1.    Introduction

2.   Why is it important for me to have a home studio?

3.   What are the elements of a world-class home studio?

4.   What are the audio components I need?

5.   How should I design my room?

6.   Which camera should I invest in?

7.   Which computer should I use?

8.  What kind of software is necessary?

10.   What other equipment will I need?

11.  Can I make a video on a smartphone?

12.  How do I plan a YouTube strategy?

13.  Conclusion

Do you want to know how to set up the ultimate home studio for digital coaching? I'm going to be getting into all the areas like the audio setup, video setup, lighting setup, studio monitors, the headphones you should choose. I’ll discuss the best editing software available and even the type of apps on your phone that are useful for your coaching business. 

When you have decided to take the plunge and create a video-based online course, you may initially be overwhelmed, but this is the best way to proceed. I’ll even cover the way your room should be set up and the acoustics. I speak from experience; believe me, the benefits of having a home recording studio setup will overcome every concern and constraint that you have. 

Besides saving you the overhead of renting a commercial studio, having a home studio is all about flexibility and having the freedom to work as per your own schedule.  It takes a little bit of time and money, but once you have built your home studio, you have everything you need to start creating online courses.

For a digital coach to be effective, the most important quality is the ability to communicate well. You have a wealth of information to share and you need to do it in a way that exudes credibility and authority. Your students need to see your core competence and to achieve that you should be able to explain ideas clearly. 

The flexibility, ease of use, convenience, and reliability that come with having a studio of your own is unmatched. It’s not only simple but practical too.

Nowadays, anyone can coach anybody as long as they understand their core niche and how to sell using the different tools that are currently available. 

I feel influence is about connecting with people and you can reach a massive number of new viewers who wish to learn, be inspired, or be entertained with videos and podcasts. YouTube is the second biggest search engine after Google.

Think about the difference a world-class video/podcast/webinar will make to your coaching business:

You can convert a livestream into a permanent video lesson.  Next, you can take all or parts of the content you capture with video and convert it into blog posts, eBooks, podcasts, and a range of other formats.

Digital course material has to have a professional look. A high-quality video shows your viewers that you're capable of creating persuasive content. They will react positively and trust a coach who approaches teaching professionally from start to finish. 

If you can change the way people learn and the way people teach, then you can transform the world.

While it may sound daunting at first, creating a home or office studio doesn’t have to be complicated, and it doesn’t have to break the bank. There are five components, camera, audio, computer, editing software, and additional equipment for your home studio.

It is possible to create a video on your phone but it doesn’t necessarily leave your students with the impression of professionalism. Think of it this way, you could easily take a selfie and use it for a publicity shot but when you get an excellent headshot, you look like a true professional and are more likely to leave a lasting positive impression. 

So exactly the same is true for content recorded in a studio versus an impromptu shoot anywhere else. Having said that, I will give you another example. Setting up a world-class studio is like buying a car. There is a balance to be struck between intended purpose and your budget, personal taste and preferences.  In regards to your home studio, you need to be smart about your choices.

As I said earlier there are a few main components for a home studio:

Your recording space where you are setting up your recording gear should be as quiet and “dead” of a space as possible. A small room with limited exposure to outside sounds and lots of sound absorbing material is ideal.

Your microphone captures the vibration of your voice and transfers it to electrical impulses, which are then transferred to a digital signal that is recorded by your computer, tablet, or other recording device. Make sure you are buying from a reputable brand and read reviews.

A sound card internal or external that converts the signal. Small and simple ones or large and complex to which multiple inputs connect. If you are just recording your voice, you only need one channel, which means, keep it small and simple.

There are plenty of options out there to help you edit and convert to different file types, ie. mp3/wav, and adjust basic recording levels etc. It comes down to finding a format you like.

A good desktop or laptop.

Make sure you check the max extension if you place it on the floor. Another option is table top.

Optional Items: 

Studio Speakers: If you want to take your headphones off and monitor your audio. 

Shock Mount: Keeps your microphone from picking up vibrations from the desk or floor you have your stand mounted on. Some Microphones include this. 

A Pop Filter: Keep those p’s from popping. 

Cables and Adapters: It all depends on what equipment you are going with. There is always an adapter for whatever you need.

Most importantly, you don’t need to buy everything simultaneously and spend a lot of money on the priciest equipment that will drain your bank account. Start simple and with fewer pieces, and build this up slowly as you gain more experience and recording skills. 

