Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Not that we know how to use it, but here is the KGXT gear.
Main Monitor
Our hub is a 2021 27" Mac. Big clear screen (that is sometimes in the way) and almost enough ports to handle our growth. Admittedly we may have to upgrade soon. The built in camera so close it often adjusts shades and context during a livestream, causing viewers to notice. However, for starting out this was was a great choice.
Briggs Tech Edit: Make sure whatever computer you are using to stream or record on has at least two USB 3.0 inputs because those are very useful for cameras and devices. The Mac has 4 USB 3.0 ports, 2 Type C port which can be used for almost everything including display, headphone jack, and SD card slot. The Mac is powerful enough to stream and it's CPU is great for rendering your editing projects.
Sound Hub
This is a 2022 Zoom PodTrack P8. We could not be happier with all the functions, features, and ease of use. We are always figuring out new things to do with it. It has the ability to handle phone calls and sound effect buttons built in. (you program the sounds)
Briggs Tech Edit: The Podtrack is perfect for podcasts and livestreams. It has a type c "out" port that when plugged into the Mac is perfect for using multiple microphones. The 6 individual XLR ports, 6 headphone jacks, and programmable sound pad all combine to make for great group discussions. One more great thing about the PodTrack is that it records each microphone track individually. Also, it records everything ON AN SD CARD!!
Elgato Streamdeck XL
What a life-saver this turned out to be. Hosting and producing the show is something nobody does and something I would never advise trying to do. But...... when you want something done right? LOL. The Streamdeck allows us to program scenes and switch settings. It also allows us to flip between cameras through Streamlabs with one hand tied behind your back. Any show not using something like this is more quirky and your transitions exposed. This solves all of that!
Briggs Edit: We've barely scratched the surface of the Streamdeck, it connects via USB. We use it to effortlessly switch between scenes in Streamlabs OBS (see below).
Feelworld L2 Plus
Remember in the beginning when I talked about our Mac maybe running out of input ports? Well this helped. We use stationary overhead cameras in certain locations (all HDMI). 4 cameras in and one USB out. This sits right next to the Streamdeck and as Streamlabs chooses this box as a video source. This box can switch and fade between 4 cameras on its own. We are still getting used to it, but it's a great addition.
Briggs Tech Edit: The FeelWorld L2+ connects to the Mac with a USB-A 3.0 to USB-A 3.0 cable. Just so you know, the cord it comes with is very short. It has 4 HDMI Inputs for your cameras. We use a Canon G60 (see below) and 2 "MOKOSE 12MP HDMI Camera 1080P USB HD Streaming Webcam" (see below), which work great. It also has an HDMI Out for displaying the current camera on a TV or monitor for your guests.
Broadcast Cameras
Elgato Facecam. We love Elgato products! These are not super expensive and have so many adjustable options and preset modes it makes our job easy.
Briggs Tech Edit: If you are just going to use one camera, I highly recommend using this webcam. It's very powerful and the Elgato Camera Hub program that it comes with is amazing and very customizable as well. It uses a 3.0 USB-C cable.
Microphones
We have several different versions of the SHURE M7. KLR/USB, and they are absolutely worth every penny!
Briggs Tech Edit: These are connected via Micro USB to a computer, but if you are using the Podtrack (see above) you can connect it using a XLR cable without the Micro USB.
Studio Cameras
MOKOSE 12MP HDMI Camera 1080P USB HD Streaming Webcam. That's a mouthful! We tried these out for stationary overhead camera positions and love them. It's odd that they have manually adjustable focus like an old style still shot camera, but the color and depth is a good fit for us.
Briggs Tech Edit: These Cameras are amazing because they have great versatility, great zoom, great quality, and they can be used for USB or HDMI.
Microphone Boom Arms
The Gator Frameworks Boom is one of the best. We prefer the solid mount that it comes with, because these are easy to use and stay in place. We have other styles and each time we upgrade, this is what we choose. #GFWBCBM300
Briggs Tech Edit: These swing arms are great and very sturdy. I recommend getting screw in mounts that go into the table if you can. They are more sturdy and also more functional and comfortable.
Cough/Momentary Pause Button
There are probably better boxes for this but they are hard to find. Since there are few electronics at each station, this seems to work well. Each person has one in front of them that cuts the audio feed to the mixer.
Briggs Tech Edit: This specific item is a little tough to get used to, because you have to press it all the way down. Its a foot pedal, but we use it on the table anyway.
Portable/Guest Camera.
The Canon G60 is a powerful camera. We use it to film while we travel, but we have it set up in studio for guests. This used to be our main camera but once the Mac became our hub, geographically this was harder to set up correctly with line of sight. None the less, GREAT camera.
Briggs Tech Edit: The Canon G60 is absolutely stunning. We used to run it through a capture card which would then go into the mac. Now we run a Mini-HDMI cable to our L2+ board.
Notes Monitor
So here's the deal... If you are live streaming and you have any sort of a comments section you do choose to read, it is just one more window you need to have open on your screen. (which will already be very filled if you are doing EVERYTHING yourself) I do have one person who during a live will copy and paste interesting comments to Google Docs. This small monitor sits off to one side with Google Docs open and I can see/read messages as they are posted. (picture below shows how we set it up)
For me it is a MUST have to reduce screen clutter and increase desk clutter.
Briggs Tech Edit: The Arzopa portable monitor is a blessing. It's connected to the mac via a USB-C Display Cable. Adding extra monitors to a Mac causes some
Various Lights
There is no need for model numbers on this one. There are so many lights that are very similar, if you are looking for lights that wall mount and also come with a stand, consider this style as long as the light features are fully adjustable. (we wall mounted ours)
Briggs Tech Edit: The Neewer lights are very professional. They have warm and cool color adjusters. I highly recommend wall mounting them.
Garageband (audio)
Audio mixing. Since our needs are pretty light in this area, Garageband seems to suit us pretty well. Now that we have learned some new recording features of the Zoom P8 Podtrack, this does a pretty good job with a lot of easy to use features.
Adobe Rush (video)
Video editing is where we spend the most time. Our shorts and podcasts don't require a lot of editing and switching scenes because I handle those live during the recording sessions with the L2 Plus and the Streamdeck. All the camera angles and edits are done by me on the fly so post production is much smoother. But we do need something with enough told to get the basics done. I'd love to learn Adobe Premier Pro (pictured) some day.
Briggs Tech Edit: Adobe Rush is very user friendly. You could get the same functionality out of CapCut. Other Adobe Products I use: Premiere Pro (Video), Audition (Audio), Photoshop, After Effects (Video, and Media Encoder
Streamlabs (broadcasting)
Streamlabs is the junction box that joins all the live streaming together. Loaded onto the Mac and with all the above audio and video gear listed, everything feeds into the Streamlabs app and then is broadcast out to all of our platforms. Streamlabs is also how we record the podcasts.
Briggs Tech Tip: Streamlabs OBS is an amazing streaming software, whether you are trying to game or just chat like my dad does. It's amazing. Very customizable, a little bit of a learning curve but you should be able to pick it up quick. I would recommend starting off learning Streamlabs before investing in a lot of equipment.
The never quite finished production area.
Things change every month around here but this gives you and idea of how the main layout is used. Everything is flexible, nothing fastened to the table. As KGXT develops, so does the gear we need to use.