Basic webinar and podcast equipment: camera, microphone and lighting

It's easy to get pulled into long gear lists: a pro camera, a mixer, studio lights, a green screen. Most of that isn't needed for a first webinar or the first episode of a podcast. What you do need is clear sound, a face people can see and a connection that holds. With the computer you already own and one or two small additions, you can get a very good result.

This article goes through the equipment in order of importance, and explains what to upgrade first.

The right order: sound, light, camera

If you have budget for one thing, spend it on sound. Viewers will forgive a slightly soft picture, but echoey, distant or noisy audio gets tiring fast, and people simply leave. For a podcast this matters even more, since many listeners only hear you.

Lighting comes next, and the camera after that. A good camera in a dark room gives a poor picture. A basic camera facing a window gives a perfectly decent one.

Microphone

A laptop's built-in mic picks up the whole room: the echo, the keyboard, the laptop's own fan. Almost any external microphone is an improvement. There are three main options:

• A headset with a mic. Simple and inexpensive. The mic sits close to your mouth, so your voice is clear and less background noise gets in.
• A small clip-on lavalier mic that plugs into your phone or computer. It looks tidy on camera and leaves your hands free.
• A USB desk microphone. It plugs straight into the computer with no extra gear and gives a fuller sound. A good fit for podcasts.

A few things matter more than which mic you pick:

• Distance. A desk mic should be close to your mouth, about a hand's width or two. Further away, it starts picking up the room.
• Headphones. On a podcast with guests, everyone should wear them. Without them, one person's voice comes out of their speakers and into their own mic, and you get echo.
• The right input. In your browser and your computer's settings, check that the external mic is selected and not the built-in one. It's a very common mistake.

The room

An empty room with bare walls and a hard floor echoes, and no microphone will fully fix that. The good news is that it's easy to improve:

• A room with furniture, books, curtains and a rug echoes far less than an empty one.
• Close windows, turn off the air conditioning or a fan if you can, and silence your phone.
• If there's still echo, even a thick blanket over the chair behind you or in front of the desk helps.

Lighting

Rule one: the light should be in front of you, not behind you. A window behind you turns you into a silhouette. A window in front of you, or a little to the side, gives soft, flattering light.

If you broadcast in the evening, or in a room without a window, a simple lamp behind your screen pointed at you makes a big difference. A few notes:

• Bright, harsh light flattens your face. Soft light is better, for example a lamp with a shade or one bounced off the wall in front of you.
• Turn off the overhead light if it casts shadows under your eyes.
• If you wear glasses, move the lamp a little to the side so it doesn't reflect in the lenses.
• Daylight changes over an hour. For a long session, a lamp is more consistent.

Camera

The camera on a recent laptop is enough for most webinars, as long as the lighting is good. If yours is old, or you want a sharper image, an external webcam is a simple upgrade. Another option is your phone: recent phone cameras are high quality, and on a stand a phone can serve as your camera.

Where the camera sits matters more than the camera itself:

• At eye level. A laptop on a desk films you from below, which isn't flattering. A few books under the laptop fix it.
• Far enough to show your head and shoulders, with a little space above your head.
• Look at the lens when you talk, not the screen. It makes viewers feel you're speaking to them.

Background

Whatever is behind you is in the frame. A simple, tidy background beats a busy one. A bookshelf, a plant or a plain wall all work. If you don't have a suitable corner, background blur or a virtual background solves it, but check first that it doesn't cut off your hands or hair.

Internet and computer

An unstable connection ruins a broadcast more than any weak piece of equipment. Use an ethernet cable if you can. If not, sit near the router, and ask others at home to hold off on big downloads or streaming while you're live.

On the computer, close apps and tabs you don't need, turn off notifications and plug into power. If you'll share your screen, prepare what you'll show in advance, so no personal emails or messages pop up.

What's different for a podcast

In a podcast the audio is the product, so it's worth investing a bit more there. A decent USB mic and headphones for every speaker are the foundation. When you record remotely, quality also depends on your guest's setup, so send them a few simple tips beforehand: a quiet room, headphones and a stable connection.

If your podcast is also filmed, everything above about light and camera applies to it too. On choosing between the two formats, see video vs. audio podcast. And for recording with guests in other places, see how to record a remote podcast.

Test before you go live

The best equipment isn't worth much if you find a problem halfway through. A day or two before, do a short recording or test broadcast from the same room, at the same time of day, with the same gear. Listen back with headphones, and ask someone to join as a viewer on their phone. Plenty of problems, like the wrong mic being selected or glaring light, only show up this way. There's more on preparing in our complete guide to hosting a webinar.

Try it without committing

Kolcast has a private rehearsal room for checking your camera, microphone and screen sharing before you go live. It's always free and never counts toward your plan. In the podcast studio, each speaker is recorded on their own computer in full quality, so a weak connection doesn't spoil the recording, and you get a separate file for every speaker. Read more on the podcasts page, or watch the live demo.