Getting Started

T

Taladyn

Wannabie Member
I am a newbie that wants to get started vlogging. But after spending hours on google and getting so much conflicting information, I am lost. What equipment is needed? What are recommended brands?

I searched the forums but no posts came up that simply and reliably explained the basics to a newbie. Buy this helmet. Buy this camera system. Buy this sound system. If there is a reliable website that explains it, I could not find it.

I am also looking for back-in-the-garage vlogging equipment. Lighting, camera, sound, etc.

Thank you for the help.
 
I have a playlist of videos on which equipment I use for on and off-bike recording, on my channel [link in my sig], but the vast majority of us, unless I'm mistaken, use GoPros of one model or another.

A lot of us use Purple Panda lav mics, and a number of editors.

The problem with a "use this and get success" approach is that there are tons of bikes, helmets, cameras, and mics, not to mention styles, roads, speeds, and locations. All of these factors play into what will and what won't work for you personally.

Your best bet is going to be getting a camera, a mic, and going for a ride. Record some footage, and play with it in a few different editors [there are a number of free ones, but if your computer can run it - I recommend Davinci Resolve - and there's a free version of it, too].

Once you get a feel for it, you know where to go from there - what other equipment will help your creative process.

Good luck!

-John
 
I agree, that there is not a single formula. I for example, started out back in the day, when 808 keyring cameras were still a thing, and had that inside the helmet. Many people even used compact cameras in their helmet, at the time. Overall, not the safest solution.
A lot of people, now days, attach the camera to the outside of their helmet. Front, top or side, depends of what kind of view do you prefer the most. The idea behind that is, when you turn your head, the viewers can also see, where you are looking. But I personally thought, at urban areas, with lots of intersections, this makes the movement close to irritating, so I opted for the far less used, chest mount. Would that work for you, depends very much on the bike and sitting position. As your bike has fairings and windscreen, mounting on the helmet is probably a better option for you.
Unless you have tons of money, I would suggest trying budget equipment first. Either new knockoff camera, with good reviews, or second hand brand camera. When choosing the camera, investigate how you can connect external microphone to it, to know how difficult the build will be. Some brands require big bulky adapters, while some others get away with much smaller stuff. There are even cameras, that are already integrated in to helmet bluetooth communication system, which requires no building on your part, but on the other hand, limits the ways you can mount it on your helmet.
Why the budget option though, when you could go all out? Because then you will still have money to ride around and create content. Without creating content, you will not be able to practice filming, editing, finding out what you would like to improve on your creations. You can still talk in your helmet, for the imaginary audience, but you can't review the footage later ;)
 
As has been said above, there are many solutions that will work better or worse for different people, different riding, different helmets etc. So experimentation is the best option sadly.

I ride dirt, road and track, so depending on what activity I am doing, I wear a different helmet for each, but I pretty much use the same camera and audio set-up for all of them as it mostly works for all but track riding (we are not allowed to mount a camera on our helmets or body on track here in the UK).

Most use a GoPro although I know people who are switching to Insta360 as they are making some good dual use cameras now. Some use DJI, some Drift, some cheep Chinese clones. So your budget is really the key and limiting factor.

When I started, I used a GoPro Hero 5 Black with the GoPro microphone adaptor Velcro'd to my helmet and a cheap VOIP mic. Over the years I have updated the camera several times and I now use the GoPro Hero 10 Black, which is the best action camera I have ever used, others have had reliability issues with them though (I've not). I use an aftermarket battery door on the camera which allows me to plug in the same microphone adaptors that I used on my Hero 5, and the same VOIP mics. To help keep water out, I tape up the mic adaptor and use Blu-Tac on the USB-C port on the camera. I mount my camera to the chin on all my helmets with the GoPro ball joint mount. I use Sugru to attach the mounting plate to my helmet. This set-up works well for me, and I know several big YouTubers who use the same mic to good effect.

Here are some links to the various components of my motovlogging kit:

Camera: https://amzn.to/3eMA77i
Battery Door: https://amzn.to/3s9A1tp
Mic Adaptor: https://gopro.com/en/gb/shop/mounts-accessories/pro-3.5mm-mic-adapter/AAMIC-001.html
Mic: https://amzn.to/3TAlzpZ
GoPro Mount: https://amzn.to/3VJeaXl
Sugru: https://amzn.to/3TklaIL

As for editing software, some prefer the more professional suites, others prefer simpler options, some cost mega money, others are free. I use Wondershare Filmora 9 which is super easy to use, not mega money and has a lot of higher end features too. Sadly it can't edit 360 video though, so when I use my 360 cameras, I have to edit those separately, which is fine for me, but others find that step annoying, so they use an editor that can do both.

