Build your own Micro Studio

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 2x2 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.

I'm Baaack! The Return of Klessblog

I'm happy to announce that after a long hiatus, Klessblog is back! 

It's been years since I've published on this blog, and I've been wanting to do so for some time. So much has changed over the last two years and in the many years since I was active on this blog. Online video is now everywhere, streaming is a household word, and Zoom is the most common way we meet with each other these days. 

There's no going back to the way things were before Covid. Our lives have changed in so many ways and the distance between who we are now and who we were then, and how we live our lives in the world today, with our faces covered by masks most of the time, is the new normal we've adapted to during the pandemic. 

Business models have evolved, new markets have emerged and every one of us have learned so much along the way that our old lives seem a distant memory. Offices full of workers packed and stacked in high-rises in the dense cityscape are all but empty, with the remote workforce now in non-stop Zoom and Teams meetings, instant messages, screen sharing, muting, unmuting, virtual backgrounds are all part of our everyday work lives. 

Many of us had to shelter-in-place for months on end and continue to maintain social distance from each other, and as time went by so many businesses both big and small, restaurants, bars, music and entertainment venues closed up their doors, workers were furloughed, supply chains disrupted and our economy and mental health took a downward spiral. But many of us took up new hobbies and art forms, worked on projects that we had long put on hold, started new business ventures, and innovated in ways we we never had before. As movie theaters closed, online video subscription services we called OTT (over-the-top) television, now just streaming services, are ubiquitous and available as apps on our all our various devices and Smart TVs. 

With all the changes in our lives, the most serious impact of Covid has been on our healthcare system which has been staggering for our medical professionals. In one of the most politicized public health issues in generations with over 900,000 lives lost from the virus, an ambivalent America struggles with an uncertain future. We've called our healthcare workers heroes time and time again to be there to save the day, but the truth is they are not asking for praise... but for just kindness, masks and vaccines. so they can sustain themselves and keep up their fight against the deadly coronavirus. 

I've spent the last two years of my 32 years as a healthcare technology professional innovating in new ways to support the many physicians, nurses, staff and leadership whom I worked with everyday. In this new way of working, my team and I pivoted from producing live in-person events to 100% virtual events. We're no longer setting up extensive AV systems in hotel ballrooms with lights, cameras and the action we all knew so well,  and now simply log on to Zoom and Vmix and broadcast to any platform. And for many of us videoconferencing and  streaming isn't new at all.

I'm hoping to find more time to share what I've learned over the last several years in the online video and meeting space, new technology solutions and innovative ways my team and I have adapted our production environment and workflows today. My thanks to you all for still reading this blog and I wish you all well. 

It's good to be back and look for more posts here soon!