You can make your online events better really quickly with a couple of things
- Better camera
- Better sound
- Better graphics
- More interaction
I have pulled together here a list of my top and favourite tools for the beginner to the advanced broadcaster!
Firstly, make sure you have the basics down – you can have the best kit in the world but if you aren’t set up correctly, it is a lot of burned money.
Check out my video on C.A.L.M set up first
*Please note this links are for demonstration, none are affiliate links and do your own due diligence around pricing and warranty.
Beginners/ Intermediates
Web cam
This awesome camera is cost effective and reasonably future proof, it already is set for 4K recording, amazing to plug and play and the software pack helps with ‘in function’ editing too.
If the Brio is a little out of your price range, try the:-
Both are tripod mountable, but clamp on to your laptop/ monitor just fine too!
Microphone
Not having good audio is the fastest way to ensure people switch off in the online events, literally, they will step out of a call if the sound is bad!
Whilst the Logitech Brio has a great inbuilt microphone – there’s more
- Rode NT – USB is the most versatile mic we have found. Great sound quality, not too much background interference. This comes with a nifty desk tripod, but if you can stretch to the swinging arm to save desk space, go for it.
- Blue Yeti – whilst this is not my fave, lots of my clients rave about them. Get the best Yeti Mic your budget can stretch too. You might want to consider some sound boards if your room is large and echoey as this little nugget will pick up everything!
Lighting
As you’ll see from the video, lighting yourself with natural light is always best. Put for gloomy days or evening recording a ring light can help.
- Desk Ring Light – choose one with various colour temperatures as you might find you look more radiant with a warmer light (pink) than a yellow, or need the lift of the white light.
- Logitech Litra Glow Premium is another great option for the beginner. This light is compact and will grow as your set up grows.
Advanced and Expert.
Ok, so you’ve been broadcasting and presenting for a while. Your videos and set up is ready to go to the next level.
Time to bring out the big guns, prepare the wallet too. Everything above is more than adequate to make your online events stand out, these are my recommendations if you want to make some serious investments in kit.
For a full advanced set up guide, check out the tech show-and-tell, I did with Jason Graystone recently.
Cameras
- Sony A7R IV these are solid camera, great spec and value, the good news is you can also pick them up second hand for a great price.
- Sony A7S next level up and exceptional quality.
You will need lenses! These will make the difference.
- For a master shot, sitting presenting or standing with great quality with good adaptability, grab Sony 24-70mm G Master
- For the blurred background, close ups and intimate speeches or to cover what is going on as a demo grab Sony Zeiss Distagon F1.4 35mm Lens
Mic
Time to upgrade your mic – with all of the above you will need to think about a permanent/ long term set up. This is not the kind of kit you can pop up at a moments notice and run with. The careful placement of cameras and interlinking takes time. But with that you need next level audio.
- Rodemic Pro is a fabulous directional mic, designed to hot shoe onto the top of your camara, connect to the camera body and sync sound and visuals
- Sennheiser MKH 416 P48 this is phenomenal for reducing all the background sounds. Whether you’re outside, in a busy building or have a lot of tech whirring, your audio will be crisp.
Level up Lighting
So you have amazing cameras and audio, not to make your set top notch. The best camera in the land will always benefit from high spec lighting.
When considering lighting you need to light from the from, add light of interest behind to soften wall shadows and light your shoulders to make you ‘pop’ from your
- For the front Aperture 300d Dome Light and softbox
- For the side Manfrotto LED Panel Lights
- For the back 40 RGB Blue tooth panel light
For the mixing
Now you are a pro, with multiple camera angles and slides to share, potentially some audio and video too – you need an advanced mix deck and nothing is more powerful than the Atem Mini Pro (or the Atem Extreme if you’re feeling fancy).
Plug and go, this amazing little box can stream directly, you can link it to Facebook, Zoom and any other online platform. Black magic, the manufacturer have great tutorials too!
For fast switching
Bringing in ticker tape, videos, audio, different screen set ups you’ll need the Elgato Stream deck 32, a little bit of pre planning and set up is required but it is super intuitive and interactive.
You also nee a monitor to see what shots are available to you, to check what is on the live feed and what is cued and ready to go. Check your audio outputs and not need yet another laptop – Seetec 4K is your friend!
And that’s it for now, before we blow too many minds and too many wallets on great new kit.
Don’t forget if you want to level up your events but don’t want the hassle of doing it yourself, just get in touch.