Build your own Micro Studio

May 6, 2023 by Larry Kless

Over the last two years the rise in mini or “micro” studios around the world grew as the new economy of virtual meetings hit an all-time high. I don’t mean

micro-studio apartments, what I’m talking about is transforming small office spaces into a personal video production studio with enhanced audio and video technology that provide professional studio quality in a safe environment.

As it’s said, necessity is the mother of invention. COVID created challenges and opportunities for the video industry, and it forced us all to work differently and adapt, and regardless of what happened the need to communicate was our driving force and the show must go on.

So, early in the pandemic my team and I created a series of micro studios within our regional headquarters by converting empty offices into small studio spaces we call micro studios. We did it by necessity, as we had to socially distance our studio presenters and talent since they couldn’t be in the same space due to COVID restrictions. But in our micro studios, they could safely meet with each other over a video call from their own mini studios.

But why go to all the trouble of building your own micro studio if the built-in webcam and microphone on your laptop and just regular ambient light works fine for most meetings?

Because production quality matters, and high-quality video content increases engagement. So, if you’re presenting important information, teaching a class, public speaking or if you’re appearing on any virtual event or broadcast TV, and you want to stand out and look and sound the best you can, then this blog post is for you.

As we built our micro studios, we tested a lot of different equipment and set ups and developed an affordable solution that we could replicate. We’ve successfully connected them to Zoom, Teams, WebEx, Vmix call, OBS, Restream, and many other virtual event platforms. Several of our regional leaders use our micro studios on a regular basis for their important board meetings and high-profile external events. I’d also add that we instituted and follow COVID workplace safety procedures to keep our staff and guests safe by wearing masks and disinfecting workspaces and equipment.

Here are the main components of our micro studios:

1. Computer – The Apple Mac mini M1 model 16 GB RAM, keyboard, mouse, is great if you’re using it primarily for virtual meetings and lighter streaming applications this model works great and runs, Zoom, Teams OBS, and all productivity apps with ease.

2. Monitor – This is a real subjective choice, depending on what other work you do an inexpensive LCD monitor with HDMI inputs will work. We use the LG 29WN600-W 29″ 21:9 UltraWide and the Acer B277 27″ LED LCD Monitor.

3. Speakers – The Yamaha NX-50 Premium Computer Speakers were recommended by my audio engineers for their great sound at an affordable price. They work well and sound great although for most applications we prefer the in-ear monitors for very conversational sessions. This helps avoid any sort of audio slap back that isn’t eliminated by the echo cancellation in the video call software.

4. Webcam – Logitech Brio 4K Webcam is the industry standard to get HD quality and look really great on camera. There are plenty of other options for higher quality with DSLR‘s, Blackmagic Pocket cinema cameras, but the Brio is a workhorse for your business meetings and webinars. Logitech has the Logi Tune app you can download that controls the settings from the Brio like your zoom ratio, white balance, focus, brightness and contrast. Logitech Capture app is also a content creation tool you can use with your webcam.

5. Audio interface – We handle audio differently than regular meetings, which usually are fine with just an inexpensive USB headset or Bluetooth earbuds. We use professional studio sound equipment that includes an audio interface, an omnidirectional lavalier microphone and an in ear monitor. In the micro studios we use the Focusrite Scarlett Solo 2×2 USB Audio Interface, and for our travel audio kits we’ve developed for our senior leaders we use the Shure X2U XLR-to-USB Signal Adapter. Both devices have professional XLR inputs and headphone jacks to monitor your audio input and output and a USB port to connect to your computer. The Scarlet has quarter inch 6.35 mm (1⁄4 in) outs which helps integration with other professional audio equipment.

6. Microphone & in ear monitor – While more inexpensive options are available, we go DPA all the way. We use the 4060 Series Miniature Omnidirectional lavalier microphones and DPA Microphones d:fine In-Ear Broadcast Headset. We use DPA microphones in studio and these amazing mics have withstood the rigors of space travel and exploring the sounds of Mars. More inexpensive options are available like the Sennheiser XS Lav USB-C Lapel Mic or any of these USB Lavalier Microphones.

