What's going on guys? It's Sam, and today I'm going to show you my desk setup as well as 4 tips for YouTuber desk setups.
Listen to this article on Spotify or watch it on YouTube:
Tip #1: Recording Desk
All right, so my first tip is the recording desk setup. Now you guys can see exactly how I'm recording my videos.
So, basically, I have a good monitor on this desk right underneath the camera. I also have good lighting right behind the camera with two separate lights. One is a white light, and one is a warm light. The balance of the two makes it seem like it's outside, which is ideal. It's important to have a good microphone too. So I have that set up right on the lens.
Make sure to have an interesting background. Put shelves up, sound panels and also include your editing desk behind you, which I'll dive more into later. But ultimately, having a desk specifically built for recording is pretty awesome, especially if you want to make a bunch of videos all the time. You can just sit at the recording desk, plug everything in, hit the record button and get going.
I also have camera recommendations too, I totally recommend the Sony Alpha 6600, that's what I use for all of my videos. It's incredible.
I'll leave all my recommendations for equipment below this article for you to check out.
Tip #2 Editing Desk
All right, next, I want to show you guys my editing desk setup.
My editing desk is actually my desk that I just work on, in general. It's my main desk. My recording desk is what I strictly use for recording. I never really use it for anything else and my recording desk also includes my computer sitting at the bottom of it.
I have wires that are running on the ground all the way to the editing desk behind me because I like to have some top notch cable management.
At your editing desk, we have to make sure you have your ideal keyboard. One that you've always wanted. I have a Logitech Craft keyboard.
And then you will also need your ideal mouse. I recommend a mouse over a trackpad, but you can also get one of those magic touch pads from Apple. They're amazing.
I also have wrist pads on my editing desk because I want to set it up to be as ergonomic as possible.
You’ll need a solid monitor. I just bought this brand new, 34 inch widescreen, curved monitor. I love it. I also love playing games, so it was an easy sell for me as well.
But it's perfect for editing because it really stretches out the timeline. It makes it a lot easier to see the entire project that you're building.
You’ll also need some solid speakers. I have a little subwoofer underneath my editing desk along with two Klipsch speakers, and I'm not trying to blast the bass to annoy my neighbors but I do want to have the highest quality sound. It's great for quality control.
Tip #3: Ergonomics
By ergonomics, I mean, how can you be as healthy and efficient as you can possibly be while working for hours and hours?
First let’s talk about windows. At my recording desk I need to have a window right in front of me for the most optimal lighting during the day.
If you're editing or at your desk doing emails, you don’t want to have a window in front or behind you because it causes either glare, or the window is just in your eyes all day if it's in front of you. So you want the window shining on the sides of you so that you don't have any direct sunlight that's bouncing off the screen or shooting directly into your eyes while you're focusing, and it'll really help avoid some headaches.
And then the ideal sitting position at your desk involves having your monitor at eye level while sitting straight up and comfortably in your seat. So first set up your seat, sit comfortably, and then have your monitor lined up with your eyes. So the top of the monitor will line up exactly with your eyeballs. We don’t want you to look up or too far down, so make sure to find that perfect sweet spot.
Next, you don't want to reach for your mouse or keyboard, so keep it at arms length while retaining a 90 degree angle with your elbows. Those wrist pads are really nice too, because you don't have to lay your wrists down on your desk while keeping your wrists at a level playing field. We’re trying to avoid any wrist pain after editing for four, six, or twenty million hours in a row.
Tip #4: Environment
So the environment is key. You want to make sure that you include some plants. I got two plants behind my desk, and they have names.
This one is Fitz, and he gets all the shine in the videos because he's closer to the camera. I also have a moss wall in the peripherals of my editing desk as well.
It's important to have greenery around you, especially greenery that you can see while you're looking at your monitor. You don't have to look at it often, but as long as it's in your peripherals, it balances out all the colors and the lights that are in your view while you're working for a while.
It's also important if we're keeping peripherals in mind to have a lack of clutter, so you don't want to have too much stuff on your desk. You can have plenty of stuff on your desk but make sure it's out of your peripherals. Your subconscious runs 90% of your brain, so we want to make sure whatever you are not focusing on is intentionally in or out of your view as well. Out of sight, out of mind.
Make sure the room with your desks in it is spacious. Make sure you're not cramped in a corner, and don’t have your desk in the same room as your living room or your bedroom. That’s hard for a lot of youtubers that are starting and living in apartments. You can only do what you can do in a smaller space. If your desk is in the living room or bedroom, consider buying collapsible accordion walls potentially, just to separate the idea of working at your desk versus living in your apartment.
So that's my desk setup and my 4 tips for desk setups for YouTubers. Make sure you have a recording desk and editing desk. Those are two dedicated desks so you might have to buy another little desk. My recording desk is just a small 2.5’ by 2.5’ standing desk.
Make sure your ergonomics and environment are on point too, and if you have any questions, send me a DM on Instagram. I respond all the time.
Alright, see you in the next one.
Best,
Sam Pareti, Founder of ParEdits
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Equipment Recommendations: