Example Equipment for a Home Recording Studio

One of the most difficult parts of creating video content for in-class use is getting started. To produce a single video requires a functional recording studio, a video distribution network (like YouTube, Vimeo, etc.), a workflow process, and a vision for how these videos serve your target audience. In this post, I show you the equipment I would buy today (Friday 8/14/2020) if I were to set up a new recording studio. My goal is to give you some ideas of how to save time and money in creating your first studio.

Over the last 10 years, I have built six separate video recording studios for educational use. In this post, I’m going to focus on the two of these that I use most often in my daily life, including:

1. My recording studio in my home office.
2. My portable recording studio for use in any classroom.

I maintain concrete goals for producing videos in each of these spaces. First, I want to produce high-quality videos while minimizing my out-of-pocket expenses. Second, I want to make sure each studio meets my three core ideas for video production. Third, I want the entire set up to take me less than 3 minutes from the time I enter the room until the time I am ready to record. When I buy any equipment, I have these three goals in mind. I also use specific criteria to guide my purchases.

Assuming I have access to high-quality, low-cost video, audio, and lighting, I am of the opinion that the actual equipment I use is the least important part of the entire process. But, I recognize that making the first purchases is a daunting task.

The good news is that it is possible to create a fully functional recording studio for a price tag on the order of hundreds of dollars. If you asked me today (Friday 8/14/2020) to set up a new home recording studio to capture content in my college classes, I would make the following purchases:

Total out-of-pocket expense: $946.85 (not including tax)
Fifine USB Microphone ($45.99 on 8/13/2020)
Neewer 2 pack of USB LED Video Lights ($50.99 on 8/13/2020)
Depstech HD 1080P Webcam ($29.99 on 8/13/2020)
Dell P2419H 24 Inch Monitor ($164.95 on 8/13/2020)
Seagate Backup Plus 8TB Hard Drive ($139.99)
Seagate Backup Plus 5TB Portable Hard Drive ($89.99)
TechSmith’s Camtasia Video Editing Software ($249 for access code)
Anker 4-Port USB 3.0 Hub ($10.99 each : I would buy two)
Bototex Power Strip with Surge Protector ($26.99 each : I would buy two)

I would also purchase a WolfVision VZ-8Light Document Camera (about $100: search “Wolfvision on ebay). Out of all the items listed above, this purchase is the most subtle and deserves a dedicated video on that topic (to be added at a later date).

The point of the WolfVision document camera is to allow me to project handwritten material and show small demonstrations. I have been told that the hand writing functionality of an iPad (or the PC equivalent) is quite good. But, I have never tested that technology so I cannot speak to those items. Regardless, I really value the ability to show physical items on screen which a tablet cannot do well.

In the purchases above, I have not mentioned the cost of a computer. In my home office, I have a high-performance desktop computer designed specifically for video editing. That is expensive and I would not recommend this type of investment for a novice content creator. Instead, any functional laptop or desktop should do.

Let me be really clear: I would actually purchase every item on that list today if I wanted to build a new studio. But, I have no emotional connection to any item on that list. If, during my research, I found other items that met my criteria at a reasonable price, I would have added those to the list instead.

Of course, this studio build requires more than just a monetary expense. The list I provided above took me about two hours to generate. Because I have spent that last 10 years building recording studios, I am much more efficient at making purchasing decisions now than when I was younger. In my early days, I dedicated way more time to read the reviews and put together a plan in which I felt confident.

This type of purchase is not a trivial expense. Thus, I believe it is important to exercise due diligence at every stage of the process. When I buy gear like this, I expect it to last me five to ten years. Dedicating a few working days to make these decisions is the least I can do to ensure my purchases will help me be productive over the next decade.

With that in mind, I would coach someone that is just starting out to take at least eight to sixteen hours to be able to make these same decisions. In other words, I would encourage that person to dedicate two full working days to get a complete list. There is a lot of reading and research that goes into these types of purchases.

In later posts, I’ll give you a tour of my home recording studio and explain my thinking behind each item on that list. Not all of my decisions here are easy to understand without further explanation. Moreover, there are a bunch of other office tools I use while producing videos that are not on that list (printers, filing cabinets, book shelves, a library, binders, etc). Together, we’ll explore the multiple dimensions of creating a physical space dedicated to video recording for use in a college classroom.

I also have a lot more to say about how to find money to make these purchases. In my own work, I set some interesting rules for finding funding for this type of build, including:

1. Do not dip into savings.
2. Do NOT charge this on a credit card.
3. Do NOT use my normal W2 income.

Instead, I find ways to generate income through scholarships, grants, and other professional endeavors that I funnel into these types of programs. These are all topics for future posts.

The last thing I’ll say is that I believe that these purchases are worth every penny that I pay. I provide my students with ad-free access to all of my videos. Because I have a repository of content available online at any time, I do not require textbooks in my classes. I also flip my classrooms and do not spend time lecturing at my students.