7. Lighting – Depending on the room and size of the space, we use a similar approach but have several different lighting instruments with both ring lights and soft light panels. We don’t use three-point lighting in our micro studios since that would be too dramatic and overkill. The key is to have flat even lighting on your subject so that there are no shadows. Soft incident light helps create that look and a simple way to achieve this look is to bounce your lights off your office walls. You can also position your lights to avoid those round ring light circles or lighting reflections in glasses. We use a few different lights in our spaces, like the VL-200T Portable LED Video Ultra-Thin Dimmable Lighting Panel with the Neewer Mini Set of Two Aluminum Photography Back Light Stands. We also use the more expensive Litepanels Astra 6X Bi-Color LED Panels. For ring lights, we use the CLAR Luminous Pro 19″ Bi-Color Ringlight Plus which has actually been discontinued, so a good alternative is the CLAR LF-Y500 Double Arm 3000-6500K LED Light or the VidPro RL-18 LED 18″ Ring Light.

8. Green screen – Using a green screen with your virtual backgrounds on Zoom calls will enhance your quality with a professional looking chroma key. We use the FUDESY Collapsible Chromakey Panel Green Screen-77 x74 Backdrop with great results.There are so many other equipment options out there as the market shifted to remote work and home studios over the last two years. We’ve tried out many solutions and found this collection of products work best in our environment. I’ll be sharing more detail on some of the individual components and devices in future posts.

I’d love to hear what technology and solutions you’re using in your own micro studios. Let me know if you have any recommendations or what you’re doing to get the best audio and video quality for your virtual events.

Originally published on Larry Kless’ Weblog on February 13, 2022

Video Downloader Comparison: The Best Way To Save Videos From The Internet

August 16, 2013 by Larry Kless

Guest post by Tom Volotta

Something so seemingly routine as downloading video wouldn’t immediately strike you as an area where there’s room left for much innovation. That’s not the case. With literally tens of billions of videos being viewed every month, you know lots and lots of them are being downloaded. That’s created a competitive niche for a video downloader. The result is a wide range of design approaches, differences in ease of use and quality.

Comparing 4 Video Downloaders

There are hundreds, maybe thousands of video downloaders available. Many are often referred to as Flash (FLV) or YouTube downloaders. There’s plenty more content online than just YouTube videos for you to explore and download. While there may be a lot of video downloaders readily available, we’re going to compare four free video downloaders: Ant, Freemake, Orbit and RealDownloader.

At first glance, this seemed a comparatively straightforward topic. I’m familiar with video file format converters and they are complicated. Converters are the language translators of digital media. Format converters sift through the differences in containers and compression algorithms to enable compatibility among other formats and devices.

How complex could it be to download video? More than I imagined, as these video downloader programs had many different features and functionality. For testing, all downloads were done through Metacafe, as they cover a number of content areas, and all of it is free to download.

The Ant Video Downloader

Ant’s approach is to embed its video Downloader activation and control mechanisms directly into a toolbar on your browser. You must do separate downloads and installations for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (IE) and Mozilla Firefox. Ant does not install on Google Chrome, Opera, or other browsers, so if you prefer using those browsers you’ll need to choose a different free app.

The icons within the green line above show the Ant controls that get embedded in IE. Downloads can be initiated by either clicking on Download, or on the green circle with the blue “a” at the bottom of the screen grab above. The red and blue lines with the number 2 next to it takes you to their traffic ranking page, full of all kinds of categories and searches.

When on a web page with a video playing, just click either of the two download buttons, and Ant goes into action. It then places the file in a folder you’ve designated. Those files can be viewed by clicking on the Browse button. The Ant Download Manager shows a list of all the video files in your folder, plus progress on any downloads that may be happening simultaneously.

Ant only downloads FLV files and it also has a built-in Flash player where you can view your videos. The window can be expanded to the limits of your screen, but the list of clips will always be present, so you can’t get a true full screen display.

All in all, Ant worked well. Embedding the controls in a tool bar on the browser makes for easy access. You can play the files in whatever media player you like by going to the folder holding them, and opening the file with your player of choice.

The Freemake Video Downloader

Freemake uses both an old school approach and the embedded method to download video. Like Ant, Freemake plants itself with one button in your Firefox or Chrome web browser. Sorry, Internet Explorer. Freemake installs in both browsers automatically. No need to do separate installs as with Ant.

