Reddit mentions of Neewer NB-39 Adjustable 43.3"/110cm Studio Recording Microphone Suspension Boom Scissor Arm Stand with Microphone Clip & Table Mounting Clamp

RADRaze2KX here (clearly). You guys are doing great. I do PC repair/building streams daily (run a small pc repair company and like to stream).

The initial humps Ballistix had w/ Audio were quickly remedied. Ben and Karina have amazing personalities, and they managed to maintain their energy throughout the stream, even at the 5-hour mark. Fatigue usually starts setting in around 3 and a half hours for me, but I do it alone. It certainly helps to have a partner there with you.

Ben and Karina kept the audience engaged, and the questions answered. You, Pat, kept them on camera and got Ben what he needed and manned all the production work behind the scenes. You also took the time to post links to what was being talked about, which was awesome as a way to cross-reference the audience to the topics on hand.

Karina is hilarious with her quirky personality and her hats brought dynamic points of attention to viewers that were watching more than just a PC being built.

The content was great with nothing additional needed.

Some ways to improve the stream quality:

Scenes:
Personality Webcam is great (facing Ben & Karina)
Top-down webcam is nice, but for people wanting to see the inside of the computer, I recommend enlarging the top-down camera and doing split screen or making Karina and Ben the smaller of the two. Set separate scenes for this to switch quickly between. See this video for an example: https://www.twitch.tv/radraze2kx/v/98457642

Use your judgment as producer to switch between the scenes to give the audience peeks into the machine as ben is doing something in, then switch back to the front camera when he's not in the computer.

Webcam:
Ben had to adjust the mic-stand mounted webcam quite a bit, and when it was peering into the computer up close, he had to hold it quite a bit to stop it from tipping over because it's extended all the way out. I also experienced this issue, and so I switched the webcam to one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Adjustable-Recording-Microphone-Suspension/dp/B00DW3ZT76/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1479601206&sr=8-11&keywords=neewer+mic+boom+arm ... This will allow the angle to remain the same regardless of position and it's SUPER quick to move, and it won't fall over

Audio:
The webcam audio worked great after the initial issues with the other audio equipment. No change needed, it was great sound quality from my end with the webcam. There is a slight-bit of reverb, but it's from being in a house/kitchen area (you are AWESOME for letting them use your house). No change really needed.

Giveaways:
The giveaways were great, thank you for doing those. They aren't necessary for growth, you guys are already rocking. They do help with Marketing ;)

Specs:
Would recommend putting the specs somewhere either on screen or in a Twitch panel for the current build for people that weren't there in the beginning. Alternatively, having the bot used for !raffle respond to !specs would be good as well.

Duration:
Building a PC on stream for entertainment is a long thing. It can stretch a task that takes an hour into a task that takes 4 or 5 hours because of entertainment value and answering questions along the way. I would recommend splitting the stream into parts to avoid fatiguing the crew. Maybe do one with the build by itself, another one with modding it, a third one with overclocking. Three days, 4-5 hours each, instead of one day with a very long build. I, for one, am enjoying the stream regardless, but it may also help gain more audience over time because not everyone can make it today, but some may be able to make it tomorrow, for example.

So far, those are my only thoughts. I'm not criticizing the stream in any way, I think it's great as is! Just making some suggestions in case you guys want to improve or streamline the workflow or offerings of the stream.

Pat, you and Ben, and Karina are doing great. Keep it up and I hope this becomes a more frequent thing :) Welcome to Twitch - RADRaze2KX AKA RAD AKA Mark

PS - Tell Ben there's no R at the end of "Raze" but he can call me whatever he wants cuz he's doing great and I can't pronounce his last name haha. :)

I see in the comments below that you've already returned it, if you are willing to use a mixer the setup I would recommend to start would be:


Behringer Xm8500


Windscreen


XLR Cable


Behringer Xenyx 502


RCA to 3.5mm


All this is less than $80.

A stand like this would work well, and it is still below $100.

Here is a sound sample I found on YouTube.


Once you have more money to play around with for dynamic microphones look into: Shure SM58, Shure Beta 58, and the EV ND767A. These will run you roughly $100-$150.


Once you have a use case for condenser microphones look into: AT2020, Samson C02 Pair, and MXL 770. All of these will run you roughly $100, however if you went with the Samson C02s you would need more inputs and therefore a different mixer.

I have the Blue Yeti and use it with this stand. It works really well. I haven't had any issues with the mic sagging or anything. Just make sure you tighten down the screws enough.

Got it off Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Adjustable-Recording-Microphone-Suspension/dp/B00DW3ZT76

This is the one I am using and it works fine
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DW3ZT76/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I used a Audio-Technica AT2020 for a year before I upgraded. Honestly its a great microphone.
I paired it with a newer microphone stand which is like 15 bucks and also a pop filter. I was very happy with the results.

Mic: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006H92QK

Arm: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DW3ZT76

Pop Filter: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00946ZJN4

Mic: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XOXRTX6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It comes with an arm but I got this larger one because the other was a little too short: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DW3ZT76/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

By far the best thing you can do is to not buy a cheap arm. All arms under $20 are comically small and "cheap" in every sense of the word, including a clamp that's too small. You really do get what you pay for on these (the real-deal radio station DJ booth ones are $200+ from the likes of O.C. White, to give you an idea...).

The cheapest ones I'd even touch would be the Neewer NB-39 or On Stage MBS5000.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DW3ZT76

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BWM5E8C

Mic

Arm

Filter

shock mount

your headset mic sounds nice and the audio bleed from your fiance in the video that you linked isn't too bad or distracting, but yes, you could switch to a less sensitive mic.

electronics and headsets typically have little condenser mics in them which are designed to be very sensitive. alternatively, dynamic mics are designed for only picking up sound from directly in front of the mic. Audio Technica makes the best mics in the world, and they have a new USB dynamic, the AT2005USB which I was skeptical of at first, but after watching a couple reviews, I think it's a steal at $50.

however, you have to talk very close to it, so you may also need a desk clamp mic stand

edit: price