News My Updated Home Office for Video Recording and Podcasting

[Crystal]

When I moved into my home office a few years ago, I had a lot of work that I needed to do to make it a comfortable space. I wanted to set it up for both video recording and podcasting but also make it a comfortable space where I enjoy spending long hours. It’s almost there, so I wanted do share some of the investments I made as well as why.

Here’s a breakdown of the upgrades I’ve made:

• Bandwidth – I was utilizing Comcast but my house wasn’t wired so I often ran an ethernet cord from my router to my office when I was recording to ensure I had no bandwidth issues. Comcast had good download speeds, but upload speeds were terrible. I pulled the plug and moved to Fiber. The company installed it directly to my office, so now I have 1Gb service both up and down directly to my laptop! For the rest of the home, I have an Eero Mesh wifi system that was installed with the fiber by Metronet.
• Triple Display Docking Station – Instead of manually connecting ethernet, monitors, USB hub, mic, and speakers each time I sat at my desk, I opted for the j5Create USB-C docking station. It’s one connection and every device is plugged in… including power.
• Standing Desk – Since I’m getting fit, I wanted to have the option of standing up and have a very wide work region to do it with. I opted for a Varidesk… which is built incredibly well, is absolutely stunning, and fits everything on it so I can easily go from sitting to standing. I already had a dual display bracket that installed easily on the desk.
• Microphone – I know a lot of folks love Yeti, but I just couldn’t get the clarity out of my mic. It could have been my voice, I’m not sure. I opted for an Audio-Technica AT2020 Cardioid Condenser Studio XLR microphone and it sounds and looks great.
• XLR to USB audio interface – The Microphone is XLR, so I have a Behringer U-PHORIA UMC202HD, 2-Channel audio interface to push it into the docking station.
• Podcast Arm – Low-profile podcast arms that look good on video can be quite expensive. I opted for the Podcast Pro and it looks fantastic. My only mistake on this is that the microphone is under the weight that the arm tension is designed for so I had to velcro a counterweight on the arm to keep it steady.
• Headphone Amp – You know how ridiculous it can be to maintain or troubleshoot audio outputs via software, so I opted for a PreSonus HP4 4-Channel Compact Headphone Amplifier instead where I have earbuds, studio headphones, and a surround sound system all connected. This means my output is always the same… I just turn up or down which headphones I’m using or mute the monitor output.
• Webcam – Using my laptop camera isn’t viable since the laptop sits on a stand off to the side, so I have a decent Logitech C920 Hd Pro Webcam on top of the monitor for a great shot of the office.
• Speakers – I wanted a great set of speakers for the office that are wired up to the monitor output of the headphone amp, so I went with the Logitech Z623 400 Watt Home Speaker System, 2.1 Speaker System.

The setup is fantastic and I even have a nice television and soundbar next to me to watch a movie or listen to the television while I’m working. I only have one issue and that’s that the monitors put off a TON of light if I have white pages open. The camera doesn’t offer any kind of video adjustment, so I just try to keep all my large, light windows closed while I’m recording. Maybe someone has a tip on a cam that’s better for this or some other filtering solution. Let me know!

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