When a video is playing, simply click on the Freemake Download icon on the browser. That opens the program, showing the progress of the clip being downloaded. If you’ve already saved some videos, as I have below, that list will be shown. Clips can also easily be deleted. Freemake does not have a built-in video player like Ant. Clicking on the green triangle play button sends the video to open in your default media player.

Interestingly, Freemake also has a built-in format converter. Clicking Download in the window above reveals a drop-down menu with choices for the file format or device you want the video converted to. A nice touch.

Remember I mentioned Freemake also uses an old school approach. Well, that is to actually copy the URL address of the clip you’re viewing from the browser by clicking on the Paste URL button in the downloader panel. You’ll need to do this when using Internet Explorer or another browser Freemake doesn’t support.

It works fine – just a bit tedious as we’ve come to expect one-click solutions to download videos. Freemake consistently downloaded MP4 videos from Metacafe, but also handles FLV. It’s simple enough to use and got the job done, plus the converter feature is slick.

The Orbit Video Downloader

The Orbit downloader tries to be more progressive with its user interface than Ant or Freemake. Part of the program embeds itself in the browser, but only in Internet Explorer. This feature isn’t available in Firefox or Chrome, there is a preferences pane for monitoring those three browsers, plus Opera, Avant, Maxthon, and Custom. Confusing. This program had me going in circles from the start.

Interestingly, the Orbit download process actually mimics how RealPlayer’s RealDownloader operates, by activating when placing the cursor within the frame of a playing video. When you do that, the GetIt button pops up, usually near where the cursor is positioned. Just click on the arrow next to GetIt to reveal a drop-down menu.

I remember from the installation that I was prompted to also install GrabPro. So I click on the With GrabPro option. I certainly didn’t want to Disable GetIt This time, and I don’t know what Grab++ is. Nothing seems to be happening. No window opening showing the name of a video clip, or a progress bar indicating a download is taking place. Instead there is a yellow box on the right with the icons and the number 3.

Clicking on it looks like there is at least the potential for downloading by clicking on Download it (in blue on the right). The process starts and the video clip is downloaded and placed in the Orbit folder I’ve created.

Success, but with more effort than expected for what should be a simple download. It works; it’s just that the user interface isn’t exactly intuitive. GrabPro works well enough. Orbit supports several video file formats: FLV, AVI, MPG, MPEG, QT, ASF, MOV, WMV, RM and WEBM. The confusion factor is high and it lacks a built-in video player.

RealDownloader Video Downloader

It has a direct, intuitive interface, and provides easy downloading of video from the Internet. RealDownloader works with Microsoft Internet Explorer, and Mozilla Firefox. It does not embed any buttons into the browser’s tool bar. Instead when you are watching a video online, place your cursor within the video frame and RealDownloader’s “Download This Video” box appears at the top right. Click it and the download starts and you can watch the progress. (Note: Previously downloaded videos are also displayed in the screenshot below.)

Notice the icons for Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Email. Each of the videos in the list can be shared directly from RealDownloader to a social media site.

RealDownloader even has a built-in player so you can watch the videos you’ve downloaded without having separate player software installed. RealDownloader supports several video file formats: FLV, MP4, ACC, MPEG4, H.264, MOV, RV, and RM.

Which Video Downloader Is Right For You?

As with all product comparisons, each application has its strong and weak points. Downloading video from the Internet should be a straightforward, simple process. This isn’t a complex technical challenge.

Ant works fine through its embedded buttons in the browser. However, it’s limited to downloading FLV, but does have a built-in FLV player. Freemake also embeds its download button, and shares a similar download progress and clip list window with Ant and RealDownloader. Freemake can also copy and paste URL addresses if necessary. It’s format conversion capability is especially convenient.

Orbit was far and away the most complicated and troublesome. It tries to mimic the “Download This Video” technique used by RealDownloader with its “GetIt” button, but adds layers of additional menus, windows and download buttons, muddying the process.

I’m imaging you’re thinking something like, ‘Of course this guy is applauding RealDownloader.’ Don’t’ take my word for it. Do the comparisons for yourself. All these downloaders are free. Run your own tests and see which you like best.

Read more of Tom Volotta’s work on the RealPlayer blog.

