Recommended Resources for Content Creators – Speakers, Authors, Thought Leaders

I’m often asked about my recommendations for cameras, microphones, and other tools for creating great content. My partner Terry Brock and I put together some of our favorites. Let me know how these work for you. If I haven’t covered something here, put a note in the comments or post on my Facebook wall at www.Facebook.com/ginacarr.

Apple AirPods with Charging Case

Automatically on, automatically connected. Easy setup for all your Apple devices. Quick access to Siri by saying “Hey Siri”. Double-tap to play or skip forward. New Apple H1 headphone chip delivers faster wireless connection to your devices. Charges quickly in the case. Case can be charged using the Lightning connector. Rich, high-quality audio and voice. Seamless switching between devices. Listen and talk all day with multiple charges from the Charging Case.

Apple EarPods with 3.5mm Headphone Plug

Unlike traditional, circular earbuds, the design of the EarPods is defined by the geometry of the ear Which makes them more comfortable for more people than any other earbud-style headphones. The speakers inside the EarPods have been engineered to maximize sound output and minimize sound loss, which means you get high-quality audio. The EarPods also include a built-in remote that lets you adjust the volume, control the playback of music and video, and answer or end calls with a pinch of the cord.

KLIM Fusion Earbuds with Mic Audio for PC or Android phones

The KLIM Fusion is the ideal choice if you are working from home. Thanks to its integrated and widely compatible microphone, you can use the KLIM Fusion for your conference calls or to speak to your friends on Skype, Zoom, Discord, Slack and more. Also, it will completely isolate you from external distractions thanks to its noise-blocking memory foam in-ear extension. KLIM Fusion offers the absolute best sound quality for its price range.

TROND External USB Audio Adapter Sound Card

Enables you to connect your existing phone or gaming headset with ONE 3.5mm aux TRRS plug (integrated audio OUT & mic IN) to your PC or PS4 through a USB interface. Does NOT work with the USB port of TV, amplifier, CD player, car or truck. Plug-N-Play – no driver required & USB bus-powered. Stays connected to a USB hub or dock to avoid repeated unplugging.

USB Streaming Podcast PC Microphone

Sudotack ST-800 Professional USB Microphone can plug directly into your Mac or Windows computer for direct recording. High-Quality Candioid Mic Capsule inside provides reliable and accurate pickup, and 24bit/192kHz Sample Rate allows to track studio-quality audio in higher-than-CD quality. Ensure the best sound available at an amazing cost performance The USB Microphone Kit is equipped with condenser mic, adjustable microphone stand, shock mount, table clamp, pop filter, USB A to B cable and anti-wind foam cap.

Rode VideoMic

GO Light Weight On-Camera Microphone. Compact and light weight by design, the VideoMic GO delivers clear, crisp, directional audio with incredible ease of use. Its tight pickup area focuses directly in front of the microphone and reduces other surrounding sounds, ensuring that your subject is isolated from distracting background noise. The integrated Rycote Lyre shock mount isolates your microphone from bumps and vibrations that could otherwise interfere with your sound.

USB Microphone from Blue Microphones

Create unparalleled recordings and send them directly to your computer with Blue Microphone’s Yeti USB Microphone. The Yeti uses Blue Microphone’s proprietary tri-capsule technology to produce pristine, studio-quality recordings. It features four different pattern settings so you can record vocals, instrumental music, podcasts, or interviews in ways that would normally require multiple microphones. With simple controls for headphone volume, pattern selection, instant mute, and microphone gain, you’ll be creating exceptional recordings right out of the box.

Blue Yeti Nano Premium USB Microphone – Shadow Grey (Renewed)

Product works and looks like new. Backed by the 90-day Amazon Renewed Guarantee. Renewed products work and look like new. These pre-owned products have been inspected and tested by Amazon-qualified suppliers. Box and accessories may be generic. All Renewed products come with the 90-day Amazon Renewed Guarantee. Perfect for podcasting, game streaming, Skype calls, YouTube or music. No-latency headphone output, headphone volume and mic mute. Standard threading for Radius III Shock Mount and/or Compass Boom Arm. Plug ‘N play-Mac and PC compatible. Cardioid and Omni pickup patterns; supports sample rates up to 24-bit/48Khz. Power Output (RMS): 130mW.

Rode VideoMic Me Compact TRRS

Rode’s newest addition to the VideoMic family – the VideoMic Me – is a directional microphone optimized for smartphones. The VideoMic Me is designed to fit a wide range of different devices including both iOS (iPad included) and Android devices (as long as the headset input on the device is on the opposite side to the actual camera so that you do not see the microphone while filming).

