As a incorrigible nerd, one of the most attractive things about starting a video podcast (if that’s what this turns out to be) is putting together all the gear.
My current idea is to use a green screen and throw in some kind of virtual backgrounds, mostly because the spaces in my house for broadcasting are not at all visually interesting. I would love it if I had a cute little nook where I could set up all my nerdy tchotchkes on shelves as a soft-focus background, but I don’t have that kind of a spot. Instead, I’m set up in our guest room upstairs which more-or-less needs to retain its current benign form until I’m an online megastar.
My goal with the studio is to be just slightly better than built-in-webcam quality. For me, this means a broadcast-quality camera (1080p/60 is sufficient, I don’t see a lot of people out there streaming 4k yet), a nice non-auto lens (12-16mm), a decent XLR mic (I have an existing USB audio interface), and a bright light or two.
On the software side, I heard that OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) is good for streaming and recording. It’s nice because it has lots of different inputs (webcam, other streams, pre-recorded media) and outputs (twitch, youtube, virtual webcam…) and a big community of developers making lots of plugins.
I tested this all out yesterday by using the OBS “virtual webcam” adapter (here’s one for macOS, though ultimately I’ll probably use my PC to stream) so I could do zoom calls with a couple of colleagues and they could comment on the quality of the lighting, audio, lens and greenscreen. Here’s the equipment I have so far (note: some of these links have my affiliate code on them):
Existing Gear
This was stuff I was lucky enough to have lying around already
Computer
- Alienware R9 (kinda old now) with 32GB RAM, 8-core i7 processor and m2 SSD
- Intel NUC7i3BNK mini PC with 8GB RAM, Core i3 processor and m2 SSD
Audio
- Mic stands
- Mic shock mount
- XLR cables
- Scarlett 2i2 USB audio interface $159.99
Set
- LimoStudio AGG1338 green screen curtain $20.99 (no longer available)
New Gear
Audio
- AudioTechnica AT2020 cardiod microphone $130.91
- Pengo 1080p HDMI to USB-C 1080p/60 capture card $91.74
Video
- AIDA HD-100A full HD (1080p) camera $280
- MOKOSE 5-50mm lens $48.59
- AmazonBasics tripod $27.94
Lighting
Miscellaneous
- CAMVATE Thread Adapter for mic stand to camera/light $7.29 (pair) – good for reusing mic stands as lighting/camera stands
So, how does this all work together? Well… I’ll have to let you know next week, as I’ve barely begun experimenting with it. In fact, I’m not yet running OBS on the PC itself, but on my work computer (a recently minted Macbook Pro). I look forward to sharing how it fits together (if it does at all) and getting started making some videos. I made some TV back in my misspent youth, but it’s been a while. I’m excited to share the results with the world!