So if you're starting, my recommendation is to pick up the freedom trainer kit from ilh.shop. The freedom trainer kit is the most economical thing for all your equipment, from sound to lighting. So you'll actually save a lot of costs on the initial setup. If you want to make your life much easier, just go to ilh.shop If you go to our internet lifestyle hub shop, I have something called a freedom trainer kit that will speed up your process of sharing your knowledge with millions.

At the end of the day, the only thing that matters...

If you focus on that, you will be on the way to creating world-class videos from your own home studio.

The lucky thing for me is I've been a sound engineer, so I know what professional sound is,  compared to commercial audio. I studied sound engineering in 2001, and I've done a lot of work analyzing all kinds of gear. I have many friends in this whole audio space, and many of my friends are making music for films and ads and multiple things. So my number one priority, even while I was working at my job before I had my workspace and setting it up in a beautiful way so I could create stuff. Previously I used to produce music, but now I'm making a lot of content like webinars, business podcasts and videos. We need clear, crisp sound; we are here to create a home studio, not to record award-winning music tracks. 

As digital coaches, we will mainly use our home studio to do our live webinars perfectly, to record podcasts and videos. You must have the basic elements in place so that you can start to put out some excellent quality content.

So the first version of my home studio was a PC, a sound card, and a microphone to record my vocals. What I've seen is most people, especially in the Indian digital coaching space, don't pay heed to the audio part. They get fancy cameras, but they have a reverberation or echo from the room that messes up the quality of that entire video with the echo. Remember that your audio quality needs to complement your video. Even if you record high-quality cinema 4K footage, you’re going to have trouble keeping your viewers interested if the audio is terrible. Built-in laptop or camera microphones usually have bad audio quality. They cannot record or eliminate ambient sounds effectively, so a good microphone is the second most important tool for making Youtube videos.

Microphones:  I'm a big advocate of high-quality audio first, and for this you need a really good microphone. Most cameras come with an attached mic, but USB microphones have become the standard for better sound quality. These types of mics are popular for their ease of use and sound quality, together with their versatility and affordability. So first I'm going to talk about microphones. The cheapest options usually plug directly into your camera, which can be a problem if you like to move around as you teach. For videos where you’re sitting still, you can pick up a good quality noise-canceling lavalier relatively cheaply.  If you want more freedom to move, a wireless one will be necessary.

There are two kinds of microphones: dynamic microphones and condenser microphones.

You can directly plug in a dynamic microphone, and then you don't need any power source for you to record; it instantly picks up the sound. It's mainly used for a live setup, like a live performance and stuffing and anything that's more portable. 

Condenser microphones need a USB source or some kind of a power source.  Condenser microphones are more sensitive than dynamic microphones in terms of picking up sound. Mics are further divided into different categories based on how they pick up the sound. An omnidirectional mic picks up sound patterns from all directions and is most suited for capturing background sound. 

You need to choose a cardioid microphone that doesn't pick up sound from the other side of the microphone. It only picks up sound from the front; something like a heart-shape on the microphone close to where you are speaking into the microphone. 

Lapel Microphone: A lavalier mic is also wireless and can be discreetly clipped onto your clothes or belt. It comes in a set that includes the transmitter, to which the lapel is connected, and the receiver, which can pick up the signal from the transmitter even from great distances. It’s beneficial if you’re filming outside or standing a short distance from your phone. If you get a splitter, you can have two microphones for doing interviews. Don’t attach a lavalier microphone too close to your head. You’ll be surprised by how much it picks up. 

Shotgun Microphones: There's another microphone type called the shotgun microphone, which they use for television. They're mounted on a camera so even though somebody is really far away, it is going to be like a shotgun pointing at that person, and it'll pick up the audio of that person. Shotgun microphones are a popular, high-quality option for video recording with a small, professional camera. They’re made with shock mounts that help reduce noise that comes from mechanical vibrations around the mic. It can focus on capturing clear sounds and vocals directly in front of it. It doesn’t pick up many ambient sounds on the sides and behind the mic even when recording outdoors. You also have a Fingers microphone if you have two people speaking or doing interviews on both sides of the microphone; to record backing vocals, I would use a figure-of-eight mic.

If you want to make your life much easier, just go to ilh.shop. If you go to our internet lifestyle hub shop, I have something called a freedom trainer kit, where you don't need to buy the sound card, XLR cable or microphone separately. 