Overear MicrophoneFrom Microphone Madness – Earset Microphone

I don’t keep what microphone that is for many years. They have a strong work dictation of producing top-notch audio quality product’s. Their material is top rate and I have bought many microphones from them. I am actually using there over the year microphone right now as I dictate this text down onto my computer. If you are recording audio and want the flexibility that the Earset microphone provides, this is an ideal choice for you.

3.5 mm to USB adapter

This will help you to connect a standard 1/8 inch microphone jack to a USB that fits conveniently into your computer. This is ideal when you’re on the road.

Moman On Camera Video Light for DSLR

2019 Newest Pocket Light – Moman On-Camera LED Light. Moman On-camera LED Light is “cool” in more ways than on camera traditional filament lights. The incredibly CNC aluminum compact fixtures and LED High-tech are designed to produce very little heat, while consuming very little power with built-in battery, make it portable enough for outdoor shooting, as well as powerful at brightness, professional for photography and video shooting. The first magnetic fill light is attachable on the metal to relax your hands. Great choice for photography, portrait,wedding, live streaming, filming.ect. Multifunctional Camera Light for Portrait, Pet, Subject like jewelry, food, living utensils, make-up tutorial, youtube, wedding, live streaming, filming, online teaching, dark scenery vlogging etc.

MountDog Photography Continuous Softbox Lighting Kit

MountDog Photography Continuous Softbox Lighting Kit is perfect for portrait shooting and filming. The relief stone line on the silver mirror is reflected to the light diffuser while continuing to soften the light. Suitable for diffusing light from any flash / flash lightand constant light. Ultimately soften lighting,remove the shadow, to show the perfect shooting. Photography lighting comes with a standard E27 socket, 4 x 135W CFL bulbs supplied are equal to the 1350W incandescent bulb in total to save energy up to 80%. The softness of the shooting makes the shooting object more beautiful and moving. More importantly, it will not irritate your eyes. Softbox lighting angle can be 210°adjusted to achieve perfect lighting effect at different angles, offer more choice to customer choose. With an independent lock button, you can set the desired angle in a few seconds so that you can use the softbox as a main light or additional light at will.

MOUNTDOG Softbox Lighting Kit Photography Studio Light

Mountdog softbox is ideal for general photography including portraits, group shots, glamour and product photography. This softbox is light weight and easy to set up and take anywhere you want. 2pcs 20 x 28inch MountDog Photography softbox ultimately soften light stream and remove shadow to make perfect shooting. Silver internal face to minimize light loss and maximize light spread, with E27 socket,you can directly connect light bulbs,fluorescent lamps or slave flash to offer the light. 2 x 95W Energy saving compact fluorescent spiral bulb, in total to save energy up to 80% and life time approx 10000 hours. With 6500K color temperature, providing a good photographic environment. In addition, we prepare an extra light bulb for reserve. Softbox lighting angle can be 270°adjustable lamp holder, which can suit for different perfect shooting with 1/4-inch Standard Screw Thread Tip. It still comes with 2 adjustable light stand that can be fold to 27” or expand to 80”.

Dimmable Bi-Color LED Video Light

GIJUANRING 2 Packs Dimmable Bi-Color LED Video Light with Tripod Stand Bag Photography Lighting Kit for Camera Video Studio YouTube Product Photography Shooting, 376 LED Beads, 3200-5500K,CRI 96+. You can adjust the color temperature and brightness with the knobs on the back of the light. Stepless dimming from 10%-100%, free brightness adjustment. You can adjust the color temperature (3200K-5600K) with the knob on the back of the light. There are a lot of options in between to adapt to your environment and meet your shooting needs. Can be shot by hand, due to the groove design, it is not easy to fall off during the hand-held process. 180° flexible lighting, can be used as a top light or as a side light. Suitable for multi-scene fill light, product fill light, portrait shooting, video recording, etc. 2M /78.7inch retractable aluminum alloy light stand,very durable. Long service life and easy to carry.

IviSii 18 inch LED Ring Light Kit

The dimmable studio LED ring light with a wide dimmable range from 10%-100%. This video ring light delivers continuous soft natural light with excellent color rendering (CRI>95). The adjustable ring light comes with 2 color filters (white & orange). The foldable diffuser is fastened with 4 belts of high light transmission material, steady color temperature and low loss. This camera ring light illuminator can soften the light and make your photography more natural; ROTATE FREELY: The light stand height is adjustable ranged from 75cm-155cm, made by aluminum alloy with exceptional strength. This kind of smartphone ring light allows you to 180° rotate freely. Our YouTube ring light is ideal for YouTube video, Portraiture, macro, Interview or ENG lighting on location or in studio.

