Which microphone should I get? What's the best audio recorder? Which LED light should I get?
These are all great questions. Naturally, we all have limited budget and want to make sure we make a good choice when we're setting up our equipment kit to get our video or audio project off the ground.
And so, here is the gear that I use. I'm not saying that these pieces of gear are the ONLY good options out there. They're just what I use after experiencing a lot of different microphones and lights (and even a few cameras, though I'm not as much of a camera guy as a microphone and lights guy). The links below are affiliate links. If you use them and buy, I receive a small comission.
For video production, most of my work is indoors, with a person on camera, teaching — what we often call talking head video. And for this type of video, I prefer to use a boom microphone mounted on a stand, just out of the video frame. That way, I don't have to worry as much about a lavalier microphone picking up clothing rustle noise. But for boom microphones to capture the best sound, we have to manage room noise and reverb (what many newbies refer to as echo).
For indoors videos, my main microphone is the Sennheiser MKH50. It isn't the budget option, and it sounds great on almost any voice. This mic has been in production for decades, and that's because it is great in almost every way.
Now, we don't all have the budget for a microphone like the MKH50, so what other options for indoor boom mics are there at a more reasonable price? I like the Audio Technica AT4053b.
When recording outdoors, a shotgun microphone is often a good choice. "But can't I just use the same boom mic I use indoors?!" Well, yes, you CAN, but a shotgun microphone often has a bit more "reach" and can help manage ambient noise in outdoor situations. "But can't I just buy one microphone and use it indoors and outdoors?" Yes, as long as the shotgun mic is statically positioned on a stand, they generally work ok indoors as well, but if you're booming it on a boom pole and cueing that mic between people or moving it around, then you shoul definitely consider one of the indoor boom mics we suggested above.
So which shotgun microphones do I use? My primary shotgun mic is the DPA 4017b. It's small, light, and sounds great. But we cover some other good options in the following video, including the classic Sennheiser MKH416, the DPA 2017, the RODE NTG5, the Sennheiser MKE600, and the great sounding but budget priced Audio Technica AT875R.
When working with microphones outdoors, you'll need a windshield. Most microphones come with a foam cover and that works for very, very, very light, almost no-wind-situations. But if there's any breeze, you need a proper windshield. My main windshield is the Radius Mini-ALTO.
Audio recorders span several categories — professional, prosumer, and consumer or "creator". And the prices for each vary widely and wildly!
If you just need a little hand-held recorder with built-in microphones, the ZOOM H1essential is pretty good. I started with the previous generation of this recorder and learned a lot with it. Don't expect Hollywood level sound with this, but you can make surprisingly good sound with it once you learn some techniques.
For creators, the ZOOM H5studio is a nice upgrade that allows you to connect XLR microphones. It sounds fantastic!
If you're looking to get into location and production sound work, then its time to look at the prosumer field recorders. My go-to are the Sound Devices MixPre II series recorders. They're great, but a little pricey for some. In that case, the ZOOM F3, ZOOM F6, and ZOOM F8n Pro are also great.
Most people getting started in video production tend to focus on the camera. But I've found that the audio and lighting have as big or perhaps even a bigger impact on your final video. And because there are already a lot of places out there to learn about cameras, I focus on lighting design and audio production.
Over on my YouTube channel, we have a lot of tutorials and gear reviews of lights. So to keep things brief here, my main lights these days are the more "creator" focused Amaran Pano 120 LED panel, and the more professional Aputure Storm 400X.
Whoa, wait, what? Cameras are listed last on a site where the focus is on video production? Yeah, I find that cameras are pretty amazing today in terms of their capabilities, at a lower cost than ever. And many people get confused and focus almost entirely on which camera to buy and end up learning the hard way that lighting and sound production are at least as important as camera choice.
But, of course, a camera is a necessity when making video. When filming for my YouTube videos, at Webflow (my day job), or for my online courses, my main camera is the Canon C70. Yes, it has now been in production for five years and yes, it has a crop frame, not a "full" frame sensor. But for talking head video, which is 99% of my work, it has been an excellent camera. And I'm sorry to report that I don't have a review video of this camera. I have to keep my videos focused on audio and lighting.
Perhaps even more surprising, I still use the old Panasonic Lumix GH5 for b-roll and secondary overhead cameras for my livestreams. With their smallish micro4/3 sensors, they're easier to keep in focus where I use them on product shots where I prefer to manually focus. They've paid for themselves many times over and I just don't see any practical benefit to replacing them with the two generations newer GH7 cameras.