The trainer kit comes with a microphone connected to the scissor arm stand, and it has a cable built-in; just connect it directly into your laptop USB connection, and you’re good to go. That's an excellent way to start without really investing heavily into audio gear. 

Sound Card: Now, the second thing you need to have is a sound card, which is something that helps you capture the sound and connect it straight into your system. If you look at the market for sound cards, the quality will vary depending on the brand, model, and pricing. Still, generally speaking, internal sound cards tend to offer better audio quality than external sound cards. An external sound card is a box that you connect to a computer to add audio ports. 

However, external solutions are easier to install and are much more portable to be easily used on multiple devices. An external sound card is a helpful piece of equipment for computers and offices. It has so many functions and can turn any average computer into a total home-theater audio solution. 

An audio interface is an external soundcard. These days most of them connect to a computer via a USB connection. However, it is worth double-checking this as some use other connection types such as thunderbolt. The audio interface will allow you to plug in an external microphone, a good quality microphone. How do you connect your camera to your laptop?  For that, you need to get an HDMI cable. There are different kinds of sound card types, based on how many inputs you need. You will need more inputs for a band, but you just need one for a home studio set up for your voice. And maybe you need another line input for something else you want to record.  You may want to have probably two microphones set up. That’s all that you would need for a home studio setup. So the sound card that I'm using right now is the

The way that you've got to connect them is all of these sound cards are USB powered. Usually, the camera will have an HDMI out. It'll either be a mini HDMI or a regular HDMI. You can decide to pick that cable up and just search on Amazon for HDMI video capture. I think it's called Etzin video capture. It looks like a USB stick, but that's what you connect your camera into that particular health stream HDMI video capture. You have HDMI video capture go into your USB port and just plug it in, and that's it. You don't need to do anything else. You just open up your zoom and whether it's your DSLR or a mirrorless camera, that will start showing as one of the cameras on zoom. 

If you're doing a zoom webinar, you want to do any kind of recording. So as soon as a video set up is concerned, you need to have a camera, you'd have a camera stand, a ring light, a video cable, HDMI to mini HDMI. You need to have a USB cable going out of the sound card into your laptop or workstation that you're using, and you'll need to connect a microphone to the sound card.

Microphones have different kinds of cables. Get the cable specifically called the XLR cable. So an XLR to XLR is a cable, which is usually used, goes from the microphone into the sound card and the sound card is then connected to your laptop. 

The sound card usually will have a powering up option. If it's a condenser microphone, it will need 48 volts to power up the particular mic. So the cable that I'm using is an XLR to XLR cable. Some microphones operate with a quarter-inch cable, so you have a quarter-inch connector that goes into your sound card, which is mainly like the guitar and the line inputs. They use those kinds of cables. If you're brand new in this, if some of these topics or concepts are going over your head, just understand that you need an XLR to XLR  cable.

How to sound better when recording:

Having been in this industry for such a long time, I can sense even the slightest disturbance or echo in a room. A typical trouble point is an echo that can come from large rooms, empty apartments, or clearing furniture out of a room to create a home studio setup. Luckily, a very simple solution is to use pillows, rugs, couches, and all things fluffy to absorb sound. I The quality of audio depends a lot on the room. If you can have a sofa in the room or anything that absorbs sound and cushioning that will improve the quality, you won't be able to share that much of an echo. So especially we're going to be creating courses and products and things like that, just be mindful of it. Sometimes what ends up happening is if you're using a basic headset and there's too much room echo, and the sound is just not professional. You should minimize the echo audio quality and the room reverberation. It's as easy as throwing some cushions around the lights. A well-designed room can be the difference between smooth sailing and major headaches down the road. 

The room should be as dead as possible. When I say dead, it means people should only be able to hear your voice. There should not be any reflection on the walls. In everyday life, you forget how much noise is actually around you.  But once you hear it through a microphone, all that noise is magnified 100x. If you can listen to reverberation in the room, that means that it's not much soundproofing over that. 

So a few tips that I can give you to make sure that the room is soundproof. The first thing is to do a clap test and see if you can hear the echo in the room. 

If there is a lot of echo in the room, the first thing you can do is add curtains to the windows. That's a sound absorber. You can put on a tiny little sofa in the room if you want, like a couch. So that, that also absorbs the sound. You can add a carpet under where you sit. So you can put even a larger size carpet across the room so that there are lots of sound absorbers. And let's say you’re just recording audio; you can even put like two pillows right next to you, you'll get some excellent quality audio.

