Better Video and Audio in Zoom
Hey friends. This article is better video and audio in Zoom. For the last year as a teacher, I’ve lived my professional life through Zoom, teaching and meeting with colleagues. I’ve found that process to be just okay. To make matters worse, my Macbook Pro is from 2012, and its camera and internal mic are pretty sub-par for 2021. So what can be done on the cheap? And will this really matter? Yes, having better video and audio in Zoom does matter. And here’s why.
Let me dig into the “will this matter” part in more detail. We all understand that the current mode of teaching and learning isn’t ideal for anyone. Student success rates are down, as they are out of touch with the kinds of learning patterns that have worked for them in the past. I’m not suggesting that better camera and sound quality will bridge this gap. I am saying that students notice when we, as teachers, are making efforts to reach them. For me, this is about finding small ways to make this moment clearer to students.
The setup here is now designed around a standing desk I put together out of IKEA furniture bits, a TV mounted to the wall, and the previously mentioned 2012 Macbook Pro. I wanted to move away from that sitting, with camera looking up your nose angle into something that fit how I work now. I just do not like how “off” it all feels, and this set up frees me up at least a little to show more of myself, as an upright, standing person, who uses his hands to gesture and point a bit. I felt really limited as a teacher sitting in front of my computer just typing away and sharing screens and removed from the things that I felt really comfortable doing is a teacher.
The Camera Upgrade-
Youtube is full of advice here, but for me, it came down to what I had on hand. I toyed around with using my Canon SL2 with OBS, but all that did was push my computer closer to its upcoming death. I had a spare cell phone (a Google Pixel XL), and figured out I could connect it to my computer using a bit of software called Iriun. And to my surprise, it totally worked. The software itself is pretty limited, but honestly I don’t need much. I just needed the image to look at least a little better on the other end. Connecting to Zoom was also seamless, and it was listed as a camera under the Video button at the bottom of the application. I mounted the camera on an Amazon Basics tripod, with clip that came with a bendy tripod. Cost? Zero dollars for the camera, and $15 for the tripod, which I’ve had on hand for a few years. The video quality was indeed…better.
The Audio Upgrade—
I initially began using Apple earbuds a year ago, but I just got tired of that 8 year old tech, and I didn’t need any more wires in my life. So Youtube influencers suggested I think about condenser mics. I was interested in one with a swinging arm, and the Uruhu model UM-925 fit the bill. It cost $70, a little more than I wanted to spend, but it works brilliantly. It’s better than anything I have for shooting Youtube videos, and it was money well spent. A person looking to save money could go without the swinging arm part, and score one for $30-50. That would still be a good deal. The audio quality was indeed…better.
So at the end of the day, is it worth taking the time to upgrade the quality of your ZOOMs? Of course! People will notice: in my first meetings, I heard things like “you look so professional,” or “when do you start your Twitch stream?” Not likely, I thought, but it nice to know that people notice. I hope my students do, too.
Linked here are products mentioned in this video, and as noted, are affiliate links, which help the growth of this site.
- Amazon Mic kit affiliate link: https://amzn.to/2ZY5cK7
- Amazon Tripod affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3b2cWBm
