What’s up with Facebook Live Stream Audio?

I get questions all the time about why Facebook’s live stream audio sounds weird. So what processing are they doing behind the scenes? They released a new codec for their audio inside their apps (Facebook and Instagram), but how different is it from the one used on their mobile site?

Download “How to Lead Your Church Audio Stream Team” here: https://www.attawayaudio.com/churchaudiostreamguide

Find information about Worship Sound Wisdom University and the Broadcast Audio course here: https://www.attawayaudio.com/WSWU
Read up on Meta Engineering’s take on their new audio algorithm: https://engineering.fb.com/2023/04/11/video-engineering/high-quality-audio-xhe-aac-codec-meta/

Check out the videos from Fraunhofer who made the codec: https://www.iis.fraunhofer.de/en/ff/amm/broadcast-streaming/xheaac.html

00:00 Introduction
00:36 What's The Problem with Facebook Audio?
01:44 Saving Audio Bandwidth
02:26 What does Facebook say about their new codec?
03:45 What does it sound like with a normal mix?
04:11 Here's how I tested the difference between the FOH versus the Facebook mix.
05:55 I didn't notice the volume compensation issues.
06:47 Why Meta is embracing the new xHE-AAC Codec.
10:14 The App version has more top end and fidelity than the browser version
10:36 Comparing the Facebook App Audio to the web browser audio
12:47 Conclusion
13:05 Broadcast Audio Course
13:33 Should you recommend the Facebook Mobile App?
14:04 Final Thoughts
15:01 How to Lead Your Church Audio Stream Team