Today marks the start of our journey: Specto Vlog bundle, the ultimate smartphone vlogging kit, is finally available for purchase, to be enjoyed by vlogging enthusiasts. And it was all based on a simple idea - vlogging is bravery.
Vlogging is a penultimate, intimate act of exposing yourself to millions, an audience that starts to grow from the first viewer that receives a link to your video. Since storytelling can be stressful by itself, the tools and their usage shouldn't be.
Our musings and brainstorming eventually turned into a concept: a collection of high-quality vlogging gadgets that work flawlessly and are super easy to use by anyone.
While it might seem that it was all invented one sunny afternoon, in reality it took us some time to come up with.
ULTIMATE VLOGGING KIT - SMARTPHONE OR DSLR?
When the Specto Vlog bundle was nothing more but a few untidy sentences smudged all over our office whiteboard, we encountered our first problem. What should we pick as the basis of our vlogging bundle?
Some of us were #TeamDSLR all the way, while others rooted cheerfully for the most powerful computers at our disposal at any given moment - smartphones.
While we agreed with several critical arguments provided by rowdy #TeamDSLR, we ultimately gave a point to the bunch that campaigned for smartphones. We did that for several reasons, but it all boils down to making the vlogging kit more affordable and accessible.
HOLD ME TIGHT AND LET THERE BE (ULANZI) LIGHT
The first logical step was finding a proper smartphone mount and grip. Phone mounts come in thousands of different variations, and it's easy to get dazed and confused while shuffling through endless lists of products and specifications.
It gets even more complicated when you realize that different mounts serve different purposes.
Some phone mounts are hand grips, while others are tripods suitable for stationary recording. You will even find tripods looking like nightmarish visitors from War of The Worlds. These can cling onto trees, so they say.
We've decided to keep it simple with our first phone mount. After several months of deliberate acts of breaking tripod legs to see how sturdy our 'candidates' were, we went with the Ulanzi combo of MT-08 extendable tripod and ST-03 phone mount.
This mini tripod and phone mount will make all vloggers happy because they're sturdy, made of excellent materials (hard plastic and metal), and super, unexplainably lightweight! We realized our arm muscles were cramping during the testing phase, not because of the grip's (lack of) weight itself but because we were used to much heavier grips and mounts.
So it took us some time to get used to how lightweight Ulanzi's products are, but when we did - oh joy!
We were amazed by the quality of Ulanzi VL49 RGB LED Light and decided to include it in our vlogging kit. This LED light has a durable battery, fast charging time, and so many features that it scared us to the point we thought it was too good to be true.
But fear not, it's been battle-tested, and we can only say we have achieved some fantastic results that can only get better with even the basic color correction process during the vlog's editing phase.
RØDE VIDEOMICRO - THE VISION OF SOUND
Out of five members of the core Specto team, four are musicians. Out of these four, three had a lengthy career as hosts, producers, and technicians in the radio industry. That is why we never even questioned the importance of audio components and their quality in our vlogging kit.
When we first started developing the concept of the Specto Vlog, we had several microphones listed as possible additions to the package. We even considered giving wired lavalier mics a chance but ultimately decided against it because we wanted to ensure freedom of movement for future Specto vloggers.
When we decided to go with a directional microphone for our bundle, the actual hunt for Mr. Sounds Right began. During the first phase of the search, we've read (literally) thousands of reviews written both by customers and media professionals.
"Take the other headphones, those boost the volume!" - sentences like these were a daily occurrence during our search phase, and our Youtube algorithm got completely messed up because all we were watching (and listening to) were mic audio tests.
This process helped us narrow down seven microphones by different manufacturers. We ordered those and started extensive testing in various interior and exterior areas and conditions. We knew that we were testing for sound capture quality and microphone durability.
We didn't go to extreme lengths, such as submerging the microphones underwater, but we took them to mountaintops, recorded in rain and heavy wind, and screamed in the garage with the car engine running. By testing these microphones, we also, in a way, tested ourselves and our knowledge.
We had difficulty choosing between three microphones in the final testing phase but ultimately went with RØDE VideoMicro.
RØDE VideoMicro is the first step towards better audio of your vlogs. This compact and lightweight microphone excelled during several tests. We were amazed by the build quality and the aluminum body. It has a perfect anti-glare finish that makes it look stylish and comes with a “dead cat” windshield and Rycote Lyre shock mount.
This shock mount was one of the main reasons we went with RØDE VideoMicro - the suspension system is virtually indestructible and does not snap nor bend. Because of that, the Specto vlogging kit is suitable for different vlogging situations such as run'n'gun actions and stationary storytelling.
Although it reduces peripheral sounds and focuses on the audio in front of the camera, VideoMicro's pickup might seem like a double-edged sword at first. It is more forgiving, so the sound it picks is richer than other RØDE products. By all accounts, this is not bad at all, since users will be able to fiddle with the microphone's specs and create rich soundscapes or straightforward narrations by simply positioning themselves differently during recordings.
Most importantly, the sound that gets recorded by VideoMicro is clean and nested within mid frequencies, with no artificial bass boosts or high-frequency clipping. Having that kind of 'plain' audio signal might seem odd at first to those of us used to high volumes and artificial bass boosting. Once you discover the editing possibilities commonly unavailable with audio extremes, you're surely going to love your RØDE VideoMicro.
With the RØDE SC-7 cable included in the Specto Vlog bundle, we allow vloggers to continue using RØDE VideoMicro if they make a switch from a smartphone to DSLR cameras. Since RØDE VideoMicro gets its power from both smartphone and DSLR input, you will never have to worry about battery drain or loss of power.
LEARN TO VLOG
With Specto vlogging kit almost assembled, we knew we needed something else to make it even more attractive. Although we never categorize Specto vlogging kit as the one being strictly for beginners, we know a lot of beginners will find it suitable because the whole system is easy to understand and put together.
Therefore, we decided to provide vloggers with free educational materials. These materials are portable, in order to make sure that information about vlogging, like sound recording and lighting setup, is readily available. That is how Specto Cheatsheets were born. We hope you will find these cards useful, as they are included with every single Specto Vlog bundle.
With Specto Vlog, we have successfully created the best vlogging kit on the market for beginners and seasoned users alike, compatible with Apple iPhone and Android devices. Packed and delivered to your doorstep in a fancy black Specto Box, it is a perfect gift, either for yourself or someone who has aspirations to start vlogging.
Of course, we will not stop at this. Specto Vlog bundle is the idea we are going to update and revise in the future based on customer feedback. Our intention is not to sell a product and be done with it, but to continue delivering on our concept of quality and accessibility.
We want to create a community of new voices with aspiring ideas, and we cannot wait to see what the Specto community is about to create.
So, as our slogan says, we dare you to...
Tell a tale.