There has never been a better time for online course developers to set up their own home recording studio.

It's a fact that being good at what you do isn't enough to earn a living on YouTube; you also need to make sure that your videos look fantastic. And to do so, you need to set up some sort of recording studio so that you can adjust the lighting and audio before pressing the record button.

But don't let anyone trick you into thinking that making a video has to be difficult and expensive. The good news is that editing audio and video is now simpler than ever thanks to modern technologies. You don't have to bother about complicated equipment unless you're a musician (such as xlr cables, midi keyboards, and studio monitors). Whatever your budget, you may build a bedroom recording studio.

Producers can easily produce high-quality videos at home on a budget using basic equipment. In the sections that follow, we'll go through how to set up a recording studio at home, our best advice for purchasing equipment, and our best pre- and post-production suggestions.

Setting up a home recording studio.

Consider this the day's good news: Materials that many of us already own may be used to create a professional-caliber home studio. There is a good setup for every budget, even if creators want to spend a few dollars here and there to improve production quality.

DIY an in-home recording studio for free to $60.
Shoot with a phone or laptop.

A free alternative that can nonetheless produce a product of great quality is using a phone or laptop. Check out this tutorial on using a smartphone to record high-quality videos if you're not sure where to begin. The most important thing to keep in mind in this situation is to film with the phone horizontally or the laptop upright to produce a widescreen video that no one will be able to tell was made on a commonplace device.

The camera should be at a 90-degree angle when recording on a laptop, as tilting the screen can result in strange and distorted images.

Buy a tripod or elevate a laptop setup.

A solid rule of thumb is to position the camera lens at face level for the most flattering photograph. For those using an iPhone or other smartphone, utilizing a small tripod, such as this one, which costs only $26, may be necessary. For those who use laptops, a simple stack of books or boxes to raise the laptop camera to face level is an even more affordable option.

Use the right editing tools.

To steady iPhone video, we advise the Filmic Pro app. We recommend ScreenFlow as an inexpensive video-editing tool for laptops. Our Screenflow tutorial might assist in demonstrating how to make films quickly. On a PC? A fantastic substitute is Camtasia.

Avoid the zoom feature.

The video may become hazy when zooming in on a phone. To get the same effect without the blur, move the phone or computer closer as opposed to zooming.

Shoot at 24 frames per second.

While the untrained eye could miss this, the typical spectator probably will. Because it's what the eyes are used to seeing for movies and TV shows, it's only a simple setting change that results in a more enjoyable viewing experience.

Use one laptop or phone for video and another phone as a microphone.

The video sound quality is significantly improved by using two devices, despite the fact that it may seem a little more complicated. To test it, place a phone or laptop in front to record visuals and a closer phone off-camera to record sound. The music from one device and the pictures from another can be combined at a later stage of editing.

Mark the start of a scene.

It helps to provide a visual signal for when the start syncs when syncing audio to a different visual source. When you have two hands, a clapboard with its loud noise and white stripes is a symbol of cinema, but it's also a waste of money.

Clap vigorously at the beginning of the scene to produce a spike of noise that, when the movie is edited, appears as a tall spike. Match the pictures from one camera with the audio from another by using the height of this point.

Use a sheet as a DIY backdrop.

Any substantial piece of fabric can be used to create a background when learning how to DIY set up a home video studio. Keep in mind this insider tip: White, which tends to wash out its subject, especially with intense lights, performs better than black.

Use soft household objects to stop an echo.

A frequent problem is hearing an echo. This can result from emptying off furnishings from space to make a place for a studio setup, empty apartments, or huge rooms. Fortunately, using pillows, rugs, couches, and anything fluffy to absorb sound is a relatively easy solution. Throwing some pillows around the lights is all that is necessary. Here is more information about producing high-quality audio for courses.

Opt for natural light.

However, reading lights and other types of home lighting aren't the best for providing a uniform and cozy glow. And everyone who creates wants to get the lighting just right. Poor lighting can make things seem ill or cast unwelcome shadows.

Which affordable lighting solution is the best? capturing video by a window or glass door and utilizing timeless natural light. Lighting is important to keep in mind when learning how to create DIY home video studios.

Invest in a high-value studio for $300-900

To establish a "high-value" studio, the "DIY home video studio" will be updated. Although the DIY Studio can provide stunning results, purchasing a few pieces of equipment will make it simpler to produce the high-quality film.

