
microphone going. I got
myself a little TC Helicon
GoXLR mixer, which allows
me to run audio, video and
separate channels like a
proper studio mixing desk.
I also got a dual-monitor PC
setup and lights behind the
monitors. I’ve even got my
own green screen, so I’ve
basically turned my living
room into a TV studio.I have to be creative when
looking for new music.
Streaming platforms are nice,
but they’re not always quick
enough with their turnover
of new music. I find a lot of
the stuff I play through talking
to people in the industry,
but being a Radio 1 presenter
means you have to be
open-minded. There are
certain things that blow up
on TikTok and become viral
sensations overnight, for
example Curtis Waters’
Stunnin’, a brilliant pop song
that deserved radio play.My job is very different to
what John Peel did.
I suppose John would have
been sent records that he’dhave listened to on the way
to the studio and just decided
to play them there and then.
The industry was probably
a lot freer and a lot more fluid,
whereas now there’s a lot
more structure. Then again,
it’s never been easier for
people to get their music in
your ears, rather than sending
a CD in the post and crossing
their fingers. Who had the
harder gig? That’s not for
me to say!Headphones are very
important to me.
If I’m listening to music for
work I use my Beyerdynamic
DT 990s – with velour
cushioning, of course. They’re
studio-quality and let me
appreciate all the details. If
I’m out and about, it’s always
Bose QC35 IIs. I swear by
those things. They’ve lasted
me for so long, and I’d never
go back to buds.I started streaming to make
my videogame obsession
productive.
I play games all the time and
needed a way of justifying it to
my girlfriend. My Twitch stuff
is a separate entity to my radio
work, and it can be difficult to
translate to people that you
can watch someone play
games and be entertained,
but that’s definitely shifted
during this period. I’ve been
out there grinding pretty hard
every Friday and Sunday.
I’ve started a Call of Duty:
Warzone tournament with
my mates that we’re building
into something bigger. We’ve
had Sigala, Frank Carter,
Slowthai, Connor from theVamps... I really like the idea
of bringing gaming and
bands together with a bit
of competition.Music and gaming go hand
in hand, and never more so
than now.
The interesting thing with
Warzone is when you’re riding
around and they’re playing
tracks that Activision have
licences for. There have
been so many iconic game
soundtracks, but there are
more ideas to be thrown
about in that area.I’m looking forward to seeing
what gaming brings in 2021.
The last thing I tried to play
was Cyberpunk 2077 and it
flunked on me hard, even after
the update, so I’m leaving that
one for a bit. I’m a big Far Cry
guy so I can’t wait for Far Cry
6 , and I’ll be getting stuck into
Hitman 3. I might have to get
on Resident Evil Village as well.
I’m terrible with horror but I’ll
have to do that for the stream.
Not for myself!