[Weekly Update] 🎛️ Gear check

Tasha

Hello!

👾 Welcome to another week on peerConnection.

🎙️ We've had some discussions about gear in the past, but it's been a while, so I wanted to reach out to my fellow community members and inquire: what audio and video equipment are you currently utilizing?

💻 Are you satisfied with the capabilities of your built-in camera and microphone?

🎥 Or have you ventured into the realm of multiple cameras, microphones, switchers, and lighting to enhance your setup? We'd love to hear all about it!

⬇️ Feel free to share your experiences and setups with the community. Your recommendations could prove invaluable to others who are looking to improve their live-streaming applications.

🔎 If you'd like to explore the latest equipment options available, check out this recent article from Rolling Stone. It covers cutting-edge tools designed to elevate the quality of your video streams.

Looking forward to hearing from you all and discovering the amazing setups you've created!

I'll see you in the forum!

christian

I‘m running with a Logitech BRIO and a Blue Yeti Caster attached to my 2020 MacBook Pro 16“. For lightning I got 2 IKEA Floalt panels (60cm x 60cm top, 30cm x 90cm front). Sound is coming to me ears through Sony WH-900N wireless bluetooth headphones with active noise cancellation.

If I had to setup myself again today, I would likely choose a different camera, microphone and lightning 😅

A couple of reasons:

• The LogiTune software for the camera on macOS is a bit messy. The window keeps closing itself and hides behind other windows. It seems like it doesn’t register as a „real“ window.
• The camera frequently forgets about the settings applied through LogiTune. So I’ll have to restart the app (and find the window) and choose the camera from the devices list. THEN (and only then) the camera streams using the correct settings again.
• Originally I found the Blue Yeti Caster really cool, but the mount, that comes wirh it, just hasn’t the right size for my desk and screens. Plus the microphone is ALWAYS between you and the camer, when mounted on the arm. I eventually built a small DIY stand for the microphone.
• The lights don’t connect to my MacBook, which is both good and bad. Good, because there’s one less thing attached to my computer, bad because it doesn’t auto-adjust to different „modes“.

If I had to re-do my sound setup, I would definitely go for a classic musician setup with a proper XLR microphone attached to a mixer or audio interface.

I haven’t researched cameras recently, so I’m curious what others recommend.

For light I would likely go with a ring light, but it would have to integrate well with the rest.

Lazer

I lean into the portability thing and am using my MacBook's built-in webcam with a Plantronics (Poly) C5210 mono headset.

Having recently moved back into an apartment with not-ideal natural light, I think I might get a ring light for our video meetings. At home I usually work on a 70x60cm manual standing desk, which fits great in my small apartment. As it's quite small, I prefer equipment that doesn't take up a lot of surface area. I think I'll look for a ring light that I can clip onto the back of the desk or the laptop (vs something with a standing base), and ideally something that can be powered by the MacBook itself.