Guest Notes For Drive On Recording

Microphone

Audio is probably the most critical aspect of the recording to get right. If the video isn't perfect, the viewers can look past that. However, they'll likely tune out if they can't understand what you're saying.

It is best to use an external microphone if you have one. The built-in microphone on most computers tends not to have the best sound quality.

If you have headphones with a built-in microphone, like the headphones that might have come with your cell phone, you can plug that into your computer, and it'll work better than the built-in microphone.

Airpods or other Bluetooth headphones with a built-in microphone are great too. But you don't need to go out and spend hundreds of dollars on an expensive microphone. Something inexpensive like this will work.

Headphones

Wearing headphones while we record will reduce the "echo" effect when my voice exits your computer speakers and enters your microphone. We can't do much about that when editing the audio, so it's best to eliminate it by using headphones. Again, if you already have headphones, you can hook up to your computer, those should work fine.

Recording Environment

Keep the room quiet where you are recording. Dogs barking, kids being kids, fans, air conditioners, and the garbage truck outside your window will all creep into the recording. Again, the audio quality will suffer if you have any background noise, so try to reduce it as much as possible before we start recording.

If you know that garbage day or your landscapers come on a specific day of the week, try to avoid scheduling the recording on that day. (You can always reschedule for another day if you've already scheduled).

Video Equipment

The video will be recorded as part of the TV broadcast. Short clips may also get shared on social media sites as well.

You can use just about any camera type that connects to your computer. Many computers have built-in webcams, which will work but may not be the best quality. You can also use a USB plug-in-type camera or any number of other devices when using your computer.

If you use your cell phone, the built-in front-facing camera (the one on your screen) will work. Just make sure that the phone is positioned in landscape mode.

Lighting

Try to situate yourself in an area with good lighting.

The best lighting will have a light in front of you, either behind or next to the camera, and another light behind you, but not in view of the camera.

If you don't have access to a well-lit space, you can place a lamp in front of you to improve the lighting. If there are windows behind you, those will wash out your face on the recording. Move so the window is not behind you, or close the shades so the light doesn't come in.

Dress/Appearance

I don't particularly care how you dress or whether or not you have a messy room in the background. However, the episode may be seen/heard by people that you want to take you seriously. So, it may be best to neaten up a bit.

Camera Positioning

When positioning yourself at the camera, keep these tips in mind:

• Don't be so close to the camera that your face is the only thing on the screen. 
• Don't be so far away from the camera that we're distracted by everything else on the screen.
• Ensure the lighting (or lack thereof) doesn't make your face too dark.
• Orient the camera so your face is towards the center of the screen. We will have a banner across the bottom of the screen, and we don't want to cut your face off.

Wi-Fi has become so prevalent that we hardly ever think of the days when wired connections were required to access the internet.

However, a wired connection will provide the best reliability when recording remotely. The recording software uses a lot of bandwidth and may not get the best results on Wi-Fi.

If Wi-Fi is all you can access, it will still work, but we have an increased risk of the connection being dropped. 

For help connecting your computer by a wired connection, please see this helpful guide. Note: that if your computer doesn't have an Ethernet port, you may need to use a USB-to-Ethernet connector.

The SquadCast recording software has a "Green Room" that you will enter before joining the recording session.

This Green Room allows you to make sure you have the correct camera, microphone, and headphones selected. You can see and hear yourself to test how you look and sound. If you don't like something you see or hear, now is the time to change it.

In the screenshot above, there are five highlighted areas:

1. Name: Enter your name here. This will help me identify your recording after we finish the interview.
2. If you are wearing headphones, toggle the switch so that the white circle is to the right and the oval shape is filled in green. If you are not wearing headphones, toggle the switch so that the white circle is to the left and the oval shape is greyed out.
   
   

   Wearing Headphones

   

   Not Wearing Headphones

3. Click the "Change Equipment" dropdown to expand your options to change your headphones, microphone, and camera. You'll see yourself on the right, so you should be able to tell if you're using the correct camera.
4. At the top left corner of the video, you'll see a red, yellow, or green icon, depending on the strength of your internet connection. Ideally, we want it to be green. However, yellow could work, but there is an increased chance that our connection will drop. Red will most likely cause us to have dropped connections in the conversation.
5. The Join Session button is at the bottom. Once you're happy with your look and sound, click the Join Session button and enter the recording.

For more information on using SquadCast as a guest, please click here: https://squadcast.fm/guest/