Led Circle Cell Phone Ring Light Clip

Create an even light all over your face rather than just a bunch of shadows. Mini-sized and lightweight body fits easily in your cosmetic bag, you can take to anywhere. 3 Settings (warm, cold, warm and cold light), each can gradually get brighter or dimmer as you press-and-hold the power button. Compatible with all smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc., works on taking selfie, live show, art photography, objects supplemental light. Makes Difference in Your Selfies: circle shaped selfie ring light is good for making every picture you take look good as it creates an even and soft light so don’t have shadows cast over your face, a must have for the selfie lovers.

Auxiwa Clip on Selfie Ring Light

Auxiwa Clip on Selfie Ring Light [Rechargeable Battery] with 36 LED for Smart Phone Camera. Look Flawless in Your Selfies: This little light is all about making your selfies best! The light gives soft illumination without harsh light. It’s like having a professional studio photographer whenever you feel the sudden urge to selfie. Step Up Your Selfie Game: Photos are all about lighting! Using the flash that comes with cell phones is a big big no no. This is why you need this selfie ring light! Just clip it on your phone and you are on your way. Make Your Life Easier: No more worry about replacing batteries; No more worry about finding the perfect lighting; No more worry about scratching of your devices as it is designed with scratch-resistant sponge which also prevents it from falling off.

ZipShot from Tamrac – Fast Unfolding Tripod

This is a fast one for doing tripod that is small and light weight. For easy access and wicked-fast assembly, you can’t beat this. Most tripods are heavy, difficult to carry and slow to set up, causing many missed photo opportunities. The ZipShot Mini Tripod is the answer to this problem! Just release the two red shock cords and the legs of the ZipShot Mini spring open in seconds. The ZipShot Mini is ultra lightweight (only 9 oz.) and ultra compact (only 9″ when folded). It assembles to a height of 28″. Constructed of sturdy, high-quality aluminum with a heavy-duty, metal ball-head, it will hold a DSLR with lens attached (up to 3 lbs. total weight), a mirrorless camera with lens attached, point & shoot camera, most camcorders, and flashes. A single release lever allows the camera to be positioned at any angle so vertical and horizontal shots are easy. Compact tripod springs open in seconds to a height of 28″ and folds up easily to 9″ in length. Holds up to 3 lbs. total weight, for DSLR, mirrorless cameras, point & shoot cameras, most camcorders, and flashes. Constructed of sturdy, high-quality aluminum with a heavy-duty, metal ball-head. Weights only 9 oz. and is only 9″ when folded.

Smatree Telescoping Selfie Stick with Tripod Stand

This Flexible Selfie Stick will be a GOOD Partner on Your Wonderful Travels. Flexible ball head mount for 360 degree rotation with the fast locking system easily to be adjusted to your desired angle, tilt. It is a nice camera mounting! Selfie Stick allows quick length adjustments from 11.8″to 36.6″, simply twist counter clockwise to release, choose your desired length, and twist clockwise to lock, it offer you optimum shooting effect. SmaPole Q3S is made of high quality aluminum tube for durable use,you can use it for you extreme sports,witness your courage of explore nature. Universal tripod stand for any monopod with 1/4″ screw port at the bottom, you may take this mini Tripod Stand Bracket Mount to help your monopod standing alone as a tripod! It is durable and sturdy, holds monopod on top securely.

Chair Green Screen

Affordable, collapsible, portable green screen webcam background made of neoprene, nylon fabric and high quality spring steel for decades of use. Perfect for telemedicine providers, video tech advisers, cyber school teachers, computer gamers, students, telecommuters and salespeople. For those on the go who always need a professional web presence. Gives your video calls a private and professional look. When using with green screen enabled software, the chroma green color gives you the ability to be anywhere. This portable green screen will fit most chairs as well as gaming chairs.

Jumbo Size 55″ x 82″ Green Screen Collapsible

Collapsible green screen – The Green Chroma key screen rolls up and extends tightly for a smooth and wrinkle-free backdrop – The screen can be collapsed into itself to form a durable, hard aluminum case for easy storage – the sturdy X-FRAME automatically keeps your screen locked to the desired height – simple design for easy set up and use: Just open the case and pull up the screen using the built-in handle – perfect for Twitch & YouTube streaming.

Logitech BRIO Ultra HD Webcam

The BRIO is capable of recording, streaming, and calling at full 4k Ultra HD. Clearly see all of the details and colors that pop out on any screen. 1080p and 720p video resolutions are also available. In addition, Logitech’s own RightLight 3 aids in correcting the lighting of your surroundings. It will automatically adjust the image quality to compensate for too much or too little light with High Dynamic Range (HDR) capabilities. Look great no matter where you are!

