Over the years, there are a few things I have been searching for that mostly eluded me. One was a PC based system that was equal to the original Notebook as pioneered by UK based Thingz Software in the 80s and then sold off to IBM never to be seen again. The closest in Microsoft’s OneNote which I use daily but is still nowhere near as good as that was so my search continues.
Next is a way of keeping cats off my car bonnet and roof.
The third is a little more complex.
What has been needed is a foolproof yet flexible system for mounting mics, lights, cameras, tablets and phones when creating video. There are many dedicated units for each from companies such as Manfrotto, Gravity, Beamz and of course, RØDE etc, but until I was introduced to Elgato via its Wave:3 mic, I hadn’t personally seen a system that had the potential to cover all bases.
The nice folk there subsequently sent me a Master Mount and Flex Arm to match up with the Wave:3 and its mic stand holder.
As you might guess, the Master Mount is the heart of the system and in my case, it came with a bracket to attach to my disk top using a screw clamp system. A 26cm vertical arm is then mounted into this.
This is where the Flex Arm then comes into play. Made up of 4 separate arms of varying lengths, these are locked together via a rotating ball system giving you huge flexibility in how you configure it.
As you can see, in my case, to hold the Wave:3, one pole extends from the vertical mount towards me, a second drops that height down to face level and then two more are used to allow me to easily place the mic in the exact location I want it.
Finally, the Wave:3 mount is screwed on complete with its pop guard in place.
I then simply run the cables twisted around the rig for the audio line to my Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini Pro and the USB-C cable is connected to a Powertech 10,000MaH Powerbank from Jaycar.
I am so impressed with the flexibility offered here I am going to get some more of these mounts to allow me to mount lights – indeed Elgato make a Ring Lights as well as a Key Light I might try out too.
If you do your Vlogging using a smartphone, they also make a mount for that too, as well as a heavy base if you don’t want to use the desk clamp system or have a desk that won’t suit.
Prices vary from component to component of course – the Main Mount is around $55 with the Flex Arm Kit $79, the Heavy Base $79. A number of places sell these online or you can order them direct through Elgato at www,elgato.com.
I highly recommend it.
Film, Video & Virtual reality 