Technology – Dirk Paessler's Personal Blog

My Zoom / Video-Call Setup: Advanced Tech – Video switcher, Stream Deck, Mountings

Article 4/4

Let’s start with honesty: You do not need a live production console to run a good video call. But if your work depends on video calls and once you have it… you will not want to go back.

The central device in my setup is a “video switcher”, or better, a small video production studio on steroids, the RØDECaster Video, €850.

What changes with a video switcher

The big shift is that it’s no longer “camera → computer → software → meeting”.

My Zoom / Video-Call Setup: Great Video – Three Cameras, One Teleprompter, and Lighting That Actually Helps

Article 3/4

We do video conferences because we want to see each other. That’s the whole point. And yet, in many calls I still see people like:

a laptop camera from below, looking into the nose
a ceiling light that blasts into the camera and makes the person look like a ghost
a super bright window or wall behind a person killing the lighting on the face

As a photographer, that hurts. But even if you’re not: it’s simply unnecessary. You can look significantly better with a few deliberate choices.

My Zoom / Video-Call Setup: Sound First – Why Audio Matters More Than Video (and why it’s about respect)

Article 2/4

Even though video conferencing is the topic at hand, we must talk about audio first. Because the uncomfortable truth is this:

People can forgive a mediocre image.
They will not forgive ugly sound.

If the audio is thin, noisy, echoing, or constantly breaking up, your listeners will mentally leave the meeting. Not because they are rude — but because their brain gets tired of decoding what you’re saying.

And once they tune out, you’ve lost your chance to make an impact. This applies especially when people are not native speakers!

My Zoom / Video-Call Setup (Version 4): Why I Built It (and why you might, too)

Article 1/4

Video calls have become a daily thing nowadays. Especially since the beginning of the pandemic, many of us have spent a lot (likely too much) time in Zoom/Teams video calls. Reason enough to think about how to do this better than the classic “laptop open and go”.

I’ve been iterating on my setup for years. Not because anyone needs a mini broadcast studio for a Monday morning status call — but because:

I’m a Spielkind (a grown-up who still likes to tinker).
I’m a lifelong photographer who cares about optics and impression.
I spend a lot of time in calls: I run my climate company fully virtual, with scientific work, policy work and more than 30 impact investments. That means I have lots of conversations where I want to be clear, credible, and simply leave a good impression.

This is the core idea behind my current setup: