How to setup a basic recording operation

staykoff · July 26, 2019

Hello guys,
I own a consulting agency and we are looking to launch a service where me and my partner do an in-depth review of our client's social media account while recording the screen at the same time.
So here's the situation:
1. Multiple people who are in the same room are reviewing the client's profile similar to a conference call or a podcast
2. All reviewers should be able to look at what's being reviewed
3. The review needs to be recorded and exported in a popular video format e.g. mp4

Regarding point 1 we tried using skype, facebook etc, via individual headsets but the audio quality isn't good - there are echoes, double voice, sound artifacts, sound lag etc. I am wondering whether this is caused by the fact the we are recording the audio on the reviewer's computer but also we are sitting close to each other so both headsets pick up the voices when we are talking. I am confused :(

Regarding point 2 we tried using chromecast to cast the screen on the TV in the room but chromecast moves the audio to the TV as well so we can no longer record the audio on the recording PC.

Regarding point 3 we are currently using Camtasia to record the screen and the audio.

I am aware that this setup is a complete mess and I am willing to rework it from scratch I just don't know what to do. The goal is to have multiple people record a review of a single client's profile and then export it to mp4.
Thanks.

anothertom · July 27, 2019

A big factor in this, which you didn't clarify, is that if you need to be sharing from multiple screens or is it one person leading the session who needs to share their screen?

There are commercial solutions to this, for instance zoom, but it is possible to do what you require DIY, but obviously there won't be a company to call and complain at if something stops working.

If this all takes place on a single computer (or laptop or whatever) then capturing that screen and using a decent omni-directional mic centrally should produce reasonably usable results fairly cheaply. Then again, it depends on what the end audience is expecting quality-wise from the final product.

staykoff · August 1, 2019

On 7/27/2019 at 6:25 PM, anothertom said:

A big factor in this, which you didn't clarify, is that if you need to be sharing from multiple screens or is it one person leading the session who needs to share their screen?

There are commercial solutions to this, for instance zoom, but it is possible to do what you require DIY, but obviously there won't be a company to call and complain at if something stops working.

If this all takes place on a single computer (or laptop or whatever) then capturing that screen and using a decent omni-directional mic centrally should produce reasonably usable results fairly cheaply. Then again, it depends on what the end audience is expecting quality-wise from the final product.

Hey,
It's a single person leading the session sharing the screen with up to 3 people commenting in on the session. I think the single mic solution might be the easiest for now. Eventually we could maybe get a splitter and set up a multi-mic operation.

anothertom · August 1, 2019

I will reiterate that a "DIY" solution to this isn't going to be as turnkey as a paid solution.

So physically, what I'd do is have the presenter (as we'll call them) running the meting from a desktop with the screen going through a splitter which also feeds either a large screen (55'' or larger) or a projector. The other people in the room observe what the presenter is showing through the larger screen. Ideally everyone is around a single table so something along the lines of this where the larger screens are easily view-able by everybody. The presenter should be sat at the table also.

The desktop is running screen capture software (OBS) which records to the suitable format. A single omni-directional mic is placed central to the meeting going into an audio interface plugged into the presenter's desktop (alternatively, see below). OBS records both computer audio and the room mic. Short test recordings should be made to ensure consistent levels between all people. Once a recording is finished you can re-encode the output file to a more compressed format (either adobe media encoder or a free solution like handbrake, MPEGStreamclip or ffmpeg).

15 hours ago, staykoff said:

Eventually we could maybe get a splitter and set up a multi-mic operation

One reason why i suggest a single mic, is that once you start micing people individually, then it becomes necessary to mic everyone individually, to get a usable end product. That said, giving the presenter a lapel mic and then a single 'shout' mic for the other participants, which can simply be something like an sm58, will probably be cheaper than a decent omni mic. In which case i'd go for a scaralett 2i2, a shure MVL or CVL for the presenter, then either an sm58 or pg58 on a short stand for the others to use when needed.

This will require a knowledgeable person for each session, and you'll want to create as much of a permanent setup as possible, otherwise kit will start disappearing and breaking.