Audio Visual tips for Zoom, OBS, Youtube etc

Record yourself to benchmark your setup.

Make recordings, organise media into YYYY-MM-DD folders and scrutinise the A/V quality! You will make mistakes and have learn along the way.

Use ffprobe from the https://ffmpeg.org/ to work out the resolution of your recording btw. Aim for 16:9 aspect ratio and a minimum of 1920x1080 resolution.

Network 🔌

Go wired! Get connected 🎶

Be wary of routes with ☠️PACKET LOSS☠️ Exhibit A Exhibit B … only really noticed with monitoring.

Good options to getting wired (single USB-C) for Apple MBP:

• ~100SGD Anker with my video review
• ~30SGD Aliexpress
• Flat CAT6 to get under doors

Lighting 💡

Entry level suggestions:

• ⭕ 42SGD Ring light – best all-in-one for reducing face shadows
• 41SGD Panel light versus 200+SGD key lights - you often need more than one to reduce shadows

5600K colour temperature seems to be a sweet spot.

You will get used to a bright light in your face.

Audio 🎤

Avoid wireless. I love my Air Pod Pros too, but they are not as good as you might think!

• A lapel microphone is the simplest option
• “Condenser microphone” (reduced pick up pattern) - ~100SGD Audio-Technica AT2005USB Cardioid Dynamic USB/XLR Microphone
• When using OBS do experiment with the noise gate / noise filters! They work well.
• Advanced: ~150SGD Microphone boom
• Advanced: Make a separate recording with for example a lapel microphone ~75SGD and an iPhone

Best sound treatment for a room is soft furnishings: Curtains, carpet, pillows, throws … a bedroom can be pretty good. Hard surfaces suck.

👏 Clap test 👏

Video 🎥

Get a Laptop Notebook Stand to get camera at optimal eye level.

• NDI HX Camera - use your iPhone at a pinch with some latency
• Super advanced: 1000SGD Sony ZV-1 - can tether over USB
• A virtual background isn’t a novelty

Test your setup

1. Record yourself!
2. What could be be better? FOCUS ON AUDIO. Is there something distracting?
3. Go to step 1

Practice makes perfect.

Really next level stuff

The problem of “making eye contact” is quite difficult to solve if your camera isn’t mounted on your screen

• Teleprompter / Glidecam is ~200SGD - you can mount a (small) HDMI output screen with Zoom gallery below it
• Try set you camera a few meters back from your desk, if you have the space

Green screen - less distracting than a virtual background. Pull up and under-the-bed storable indicative prices:

1. 5m x 2m $189SGD
2. 3m x 2m $249SGD

Remember you only need to green screen your outline/silhouette, not your back wall!

Take aways - #priorities

Record yourself to benchmark your setup.

1. Wired Network
2. Audio
3. Lighting

TODO: Watch some Zoom tutorial videos for understanding some advanced features like Spotlight and hand gestures

Credits:

• Photo by HIVAN ARVIZU @soyhivan on Unsplash
• Photo by Andrija Radojevic on Unsplash