Recording Without Our Studio Kit

Cyrano encourages recording any video anywhere. Even though our studio kit and backdrops are designed to be easily portable, you may find yourself needing to record without our equipment. In such a case, use the tips in this article to make sure your videos still come out with the best quality possible!

If you need to order a new studio kit, contact your customer success manager.

No Lapel Microphone

Your lapel mic prevents your voice from echoing, which keeps your audio nice and clean. If you don’t have your lapel mic with you, consider these tips:

• Choose a smaller, quiet room that has carpeting.
• Sit near a wall so your voice travels less distance.
• Hang curtains/blankets from bare walls.
• Reduce additional noise like computer fans, fluorescent lights, heating/AC units.
• Avoid recording outside, as any amount of wind can cover your voice.
• If you must record outside, find a place that blocks the wind and keep your camera close to you.
• If you can, use an external microphone. Even headphone microphones will perform better than a laptop or phone microphone.

No Backdrop

Your physical backdrop keeps you in focus. If you don’t have your backdrop, consider these tips:

• Position yourself in front of a blank wall.
• If you have an iPhone 13 or newer, you can use Cinematic Mode in order to create a shallow depth-of-field to keep yourself in focus despite having a busier background. Click here to learn how!
• Create your own backdrop! Office locations, plaques, sitting at an office desk, in front of an interesting wall, or a table set-up can help bring some visual interest to your background. Just be sure that your camera stays focused on you.

No Softlights

• Make sure the room is well-lit and there are no awkward shadows on your face or your background.
• Natural lighting is excellent for recording! Just be sure not to record with bright windows behind you, or you’ll appear too dark.

No Phone Stand

• Set your phone up against some books, a wall, etc. Make sure it isn’t tilted.
• If you’re having someone else hold the camera and you don’t have access to a stabilizer, make sure the person concentrates throughout the recording to reduce jitter. Have them breathe slowly and steadily, and always hold the camera with both hands. This is especially important for recording B-roll – be sure to move the camera slowly and with purpose.

Contact Support

If this article did not fully answer any questions you have, please email us at support@cyranosystems.com with your name, organization, and question(s). We will answer your question(s) within 24 hours and use your experience to improve this help page.