I mean, we didn't need to go to a studio with soundproofing walls and stuff like that. If you ask me, you can do a lot sitting at home. In order to cut down on those reverberations, you can use different acoustic treatment tools like foam panels or even rubber feet underneath your speakers. Even the most basic bedroom setup can benefit from some acoustic treatment. Sound absorption treatment improves the sound quality you experience by cutting back on the reflections that combine with the signal from your speakers. Once you’ve chosen a room, it’s time to prepare it for the project ahead.

A few pointers; keep your speakers away from the wall. If you have monitors that have specific acoustic materials; you can even go to this website called bajaao.com or on Amazon, just search for acoustic padding materials for the room. And you'll find a whole bunch of options. 

Logitech ClearChat  H390 is a great microphone headset for YouTube video making as it is super easy to use and provides clear, crisp sound. 

Another great USB microphone is the Audio-Technica AT2020USB Plus. This condenser microphone doesn’t need a pre-amp and allows self-monitoring and volume control. It also offers mix control to allow you to blend your microphone audio with pre-recorded audio. It also has an extended frequency response that makes it ideal for recording vocals for podcasting and home recording. 

So microphone, I'm using a Lewitt LCT 440 Pure sound card. I'm using an Audient EVO 4 as my recording software, and I have a GarageBand music creation studio as I’m using a Mac. If you’re using a PC, you can use Adobe Audition, or you can use Audacity. You can pick up any one of these two, and both are cool and have a very easy-to-use interface. It looks perfect even on your desk. 

We use it on a studio boom pole kit, and that kit comes from DVEStore. It's on Amazon, or you can get it directly from them. It's excellent; you get the cable and the boom pole, which helps our audio sound good. Even with a wide-angle lens sitting on that couch, you’re typically too far away from the camera to get good audio. That boom pole setup lets you get closer to the microphone so that the audio sounds crisp and clean.

The first worthwhile investment would be to invest in good-quality headphones. So the Apple headset is what I usually recommend for people who just want to record their voice without any microphone. Way back, when I was recording my courses for the first time, I used a basic Apple headset to record the whole thing. It was a Rs. 2000 headset, and the quality was superb. I know that investing in higher quality microphones will be much better, but the pickup was perfect when I recorded my entire course using a simple Apple headset.  Later, when I ran it through my software, cleaned up the background sound, and boosted the volume, it was close to a pro audio microphone recording. So when it comes to sound, my first recommendation to you here is just going to an Apple store, pick up a headset, and if you're able to connect your headset to your laptop, that itself will be decent quality sound for picking up your voice. 

I listen to a lot of stuff on headphones; I also like to have a tabletop monitor, or studio monitor, that gives you an accurate sound where you hear all the frequencies. If you don't have a big budget while upgrading your home studio, you can look at the KRK as a good option.

In the studio, my headphones are critical for me because I wear headphones when I'm listening to myself speak, and I do a lot of mixing on headphones. So before you go into updating and upgrading yourself with the studio monitors. If you want to monitor good quality sound, the model that I would recommend is

An easier option is to check out the Freedom Trainer Kit where you don't need to have the sound card. You don't need to have the XLR cable. You don't need to have to buy a separate microphone. The trainer kit has an all-in-one. So that's a good way to start without really investing heavily into audio gear. If you're just starting right now, I would recommend you start at the freedom trainer kit because it comes with a microphone connected to the scissor arm stand, and it has a cable built-in.  Just connect it directly into your laptop USB connection.

The Home Office's Freedom Trainer Kit is for just about anyone working in front of a webcam.

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Choosing the correct type of camera can make an enormous difference in the outcome of your video. For events and news, good camcorders are better; audio is more manageable, and they’re easier to pick up and start shooting. When it comes to video making, there are different models. Some people prefer Canon, and some prefer Nikon. There are so many options. If you go on YouTube, we'll get even more confused. It's perfect if you're shooting by yourself, good face tracking, auto-focus during the video. 

A mirrorless camera is like a DSLR, but it doesn’t have a mirror. You can see the image on the main live view screen. It’s smaller and lighter than DSLRs and mirrorless cameras are best if you’re interested in getting that film-like image quality, high-quality stills as well as video. 

