Hello, good morning, good evening and good afternoon.
I made four videos in 2020 that focused on what I think you need to do to produce a keynote, presentation or performance online. I called them Tiny Talks. People seemed to like them. The third Tiny Talk looked at what I call the "Truth Behind The Tech", this being that the tech isn't important.
People seemed to like that idea less.
For some, it would seem, the tech is the most important thing. And it shows.
The constant questioning about "what tech are you using" frustrated me, so I stopped making the series and started thinking about the future of my work as a performance artist, what it is I wanted to do and how I wanted to produce the stories that I want to tell in 2021.
I put in months of research and watched endless hours of YouTube tutorials. I've stood on the shoulders of giants too: closely observing the production teams who made the virtual events that I have written and been involved in. Then there are friends and colleagues such as Daniel and Michael - sharing and caring, etc.
I decided to reveal my Virtual Keynote Speaker setup in the forth and final Tiny Talk, which you can watch now.
People seemed to like this one too. But again, requests for detailed technical lists started coming in.
I've thought long and hard about writing this. I really shouldn't. This list is the result of hours of research, trial and error and investment. I should be charging for this list. It should at least make you feel uncomfortable if you've asked me to provide it. It is the result of my time and energy. It was important enough for me to try and figure it out either by myself or by using google and YouTube. You'd be surprised by how useful the following search queries are:
"How to improve the audio in my office."
"Cheap lighting for a home studio."
"Ultimate home office set up."
"Best microphones for indoors".
You'd be surprised by how few people have tried this before getting in touch with me. You'd be surprised by who they were.
So here it is. This is my complete Virtual Keynote Speaker Setup (as of 07.01.2021). I'm just going to tell you what I'm using. I'm not going to tell you where to buy them (because I'm based in Germany and have no idea where you are) and I'm not going to tell you why I use them. This list does not include the build, nor does it include the cables and cable management needed to get it to work.
Computers and Monitors
- MacMini 2018
- MacBook Pro 2017
- 2 Samsung 32" Monitors
- ONKRON Monitor arms
Camera, Teleprompter and Streaming Setup
- Blackmagic ATEM mini pro
- Canon EOS R with a 35mm lens
- TeleprompterPAD iLight Pro 10"
- Feelworld 7" field monitor
Switch and HDMI splitters
- 2 x HDMI splitters from techhole
- Techly IDATA HDMI Switch
Lighting
- Apurture 120 D Mark II with a softbox
- LED panel (can't seem to find the manufacturer)
- 2 x Monfroto poles.
Audio
- Bose TS4 Mixer
- Cloudlifter
- SHURE SM7B
As I said in Tiny Talk 3: none of this matters if you don't have anything to say or what you have to say isn't relevant. Concentrate on getting that stuff right before you start investing in gear.
Please watch the rest of the Tiny Talk series if you have any more questions about how I think you can smash virtual keynotes out of the ballpark. Dave Briss has put together something very useful too: "7 tips for brilliant remote presentations". Have a look.
I should point out the most important studio kit isn't listed here, but I'll be making a little video about that soon so subscribe to my YouTube channel.
Still have tech-related questions? I'm more than happy to help and advise you... in exchange for money.