Why Creating a Studio Setup is Harder Than It Looks? Part 8... G.A.S.

The short answer is… 

You are not solving a design problem.

You are solving a communication problem visually.

Why do most Content Creators and Business Professionals get G.A.S.?

For the uninitiated, G.A.S. is an acronym for “Gear Acquisition Syndrome".   We all get it to one degree or another.

It begins by either the desire to be like those you admire in the Live Streaming/Podcasting realm or from not understanding why your set design is not working on camera.

Most start off with buying increasingly more expensive microphones, then graduating to increasingly more expensive cameras and lenses, then to more expensive lights.   

Never realizing that the problems they are trying to fix have little to do with the gear, but how it is set up and used.   In other words, technique, principles and practice. 

How do you keep from falling into the G.A.S. trap?

One way is to do the research ahead of time and have a plan for how you want your set to look as well as whom it is to speak to.

Next is to be deliberate in applying that knowledge in the initial equipment you choose to accomplish that intent.

The equipment does not necessarily have to be expensive, it just has to accomplish the intent you have set for your Live Stream/Podcast background.

Now I get it, there is a definite difference in the quality of equipment across the price spectrum.

Let's take microphones for an example, there is a reasonably large gap in the sound quality between a $10 XLR mic and a $30-$40 XLR mic.   But that gap significantly narrows from the $50 mic to the $150 mic. And it's dramatically smaller between the $150 and the $500.

Typically above that $500 range even a professional audio engineer will be hard pressed to tell the difference between the mics in the thousands of dollars.

Cameras are the worst for this.   For Live Streaming you would be hard pressed to tell the difference between a few hundred dollar 4k PTZ camera and a thousand plus dollar mirrorless camera with an interchangeable lens.

And that image quality gap gets even narrower as the price of the cameras increase.

I honestly cannot tell the difference in image quality between a $3000 mirrorless camera with a good quality lens and a $42,000 Red Cinema camera with the same lens.

And then there are the lights, holy moly can you go crazy in this department.

So to keep control of your G.A.S., do your research, have a plan and work that plan.   If you are diligent in your choices and setup, you will not fall into the trap that many do.   Remember to exercise proper technique, principles and practice. 

When you do get that G.A.S. itch, ask yourself this, will “xyz” pieces of equipment add to the bottom line? Or is it a want to have or a nice to have?   Just be honest about it.   

It is OK to treat yourself to a new piece of equipment on occasion, just do not let it become an excuse or an addiction and you will be fine.

If you are just starting down the Live Streaming/Podcast path, 

Let's talk and see if I can help you navigate through it all.

Click Here

Until the next installment...

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