Then, When it comes to your video setup, initially you can use a basic

When you want to have some good quality recording videos. That's a perfect model. And there's one more called Logitech C 930, which are perfect webcams for you to start with. In fact, in all my initial courses, I recorded using that 1080p with 4k streaming. Some people prefer Canon to Nikon. There are so many options. If you go on YouTube, you'll get even more confused. But since our use is not outdoors, it's all indoors, the stationary cameras are best.  The dual-pixel that the 70D and the 80D have, also the T5i and the T6i, all Canon cameras, is really good for content creators and for making YouTube videos. 

But since digital coaching is all indoor shooting, the first step was moving from Logitech to Canon.So I was using a Canon 200D.  I think Rs. 50,000. You also get a DSLR camera for like Rs. 25,000. So if you're, if you're brand new, start with Logitech, but if you'd like to upgrade yourself a little bit but you don't have a very big budget. You can go for anything under Rs.25,000- Rs.30,000 in the $500-$600 range, a Canon DSLR camera, which you can connect straight into your laptop and use as your webcam.

We use a 24 mm, and sometimes the 50 mm for B roll, and we use all STM lenses because STM is a Stepper Motor Technology. That makes them really good for auto-focus and for B roll shots and for just creating different effects. What I noticed is that Canon is fantastic for photography. The camera stand I'm using right now is called a

It’s by far the best camera that I've ever used. My camera is just sitting in one place. So for that kind of use, the kind of depth that I'm able to bring out with my Sony A7M3 is beautiful and bright. You can notice in all my videos and webinars, when I choose, the background gets blurred and the focus is on me and my eyes. I love the lens. I think it costs around Rs.1.5 lakhs.  And again, I checked out with a few experts in this domain, people who do a lot more videos than I do right now and they recommended using a Sony A7M3. There's no doubt, and I can visually see the difference 

You can pick up an Elgato cam link, take the HDMI out from your camera, plug it into your USB turtle, convert through the converter. When you open up your Zoom or any of your meetings. The high-definition camera will act as a webcam that's of very good quality.

How to make the most of your camera set up:

Lighting 

Now let's come to the lighting setup. Even with a professional-quality camera and a great background, your educational video will look amateur without good lighting. Overhead lights cast shadows on your face and make a video look dim and dingy. Always try to shoot video in a room with good natural light, and always face the light source so bright lights behind you don’t wash you out. Try to avoid having direct sunlight shining on you. It will make you squint, and it is too harsh to look good on video. 

LED or fluorescent bulbs typically produce less heat than incandescent bulbs. Another option would be “soft lights,” which sometimes cost less, consume less power, and are more flattering. A single soft light can be great for close-up shots. You can add lights to illuminate the background or other parts of the scene, as needed. 

When I position myself, I like to make sure there's plenty of light hitting my face. I still see many coaches who record their videos with light at the back of them and no focus on their faces. As a result, their faces look dark and unattractive. You need to first sit in a way where you have more natural light hitting your face, preferably with a window in front of you. If you don’t have great natural light, you’ll need to invest in some equipment for your home video studio. Once you’ve got your lighting gear, experiment with the best position on camera. Light at 45 degrees to your subject on either side is the simplest set up to keep light evenly across your face and avoid shadows. 

I happen to have a balcony behind me and to ensure that my face is not darkened because of the light at the back, I have bought the

Recently I also picked up a few background lights, you may have seen them on YouTube channel videos; these different kinds of colored lights in the background that add a funky touch of color. They are portable and fun to use

How to look more confident on camera. 

The way you appear in your professional videos, the way you carry yourself on camera has an enormous impact on how professional your content looks. Appearing nervous, fidgety, or uncomfortable on camera will distract viewers.

Your computer is the beating heart of your home recording studio. When you’re starting, it’s perfectly okay to use the laptop or desktop you already own. Chances are it’s already powerful enough to run most commercial software and plugins. If you need to buy, start by picking up a reliable computer, which will serve as the backbone for your home studio. Look for something fast, with decent storage, and capable of quickly processing the audio you’re recording. When setting up a home studio from scratch, the computer is the most significant expenditure by far.

I've been a Mac user since the year  2005. So I've been at Microsoft for about 15 years or even more. And I would never go back to Windows, but having said that, I'll give you some Windows options. And again, for any kind of production work there's no doubt that Mac beats Windows, especially when it comes to security and updates and everything else. It's so simple. The way that the vision of Apple itself is so simple. It is so simple and easy to get things done. I'm able to visually see the waveforms I can add to my plug-ins. Everything is so clean and neat to use video editing.

Whether you pick a Mac or PC depends on your needs, OS comfort, and budget constraints.