HD Web Camera with Privacy Cover Slide

Unique design allows you to control what your video displays at any time.Perfect and convenient to provide privacy security and peace of mind to individuals, families, groups, companies, organizations and governments.Just one simple finger movement, enjoy a safe web life. With the universal base, the HD webcam can be attached to your monitor security and can more easily fitting the top of your desktop, laptop or Mac.Plus 1/4 tripod hole ready design, you can choose to use your tripod at any time.

Logitech C270 Desktop or Laptop Webcam

Logitech HD Webcam C270—making HD video calling simple. Say it bigger. Say it better. High definition 720p video in widescreen for picture quality that’s simply amazing. Self-expression knows no bounds. It’s not just about video calls anymore. Video blog, stream, share, rant, rap, sing and dance with ease. Plus it works seamlessly with your favorite applications. The term ‘webcam’ doesn’t quite do it justice.

ProPrompter

Pro prompter is one of the best teleprompter software and apps for iOS, Android help to read the script easily while recording video or giving speeches. Since 2003, ProPrompter mobile teleprompters have been used by professionals, TV networks, schools and universities worldwide! Simply the finest quality mobile teleprompters in the world. ProPrompter was the first teleprompter app for iOS and has continued to be the go to choice for professionals worldwide!

PromptSmart Pro: Mobile Teleprompter App

PromptSmart teleprompter apps are unique because they include a patented VoiceTracktm method of scrolling the text. VoiceTracktm uses speech recognition to scroll as you speak and pause when you pause — without the need for an internet connection — helping to reduce anxiety associated with public speaking and with video production. The natural flow of the text reduces the time needed to get a usable take during a video shoot, particularly with amateur talent.

Seagate 4TB External Hard Drive

You can never have enough storage! This small, slim external hard drive fits conveniently into your USB port and lets you back up those important files. An ideal situation would be to have a computer with a smaller hard drive and backup your important, but not needed too often, files onto the external hard drive.

Panasonic Full HD Camcorder

Panasonic Full HD Camcorder, 20X Optical Zoom, 1/2.3-Inch BSI Sensor, HDR Capture, Wi-Fi Smartphone Twin Video Capture. The Panasonic Full HD Camcorder HC-V770 is equipped with 20x Optical Zoom with 4-drive lens system. Featuring HDR Movie function (High Dynamic Range), this 1080p camera captures clear shots with excellent detail in both bright and dark areas. The Wi-Fi functions make the camcorder competent in a variety of tasks: remote shooting and view via the Panasonic smartphone app, picture-in-picture style video recording with your smartphone as a sub camera. You can also livestream events or check on the baby anytime from anywhere.

Kartra – Your Online Business Made Easy

Create, market and launch online without hiring a team of copywriters, web developers, designers or system integrators! All in one account… No more duct tape! Your online business requires a bunch of different solutions that must be duct-taped together, often leading to frustrating results. You know the pain: your checkout page won’t add your customers into your mailing list, or your helpdesk portal won’t connect with your contacts database, or your membership site won’t revoke access when a user refunds payment, etc. Utterly frustrating, and a huge waste of time… until now!

Zoom

Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done.

Camtasia from Techsmith

This is the worldwide standard for screen capture and video recording. It is ideal for creating training product that you can sell. It is also ideal for creating reference manuals and guides on how to use this features in your computer.

My partner Terry Brock has worked with the people at TechSmith since the late 90s. I find their support system and their attitude to be superlative. You will be very pleased when you use this product whether you’re using Windows or Mac. Don’t forget to look into their other product, Snag-it, it is also available for a Windows and Mac for screen capture.

Olympus Digital Voice Recorder I use (old, but still fabulous!)

This is an oldie but goodie. I love its simplicity of recording and use it often when I’m traveling and want to capture quick audio notes. I also like using it when watching educational TV so that I can quickly record notes and ideas for reference later. I great way to use it would be if you’re learning a foreign-language and need help with pronunciation from an expert, it is readily available and easy to use. I’ve used this for years and still use it today.

WebinarjamWebinarjam

This is a marketing tool set created by marketers for marketers. It gives you the ability to handle registration, in-session chat sessions. You can follow up after your webinar has concluded. It makes using Google+ Hangouts much easier.

Need a recommendation for something else?  Have a comment about any of the things I’ve recommended?  If so, leave them in the comments below or ask on my Facebook profile:  www.facebook.com/ginacarr.

Disclosure: Many of these links are affiliate links. What that means is that I might receive some type of compensation if you click the link and make a purchase. This is a way of compensating me (a little bit) for my recommendation.

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