How You Should Be Measuring Business Video Impact

July 21, 2012 by Larry Kless

This article originally appeared on The SmartVideo Blog as How You Should Be Measuring Business Video Impact posted by James Dicso on April 18, 2012, and is republished here through a content partnership with SundaySky

Companies want to prove that business video delivers a measurable financial impact to justify the investment.

In the current online business environment, all companies need to invest in solutions that have a clear and measurable ROI and payback period. Sure, vendors of business video solutions tout the impact of video on targeted business metrics, such as conversion rate, churn rate, engagement rate, call rate, and customer satisfaction as drivers of ROI. But, do they prove that business video is actually delivering these results? If vendors only compare the metrics of video viewers to non-viewers, without controlling for volume of video views and the effects of self-selection bias, the actual ROI results will be inaccurate.

True SmartVideo solutions are designed to address these concerns. Every program starts with defined goals that are measurable. The initial phase of the program includes a persistent control group that separates visitors into a test group (has access to video) and control group (no access to video). Performance of the video group vs. the control group is measured for each metric. This addresses the volume of video views on the total performance and also controls for self-selection bias. The aim is to measure transactional impact (short term) and lifetime impact (longer term) on key metrics.

I’ll use an example to illustrate these points.

A common statement is that “video-viewers convert at 3x the rate of non-viewers”. If non-viewers convert at 2%, this means that video viewers convert at 6%. Without using a control group to address video view rate and self-selection bias, the ROI projections would not be accurate or realistic. Consider the below visual.

This illustration demonstrates the impact of self-selection bias on the test visitors who don’t view video (slightly lower conversion rate) and also reflects the impact of scale of visitors who choose to view the video. Although video viewers convert at 3X non-viewers, the actual lift in conversion is 5% when comparing total video group vs. control group (2.1% conversion rate for the video group vs. 2.0% for the control group).

To effectively measure impact of business video, it is critical to define the success criteria and metrics before kicking off the program. Then, establish a control group to measure the overall effect of video on the target metrics, instead of measuring only actions of video viewers vs. non-viewers.

Is your business video program delivering measurable financial impact? If not, consider adopting a SmartVideo approach.

Visit The SmartVideo Blog for current articles or subscribe the RSS Feed

SmartVideo delivers a compelling, personalized, real-time video experience designed to reach people with what they need to know in the most engaging, entertaining and informative way possible. SundaySky’s innovative convergence of technology and creativity has advanced the use of SmartVideo to more effectively engage people at every step of the customer lifecycle. Our platform generates hundreds of thousands of SmartVideos daily that attract traffic, retarget prospects, convert prospects to customers, support customers and enhance customer relationships. SundaySky SmartVideo users include leading consumer-facing organizations like AT&T, Office Depot and Tiger Direct. Follow SundaySky on Twitter and Facebook.

5 Rookie Mistakes When Investing In Business Video Initiatives

July 16, 2012 by Larry Kless

This article originally appeared on The SmartVideo Blog as 5 Rookie Mistakes When Investing In Business Video Initiatives posted by Shmulik Weller on April 17, 2012.

Online Video Publishing [dot] com welcomes SundaySky as a new blog content partner.

There’s lots of enthusiasm in the market among marketers, advertisers and customer care executives for use of business video (see recent Forrester-ANA study). Video has become a necessity, particularly for online brands, in order to create or maintain an “innovator” perception. However, many settle for just “checking the box” when adopting video for certain business initiatives without paying enough attention to the question – how can video truly have a meaningful impact on my business?

Here are some common rookie mistakes made by online brands that just check the video box, and hence miss the true potential and impact of business video:

Video production and distribution without attaching measurable business value. Creating and posting videos is not enough. Make sure they are measured and optimized to your business needs. For example, if you wish for your videos to increase your site stickiness and the number of repeat visits, make sure your videos refresh frequently to make it enticing for viewers to return and find out what’s new. Measure performance with each refresh. Or perhaps you would like for videos to drive higher conversion rates, in which case you need to establish a control group to measure the overall effect of video on your target metrics.
Selective placement of videos. What’s the point in investing in such a rich asset if it is not going to be prominently featured in your online presence? For example, if your play buttons and your video calls-to-action are big and clear, you will see greater click-to-play rates and hence more significant impact. In many cases only small percentage (single digit) of visitors actually watch the videos. Aim for at least 25% of unique users to play your videos.