Then, you need to decide on a desktop or laptop computer. Opting for a desktop can save you money if you build the machine yourself. But if mobility is important to you then buy a laptop to make videos or podcasts wherever you go. 

The most important things to consider when choosing a good studio computer are its CPU, RAM, storage, I/O (inputs and outputs), and fan volume. There has to be enough power and hard drive space to store and process many files and plugins. 

CPU, RAM, and storage all play a role in how much you can store, your libraries and plugins, and how much you can run in a session simultaneously. 

If you’re using a laptop, it is a good idea to use an Apple MacBook Pro. Yes, you could use a Windows PC; it is more common for home studios to use Apple equipment. It doesn‘t have to be the latest model. Desktops are often used in professional recording studios because they are faster and easier to update. Still, laptops are becoming more popular nowadays and a good choice for digital coaches who travel often. 

If you’re trying to work out what specifications you would need for your computer, get an idea of how much you can spend, then look at the tools you can afford. 

A good recommendation would be to go with a computer with these specs as a minimum: 

- 8GB Ram
- Intel Core i5 or i7
- 256GB Storage minimum. 

There will be plenty of second-hand options available that match up. They are also usually much cheaper, and it is easier to find a second-hand or refurbished PC. 

Don’t wait for perfection—practice with what you have and improve over time.

Setting up a home recording studio takes some planning but is extremely rewarding once put into place. You’ll notice that the items listed above are just the bare minimum and that there is a vast amount of other equipment you can add to enhance your home studio further. 

If you’re setting up a home studio, you’ll need to go for smaller equipment, which also tends to be cheaper. Jumbo-sized equipment doesn’t make sense in a home environment, so try to keep everything minimized. 

Save content on an external hard drive. 

Videos are massive files too. Some programs, including Screenflow, capture the whole project as one file. Other programs create a series of source files, project files, and even rendering files. All are massive. Invest in an external hard drive to make this a little easier. 

When buying an external hard drive, it might be a good idea to look for quality. Working with video, opt for at least 500GB of space, or 1TB+. 

Also, check out transfer rates, meaning how long it takes to stream data to and from the computer. If you are saving and transporting big files, it’s essential to know that a 1.8GB movie transferring at .05MB/sec will take hours but only a few minutes at 25MB/sec. Compress videos after exporting them in HD.

The better the video resolution, the bigger the file, and thus the better the connection needs to be to watch, stream, or download the video in a reasonable amount of time. 

We can’t control the internet speeds of our viewers, but we can do our best with what we can control. Export videos in the highest quality possible, then compress them. 

By implementing these DIY home video recording setups and tips, creators can create high-quality content that delights their viewers. 

You don’t need the most expensive equipment to create great online content, just a drive fuelled by passion and a willingness to learn new things.

I'll break it into Mac software and Windows software, Now coming to the software for audio

Garageband (Mac): This comes with the Mac and is easy to use and get things done.GarageBand is a free music production app that comes preinstalled with most Apple devices. It's pretty powerful too.   I'm able to visually see the waveforms, I can add my plug-ins. Everything is so clean and neat to use in the video editing phase. You can use it if you want to like up your game a little bit more.  But for a normal home production podcast or video GarageBand is more than enough. You don't need anything beyond this, I mean, pretty much you will not need it unless you're doing music production. Apple also offers its own paid music production tool called Logic Pro X. The two apps look very similar on first viewing, but Logic Pro X has a lot more under the hood. It’s used by music producers, movie producers, and such.

Screenflow (Mac): This is a great tool to help you  start creating your own stunning videos. It has styles and templates and lets you create professional animations and freehand annotation. I use it for most of my recording and editing on a Mac. I use ScreenFlow which is really cool software because it allows you to record the screen as well as your video, but you have to manually do all the editing work if you want to do any kind of screen switches and things like that. And I also use Ecamm Live.  I can have options where I'm looking into the screen and speaking, looking into the camera and speaking, I can have options when I share my screen and my video goes to the top.  I can do multiple things,  I can share PPTs, I can share mind maps. I can basically switch screens. The beauty of Ecamm Live is that it allows you to stream live on Facebook, on YouTube, on multiple platforms. And it also allows you to record videos within Ecamm itself. So when I connect my high-end, mirrorless camera into my system, using the Elgato Cam Link the software automatically picks it up.