Two other significant benefits come with the expensive studio. In the end, it is semi-permanent, low-cost, and produces a significant return. We're breaking it down since it can be difficult to know where to invest, and we want to make sure you know exactly where to put your money.

Here are some expert tools to help with the design of your home studio:

1. Microphone

An inexpensive, better-quality microphone that rapidly elevates videos to the next level easily defeats hanging an iPhone from the ceiling with fishing line as a temporary microphone repair. Creators can upgrade to a Blue Yeti for less than $150.

2. Clamp Lights

We recommended using natural lighting for DIY home video studio lighting. But even natural light has its limitations. Clamp lights are better during certain circumstances. To complete the lighting and eliminate shadows from a moving subject, add two key lights angled at 45 degrees toward the main subject and one light pointed at the background.

Moreover, diffusion papers soften the light to the ideal degree of brightness. Shut out as much natural light as you can if studio lights are the preferred lighting source.

3. Camera

Upgrade to a decent camera as a logical next step after utilizing a smartphone or laptop. There are various possibilities, but we discovered the Canon SL1 to be a good and trustworthy choice. But keep in mind that tripods are nearly always required as well when buying a camera.

Pre-production Video Tips
1. Do some research

Powerful designers are aware that conducting comparative study is always preferable. Pay attention to the technical aspects of competitors' videos, such as the camera angles. How are the clips put together in editing? Use they slides? Creators can improve their own teaching techniques by examining the approaches of others.

2. Don't forget Framing

Even though it can seem natural, sitting directly in the middle of a video might not be the ideal choice. It might make more sense to take a seat to the side for individuals who are exhibiting products or adding text overlays to their videos.

Aside from frame arrangement, stay away from sitting too near the camera. Everyone has seen those films that give the impression that the person on the other side of the screen is standing right in front of you. Trust us, there are alternative methods to interact closely with pupils.

3. Blur the Background

This can be accomplished by widening the gap between the subject and background. When the subject's face is in focus, the camera will pay less attention to objects in the distance. The camera's lens can also be altered. The amount of a scene that the camera captures changes as the aperture changes. The area of the scene that is in focus decreases with decreasing aperture number.

We won't go into a comprehensive photography class at this time, but keep in mind this advice: Want a fuzzy background? Increase the distance and use a smaller aperture.

4. Practice

At first, it will seem uncomfortable, but the only way to make it less uncomfortable is to just practice—and then practice some more. Practice the script for the video so that it sounds more relaxed and less strained.

Post-Production Tips
1. Record room tone.

Record the "room tone," or the background noise of the room, for about 30 seconds. Start recording with the microphone on. White noise will be removed, audio gaps will be filled, and scene transitions will be made more seamless using this sound during editing. That takes less time than trying to edit out every pause or adding filler noise.

2. Let ample time to pass between takes.

This is crucial for screencasts in particular. In the event that a mistake is made while recording, as long as there is still enough lead time, it is OK to stop and continue. Use the tone of the room to ease the transition and eliminate blunders and filler time

3. Using cross-fading to smooth transitions.

Use crossfading when a transition in a video calls for a little smoothing over rather than neutral tone. Most non-linear video editing applications accomplish this in one of two ways:

Drag one clip's starting and end over another's ending and beginning.

Do a cross dissolve/fade after aligning the two clips side by side.

4. Save content on an external hard drive.

Videos come in huge file sizes in addition to having large screens. Some applications, like Screenflow, record the entire project as a single file (in this case a .screenflow file). Many source files, project files, and even renderer files are produced by other programs. They are all huge. For a little help with this, use an external hard drive.

Consider investing in a high-quality external hard drive when making your purchase. For working with video, choose a minimum of 500GB of space; we recommend 1TB+.

Moreover, look at transfer rates, often known as how quickly data is streamed to and from the computer. It's crucial for authors saving and sending large files to understand that a 1.8GB video will move in hours at.05MB/sec yet in a matter of minutes at 25MB/sec.

5. Following HD video export, compress the files.

To watch, stream, or download the video in an acceptable length of time, a strong connection is required. This is because higher-resolution videos require larger files, which in turn require stronger connections.

Although we have little control over our viewers' internet speeds, we can make the best use of the things we can. Export your videos in the best quality you can, then reduce their size.

Conclusion

Creators may produce high quality content from home and on a budget by using this DIY home video recording setup and suggestions.

If you want to learn more tips and tricks to create your own video studio at home click here.

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