Static videos. The Web is a dynamic medium where content is ever-changing. Your video content and creative should be ever-changing and be continually updated, too. Videos should feature the latest products, news, deals and offerings. Low video count and static videos that do not update over time quickly become a ghost town on your site. This is not the innovator message you want to send to your customers. See example below.
Use of generic video content. One-size-fits-all content is less effective, than personalization, particularly when it comes to engaging with your prospects and customers. Personalized video takes your engagement strategies to another level.
DIY. Online video, and especially online video for business, requires unique expertise (vs. traditional video production). Tap into online video experts who can help you not only strategize, but also navigate the nuances around what works and doesn’t work, how to make it dynamic and continually optimize it to deliver desired business outcomes, how to ensure usage. Clearly someone with domain experience can share best practices and help you achieve your goals, and execute on your video strategy. These questions are key to a successful business video deployment.

Video can be a very impactful medium. However, these common mistakes can prevent online brands from realizing its true potential. Don’t just check the video box – master it and make the best out of it.

AT&T is an example innovator who is mastering use of video to further strategic customer care initiatives. View this video to learn about their video strategy.

Visit The SmartVideo Blog for current articles or subscribe the RSS Feed

Wedding Videography or Photography – Which is the best?

July 15, 2012 by Larry Kless

This article originally appeared on Zlobber as Wedding Videography- How it has revolutionized today’s marriage celebrations? posted by Jason Phillips on July 4, 2012

Comparing wedding videography to wedding photography is realistically unrealistic. Both mediums are trying to tell a story and usually succeed, but one uses motion and sound while the other depends on the skill of the photographer. There are arguments for both as well as those who believe they have to have both at their wedding in order to have their special day fully documented.

However, as the old saying goes too many cooks can ruin the stew. So, in the same way too many photographers and videographers can ruin the wedding. When planning your nuptials having photographic memories will be an important step. Deciding whether you want a photographer or videographer or both will require some serious consideration. Photographs can be placed in an album to present a timeline of the event while creating lasting visual memories while a video of the day can also capture all the sounds of the day.

Many people take the refuge of corporate production companies; especially the elite customers.

Pictures of the speeches given during the reception may spark memories of what was said but a video will provide the words as well as the tone in which they were said. Individual table photos are a nice reminder of what guests were there and with whom they were seated, but a video can provide individual messages from each

of the attendees.

The wedding ceremony is a sacred event and photographers sometimes, determined to get the best shot possible, will interfere with the minister and other members of the wedding party. Videographers are seldom any better as they try to muscle their way into the best possible position. You will need to set the ground rules for either one before the ceremony, and talk to the person officiating, to ensure the ceremony goes off without any problems.

For most couples a wedding is a once in a lifetime event and having the day recorded for prosperity will preserve the countless memories. Most couples go through the day like a whirlwind and memories can be sketchy at best. You also need to consider that the uncle or cousin with a video camera may not capture the best videos or have the aggression needed to get the best possible video of the day.

Today, there are many companies engaged in video marketing and production of niche videos. These companies will make your wedding an everlasting memory.

If you choose to have both a photographer and a videographer, you need to caution them both ahead of time that they need to work together. You are going to pay the bills, usually not inexpensive, and you want the best for your money. Professionals will work together to stay out of each other’s shots so you don’t have them appear in all of your wedding pictures.

The bottom line is when choosing between still photography and video look into the future. Determine if you will want to peruse an album of the day’s memories or pop a disk into the player and be able to relive the entire day. Many couples make the mistake of overkill for their wedding with two or three of each, as though they are putting together a professional production. Sure, they are certain to get every image they want, but usually at the expense of them tripping over each other while they block your guests from seeing what is going on.

Photo Credit: WeddingVideographyHouston.com

About the author: Guest author Jason Phillips is a passionate photographer who can tell tips, tricks and techniques. An in depth look on his photographs tell he is an adept photographer not an amateur one. Visit his site to know more about corporate video production and video marketing.

Strategies, tips, how to's and best practices for online video publishers

Online Video Publishing [dot] com by Larry Kless

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