I started screencasting for my business, GoRails.com, in 2014. I had no idea what I was doing, so it took me a while to find a setup I was comfortable with.
My main goals were portability and simplicity. So let's dive into my original configuration.
Original Screencasting Setup
When I started, the goal was just to have something super duper simple and cheap.
I already had a Macbook Pro, so I simply spent $150 and got a decent microphone, the Blue Yeti. This is a great starter microphone and simply plugs in with USB. No dealing with XLR or audio interfaces. I also didn't use a webcam because my main focus was just on the content. That made it even cheaper and easier to get started.
- Macbook Pro 15"
- Blue Yeti
- No Webcam
For software, I use Screenflow which is a fantastic Mac-only app for editing audio and video. It's got just about everything you need for recording and editing in one app.
Current Screencasting Setup
After recording for a few years, I wanted a better setup. I still wanted it to be portable, but the major improvement here was adding a nice camera. I often spend a couple minutes during screencasts explaining topics and ideas so it's nice to be able to look at someone instead of a blank screen for those times.
Rather than buying a webcam, I opted for a Panasonic GH5 camera with a 12-35mm lens. This is one of the few consumer cameras that has clean HDMI out. The camera's HDMI out goes into a USB3 capture card made by Inogeni and basically makes it work as a 4k webcam.
Same as before, I use Screenflow for recording and editing my screencasts.
Podcasting
In the last 6 months, I've also started podcasting. While the Blue Yeti would work great for this, I wanted to invest in something higher quality since podcasts are only audio. The Shure SM7b is what you see on Joe Rogan's podcast and used regularly by radio stations and musicians.
For podcasting, we record using Zencastr which has been fantastic.