Tools Of The Trade

When I first dipped my toe into making videos for YouTube, I didn't realize how much there was to know!  It took a lot of research and time spent finding out what works for other YouTubers.  Since that time I've been approached by a few people asking what equipment I use, so I thought I'd share this summary for those of you who are just starting out. 

These are the "tools of the trade" that I ended up going with.  Will I eventually change some of this equipment?  Hard to say - technology is always changing!  But, for now, these items work great for me:

Logitech Streamcam

This camera works great for me! The picture quality is very good! Get more info HERE.  

Stabilizer for Recording with a Mobile PhoneGimbal

I heard a lot of great things about the Gimbal Stabilizer - after reading up on it, and evaluating the quality of videos generated by various YouTubers, I decided I had to have this great tool.   If you don't know what a Gimbal does, it stabilizes movement when you're recording with your mobile phone so you have less jiggling and bouncing in your recordings. 

The Logitech MX Master 3 Advanced Wireless Mouse

I recently upgraded to the Logitech MX Master 3 Advanced Wireless Mouse, and I LOVE it! I love the fast response times and ergonomic design. Comfort in a mouse is very important when you use it for hours and hours editing videos.  The accuracy & response of this mouse is also very much appreciated! 

Microphone & Accessories

Sound is very important when recording YouTube videos.  After a lot of research I bought the Blue Yeti (Blackout) microphone.  So far I've been very happy with the sound quality and background noise cancelling.  To go with it, I also bought the Blue Microphones Radius III Custom Shockmount, a Neewer Microphone Arm and the Neewer Professional Microphone Pop Filter Shield.

UBeesize 62" Phone Extendable Phone Tripod Cell Phone Tripod

My wife was looking for something to hold her phone while videoing recipes as she makes them.  The low price and great reviews of the UBeesize 62" Phone Extendable Phone Tripod made it appealing! 

So far we've been pleasantly surprised with it!  It holds bulky phones and the cases they're in with ease!  The remote was easy to set up.  And it's very adjustable - not just the cell phone holder, but also the height and the spread of the base!  Check it out here and see if it's something that will fit your needs.

If you'd like something with a little more reach and a ring light, she recently purchased this tripod with a ring light, which she couldn't be happier with! Sometimes the kitchen is just too dark when she's recording recipes and she needs the extra light to not only light up an area, but also to eliminate shadows.  And she loves that the magnetic cell phone holder works so well with her MagSafe compatible phone case. This tripod is a very inexpensive option with a lot of versatility!  

STREAMING ACROSS MULTIPLE PLATFORMS

StreamYard is what I use when streaming. I noticed several YouTubersStreamYard mention they use it, so I checked it out and liked it immediately! 

StreamYard is easy to use and allows you to stream to more than one social media platform at a time. Eg. you can stream to YouTube plus one of your Facebook groups plus your Facebook profile.  You can find out more about StreamYard, which platforms they stream to, pricing options, etc HERE.

EDITING SOFTWARE

We recently came across a video editing app called CapCut - it's easy to learn to use and it includes many free graphics and royalty free music.  You can use the app on your phone or your computer.  The free version is packed with everything you need to professionally edit videos.  However if you want to unlock all of the graphics and music they have a reasonably priced upgrade option.  

WI-FI

GOOGLE NEST

Stability of internet is very important, especially when streaming live.  We use the Google Nest Wifi Router 3-Pack for our home wi-fi. 

This set includes one router and two extenders.  We used to have the older Google Wi-fi 3-pack but because routers wear out over time, and technology becomes outdated so quickly, we decided it was time to upgrade.  Sure enough, once we installed it, we've noticed our speeds go up. We didn't throw out our old 3-pack though - we were able to add it to the new mesh to give us better coverage through our house and even through the yard.

If you haven't heard of this "mesh" technology, the Google "mesh" is sort of a spider web through your home.  The more strategically placed access points you have, the stronger the coverage throughout your home.  

INTERNET

STARLINK

And of course you need internet! Internet Access is a big deal for both my wife and I, and when you live in a rural area it's really difficult to get good internet access!  If you're in the same boat as me you may have pondered using Starlink but weren't sure if it was worth switching and you didn't know anyone who had it.  Well, now you do!  

Many years ago we started out with Xplornet - while it was way better than the dial-up internet we used to have, it wasn't without issues.  We found there were a lot of outages due to weather and a lot of lag, particularly with upload speed.  

Then we switched to a local broadband internet company, which was much faster than Xplornet.  There were some outages, usually related to the equipment on their tower, but overall less than we experienced with Xplornet and the speeds were faster.  We would have made due with that internet, but then we heard that Starlink was coming to our area!  

Enter Starlink!  Since my wife and I are both pretty geeky, we just had 

to try this new technology! What do we like about it?  It's at least a few times faster than what we had, with very little in the way of outages.  It's very cool how it moves on its own to line up with the nearest satellite.  And it comes with a great app! It also has an option to melt snow and ice off of itself in the winter. Careful with this option as you may see your electricity bill go up - but it can easily be turned off and on in the app. There are currently no data limits.  It's also very easy to set up with no need for a professional installer.  We chose to have a local installer come and do ours though, because we wanted it on the roof and needed someone who isn't scared of getting on top of roofs.  LOL  

Since being with Starlink we have had very reliable service, and the company has kept evolving with smaller dishes and even a mini dish for travel.  Customer service has been great, even offering us a free upgrade on our router recently! 

Get more info and see if it's available in your area HERE. And be sure to check out what offers are available with my referral link.

 CHECK YOUR SPEED

If you aren't sure what sort of speeds your internet is getting right now, you can run free speed tests at FAST.COM.  When you're checking your speeds, make sure you're checking different spots in the house, different times of the day, and also check when using different devices in order to get a clear picture of your speeds.