Written by Jason Montoya. Posted in YouTube.

Quickstart: The Equipment & Software I Use To Easily Produce YouTube Videos Fast

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If you want to record and edit videos for YouTube, here's a quick rundown on the equipment and software I use to quickly and easily produce videos for my YouTube channel.

The habit of creating videos is more important than how you produce them. If you keep it simple, you can build that habit, and if making videos is something you want to keep doing, you can upgrade your equipment later! Start small and work your way up.

For those who want equipment recommendations to get started making videos, here's what's on my recommendation list.

Video Camera / 4K Webcam

The AverMedia PW513 4K webcam is what I used for recording podcast episodes and YouTube videos in my office. I held out for a webcam until this was available in 2021, since most webcams were trash for so long. It took a while after the pandemic to release, but I've been using this camera since 2021. There are now other options, but this camera has served me so well, I've had no reason to switch.

If you want a deeper dive into my thoughts on this camera, check out my previous blog post about this 4K webcam.

If you don't want to buy a camera, use your smartphone to shoot videos. When I'm not in my office, I'm shooting videos with my iPhone 16 Pro. It looks great, and with a good microphone, you're set. Even my iPhone 13 was excellent, as are most smartphones.

And even if your webcam or smartphone video camera is not very good, just use it if you can't afford an upgrade. It's a place to start and will help you build the habit so doing something on a lower quality camera is better than not doing anything.

Speaking of microphones....

Microphones for Recording Quality Audio

If you have to choose between getting a microphone and a camera, get the microphone. People will tolerate low-quality video, but they won't tolerate low-quality sound.

For my office recording, I'm using a Fifine microphone that I purchased from Amazon. They make different forms and types, and their basic model does a good job of recording my monologue videos and podcast episodes.

I used to use a Yeti microphone, but it's so big and clunky, I prefer the smaller Fifine microphone. You can check out my podcast to hear what the FiFine mic sounds like.

Here are a few other microphone options:

Avermedia USB Microphone (From the same company as the 4K webcam above)
Amazon Basics USB Microphone (Most Affordable Option)

iPhone Microphone

When I'm recording with my iPhone, I've got a Hollyland wireless lavalier microphone. I had to get an adapter (USB Type C to 3.5mm Female Headphone Jack Adapter) to plug my iPhone, which you can get here. They also have versions that plug right into the iPhone, so no adapter is needed.

The Hollyland microphone is better than the built-in one, is easy to use, and is quick to charge.

Hollyland and DJI have awesome wireless microphone sets, but they're pretty pricey, so I'm waiting to pull the trigger until I get more traction.

Speaking of DJI...

Camera Mount / Gimbal

If you need a mount or tripod, check out the DJI Osmo Mobile SE, 3-Axis Phone Gimbal. It's an incredibly awesome value. It's a smart mount with motion sensing and tracking. It'll automatically follow a moving object without human interaction.

It was only $70 on Amazon for the base model, and it's made shooting videos on my iPhone incredibly easy and smooth. I was awestruck by its function for the price!

If you need to record videos by yourself, buy this little robot to follow you around.

Recording and Editing Software ~ Riverside

For fast and easy editing, I'm a loyal Riverside user.

Their AI tools save me hours editing videos and podcasts (removing pauses, ums, and fluff). Their system allows for cloud-based high-quality recording, live streaming, and even AI-generated animated versions of me and my guests!

Every tool you can think of that you would need for producing YouTube videos and podcast episodes is built into Riverside. And Riverside is awesome because they keep adding to it, making it more powerful and useful every day.