That's why right now, all my courses are edited on  Ecamm Live itself. And the best part is I don't have to process and render that video once it is recorded it is done and dusted. Now, even if you've been seeing all my YouTube videos, I caught everything in one single take on Ecamm Live, and put it up into Google drive. And then I have my team who does all the editing work and uploads it on YouTube because I have a whole system that has been set up on that. Now, the other thing you can use is Adobe Premier for Mac, Windows, and mobile at a reasonable price tag per month if you’re doing lots of videos. It’s the most versatile option in this list and fairly robust if you’re just starting out.

Now, the other thing you can use is Adobe Premier for Mac, Windows, and mobile at a reasonable price tag per month if you’re doing lots of videos. It’s the most versatile option in this list and fairly robust if you’re just starting out.

You can check out Adobe audition for recording audio.
Adobe Audition (PC): Adobe Audition is a toolset that’s perfect for editing, mixing, recording and restoring audio. It is well suited for industry-standard work in music, interviews, and video Audacity works well for hobbyists and podcasters who need a simple setup.

Audacity (PC): Audacity is a free software that has been developed by volunteers and is also good for recording your audio. The last piece of your home video production puzzle is editing. From free to pricey, there are many editing software options available. Perhaps the most popular free option, especially amongst Mac users, is Apple’s own iMovie. If you want more bells and whistles, you can upgrade to Final Cut Pro. Whichever editing option you choose, consider that editing can be a long process. Make some space in your video studio setup where you can comfortably sit and edit for long periods of time.

The second option for Windows, I would recommend is Camtasia by Techsmith. If you're a PC or a Windows user

Camtasia (PC): Record your screen and edit videos with a powerful, yet easy-to-use video editor to create professional-looking videos. It is a simple, all-in-one video editing and screen recording software program built with beginners in mind. Camtasia will enable you to create professional training videos quickly and efficiently. It is available for both Windows and Mac and is a simple tool that’s easy to pick up. It’s fairly versatile and can do screen recordings. 

Camtasia is a little bit more expensive. It's more like a one-time fee one-time payment, but that's a good alternative, comparable to what ScreenFlow is for a Mac.

There are many good video editing options available at various price points, but HitFilm is one of the best values for the money. Here’s a rundown of some popular editing software options in order of free to most expensive. 

Both Final Cut Pro and iMovie are editing systems for Mac that can be relied on and provide a simple way for people to begin their editing journey. There is no doubt that iMovie is but a more basic platform than Final Cut Pro, iMovie is free. You can always upgrade to Final Cut Pro X when you feel you are ready. 

Windows 10 includes Video Editor, which has video creation and editing tools that tell your story with music, text, motion, and 3D effects. Video Editor is the successor to Movie Maker on Windows 10, with a focus on easy-to-use creative tools. HitFilm is available at several price levels for both PC and Mac. At the highest end, the versatility and features are geared toward filmmakers. 

You’ll also need software to create thumbnail graphics for your videos and YouTube channel art. Try Canva’s free version as it has the sizes, guidelines, and templates you’ll need to create these graphics.

A big part of content production involves sitting in a chair for hours on end. Whether you’re conducting a webinar or shooting a reel, a great studio chair is an excellent investment for any coach looking to make their space more comfortable as a creative zone. 

Over time, you can feel the difference between budget chairs and expensive chairs in your shoulders, your neck, and your lower back. You also might be dealing with poor acoustics and soundproofing can help treat this. In your home studio, the first piece of soundproofing you might want to invest in is a reflection filter. This is a sound shield that attaches to a microphone stand, acting as a portable vocal booth. This should help prevent any poor acoustics from the room from affecting the sound.

After this, it is a good idea to look at foam pads that can attach to your wall. This will help reduce acoustic ambience in the room and the more you get, the better treated your room will be. 

As you build your home video studio, you’ll need a few more pieces to complete your equipment. Make sure that you have an extra set of batteries because if you're doing a lot of video work, I noticed my video time is probably one or two hours with the way that I'm going. I do like one full webinar and one whole battery spare, so I have like two batteries that I keep recharging.

BACKGROUND: The background of your video matters. A backdrop can screen off your home from view, adding privacy and eliminating distractions, and can also help set the tone of your video. A professional backdrop: A green screen opens up a whole new world of opportunity. However, a classic grey or white backdrop also looks professional. Avoid backgrounds that are too busy, as complex patterns or details can be distracting for your viewers, leading to less successful learning outcomes. 

