How to Maximize Your Video Calls - Simplicity over Complexity

How to Maximize Your Video Calls

Simplicity over Complexity

TLDR: Buy the Shure MV7 USB Microphone, Neewer  LED lights, and the Logitech Brio 4K Webcam, and your video call quality will significantly improve, and you will have a simple yet reliable setup.

In today’s world, we use video calls a lot for work. But, we often don’t notice that our sound or video quality is not very good. Conversely, most think you need fancy tools for the best video calls. But that’s not always true. In fact, simple can be better than complex setups. Having a reliable and effective setup for video conferencing is often more critical. Whether you are a student attending online classes, starting a podcast, working remotely, or someone looking to stay connected with family and friends across the globe, a seamless video-calling experience is essential. Using simple tools can make your video calls easy and less stressful. And you can save money too!

In this post, I will cover a simple video call setup where all the devices are USB and almost error-proof. When it comes to video calls, the hierarchy of importance is clear: audio, lighting, and, finally, the camera. First and foremost, investing in a quality microphone is crucial. Participants can tolerate grainy video to an extent, but poor audio quality can render a meeting unproductive and frustrating. Clear, crisp sound enables effective communication, ensuring that every word is heard and understood. Read More

The Best Office Chair

Many people have transitioned to “Work From Home” and maybe still using their old basic office chair. Cheap office chairs are made with low-quality materials and can cause health issues. Choosing the right office chair can impact your life tremendously. Just think of how much time your spend sitting. It might not seem important, but it’s not worth the detrimental consequences for you, your productivity, and your health when it comes to your long-term health.

Just think that you’ll spend the better part of your days glued to the office chair you choose. Choose wrong, and you will suffer all sorts of health issues like backaches. A good office chair can work wonders for your back. It works by improving your posture, reducing unnecessary back pains, and reducing hip pressure. The average office worker may be sitting in the wrong office chair for long periods, and that same chair could be causing severe health problems. Using an ergonomic office chair can drastically improve your posture, reduce back pain and ultimately improve productivity. Read More

Bean to Brew Coffee Maker Tchibo

If you enjoy a good cup of coffee, you know there is a big difference in taste when it comes to freshly ground coffee. And if you have ever ground your coffee, you know it can make a mess and take some extra work/time. I was in the market for a new coffee maker but wanted to avoid the Keurig-style machines due to the pods and regular drip coffee machines. I considered going full expresso and getting the Breville Barista Express, but I was looking for something more convenient and affordable. That’s when I discovered the idea of bean to brew machines. They offer the same convenience as a traditional coffee maker but with the added quality of freshly ground beans. I decided to try the German-made Tchibo Fully Automatic Coffee. Read More

How to Control MacBook Volume When Connected to External Display

When I plug my Mac into a DisplayPort or HMDI monitor that has built-in speakers, Mac’s volume controls become disabled. Not being able to control my monitor’s sound has annoyed me for years, but I’ve never looked for a solution. When upgrading to the new MacBook Pro M1, I hoped Apple would have fixed the issue. Unfortunately, the problem still happened, so I when searching for a solution.

I came across several articles that were outdated and recommended Soundflower. I kept searching for a better solution and came across MonitorControl. After a quick install, I found MonitorControl to be a great solution to my problem. MonitorControl has tons of options, such as controlling the brightness of your monitor and keyboard shortcuts. I can now control the volume and mute from my Logitech MX mouse. Read More