You can buy full backdrop rigs or opt for muslin backdrops plus an adjustable stand. You get different backdrops to suit your video style, from plain black and white, wood or brick effect. If space is an issue a pull-up screen is useful. 

Basic backdrops are usually muslin (either pure cotton or polyester) or paper. Both are cheap and easy to set up. Some videographers prefer paper because it doesn’t wrinkle. Cloth can get creased, but if the camera is held further away it doesn’t show.  The most expensive backdrops are canvases, which are heavy and have to be carefully stored because creases are difficult to get out. For most amateurs, muslin or paper backdrops are the cheapest and easiest options. Then lastly is the set and the background itself. Work with what you have, you may prefer to be sitting at your desk in most of your videos. Just avoid sitting too close to a wall and add some interest. 

You can add some background aesthetics with cushions and plants or even posters. I have my personal logo positioned in the right-hand corner. 

The background elements, colors, and the depth of field in those shots gives a really nice, cool effect for tying the whole set together. Use another camera for the B roll shots. Once you have a set, you can experiment with different shooting positions, depending on how close or far away you are from it. 

Diffusion papers also soften the light to a proper level of brightness. In case studio lights are the lighting of choice, be sure to shut out natural light as much as possible. 

Sound panels: Buying and installing a few sound panels to muffle extra noise might be a good option for those wishing for higher sound quality.

If you're on a shoestring budget right now and you don't have much to spend, I will give you some options that you can start with. Smartphone cameras have customizable features that are more than sufficient for a start-up home studio. The latest smartphones have excellent cameras. Anything from the iPhone 6 and similar Samsung models will be of adequate quality to use for video. If you're on an iOS device, I would highly recommend using  Spark Camera (iOS)

Spark Camera is the easiest way to make videos on your iPhone. You can capture, edit and share your videos with just a few taps.It's a beautiful app that allows you to record small snippet videos and within one minute of duration.

If you're an Android user, you can use Quik (iOS & Android)

Quik is a free photography and video editing app from GoPro. It's notable for providing a ton of features, comparable to a desktop photo or video editor, in a slick-looking and reasonably-fast app. It plays nice with other apps, and works well whether it's photos, videos or both you want to focus on. 

And if you want to let go a little bit longer, there's another app called InShot, which is excellent. InShot (iOS & Android) 

InShot is a powerful HD Video Editor and Photo Editor with professional features. Add music, transition effects, text, emoji and filters, blur background 

You can add stickers, edit your videos, and add text into it. You can do multiple things, or you don't have to depend on any kind of video editing software. 

When you consider that people spend hours watching smartphone footage, you realize that your phone is good enough to start with. You don’t need professional quality equipment to shoot video at a quality level that will work for your initial educational products.

Today YouTube has grown into such a vast dimension that you can find tutorials, reviews, videos, music videos, skits, etc. It has content so massive that there is enough variety to satisfy the entertainment needs of anyone. 

You all know that YouTube is very popular, but you don’t know that as per the latest statistics more than 1 billion people around the globe use YouTube — i.e. one-third of people on the Internet.

If you do analysis on the basis of user behavior, you will come to figures like this: 

YouTubers watch 6 billion hours of videos every month. 
YouTubers watch 4 billion videos every single day.
YouTubers upload 300 hours of video every minute.

After you have attained some technical expertise and are ready to post your videos regularly, you need to work out a strategy for building your brand on YouTube. 

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Your audience is juggling a pretty full plate. So in a way, you are fighting for attention. Be clear about the purpose of your video or podcast from the start and center it around content that will help them be the best they can be. Speak from the heart 

For example, when recording your lessons or talking to the camera, try speaking from memory rather than reading a script. This can make a massive difference for your listeners. Even though the quality of the learning material is the same, even if you occasionally fumble, you will build trust and a connection with your audience faster. 

Another thing to try is to share some facts about yourself. By being open about your life and what makes you unique as an instructor, you’ll infuse your personality into your content and help humanize the relationship you have with your online students. 

A final thing to try is putting your face on camera. Mind maps and other visual aids are fine, but your students would like to see your face through the learning journey. Set up a simple background and film yourself. When you are walking through many points on a screen, show your face now and again to add some interest to the content.

During a podcast, distill the message down to a few essential points, so that everyone gets the gist of the talk. Drawing on real-life examples that tie in with universal experiences is a great way to get the message across. 

I hope you found this Ultimate Guide To Setup Up A Home Studio useful. 

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