I wear full face helmets for my riding, it makes getting good voice audio a lot easier and allows for more spirited riding too. I have found that adventure style helmets get better in helmet audio than sportsbike helmets due to having a larger chin area. If I am staying under 30mph though, my MX helmet gets even better audio, but the moment I go faster, the wind noise is terrible.

As has been said, experimentation is key, and getting good audio should be your highest priority when starting out. So try placing the mic in the helmet in different spots, some tuck it into the cheek-pad, others keep it in the chin piece with a furry deadcat cover. Others like @Drakhen99 wear an open face helmet and have worked out ways to reduce the wind noise with magic! :-D
 
My advice is go with what is affordable. A used camera from a reliable brand such as GoPro or Insta is a good option.

Gear like helmets comes down to how they fit and work for you. Any helmet will work as they all need modifications like placing mounts.

External mics for the camera is best for audio as there is little bother syncing up the sound.

Finally software for editing. If you are using an Adnroid device then Cyberlink Powerdirector is really easy. If using a PC or Apple computer - there are tons of options. I would steer clear of subscription services due to recurring cost.

If you are doing garage videos then I suggest a couple or three GoPros with their remote. One for you to wear and mic for your audio. Another for a close up of what you are working on. The third for overall shot of the work area. The remote will sync them all up making placing the footage on a timeline easier.
 
Last edited:
I would echo what each of these folks have said.
Start with what you can afford and learn how to make the most of it, and then lean into each aspect to improve it as needed.
Dialing in a good looking and sounding setup is a lot like throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks. Like Drakhen99 (John) said, there isn't really a "Use this and succeed" formula just because of all the variables involved.
Tons of good info between all the people that replied and their channels. If you get into specific question or concerns definitely post up and I'm sure a few of us are capable of lending some advice or aid.
 
It can be a process. Before you really start making content, I suggest doing testing with a very simple cheap setup to learn what speeds and such get a lot of noise, and just try moving the mic around. I wish I had taken more time to really just understand what a more ideal setup was. After 7-8 videos, my audio got a lot better and I didn't buy anything, I just learned how to mount and use the stuff I had.
 
@HippoDrone is right... I use a fair bit of magic for my audio. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, record your vlogs with a half helmet unless you like extra limits on your vlgoging, more editing work, and way more testing to get decent audio. At this point, I think I have the best audio of any half or no-helmet vlogger. If someone has a link to whomever is doing audio better than I am with a half or no helmet, please clue me in.

Also, that magic is available to everyone and can absolutely be a game-changer for full-face guys too.

-John
 
Drakhen99 said:
If someone has a link to whomever is doing audio better than I am with a half or no helmet, please clue me in.

Also, that magic is available to everyone and can absolutely be a game-changer for full-face guys too.

-John
Click to expand...
Me. My audio holds up with a half helmet at speeds up to 70-80 mph. Half helmets lack of the echoing that happens with full face helmets.

But @Taladyn has not told us one key - does the bike have a full fairing like us. If there is not a full fairing then a half helmet may not work no matter how much magic.
 
R-Rated said:
Me. My audio holds up with a half helmet at speeds up to 70-80 mph. Half helmets lack of the echoing that happens with full face helmets.

But @Taladyn has not told us one key - does the bike have a full fairing like us. If there is not a full fairing then a half helmet may not work no matter how much magic.
Click to expand...
I got some audio in a recent recording at those speeds that sounded good - are you using your comms mic though?

And yes, bike and helmet make a bigger difference - and even in non-faired bikes, my KZ gets worse audio than my bobber [Vulcan 800], which boggles my mind, as both have zero wind protection.

-John
 
Drakhen99 said:
I got some audio in a recent recording at those speeds that sounded good - are you using your comms mic though?

And yes, bike and helmet make a bigger difference - and even in non-faired bikes, my KZ gets worse audio than my bobber [Vulcan 800], which boggles my mind, as both have zero wind protection.

-John
Click to expand...
I use the Purple Panda at the end of the boom of the coms mic. I used to use the Sony ECM on my Hero4. The 8 adjusted the gain differently so I would get the pop. That is why I went with the Purple Panda although it does not capture the stereo effect of a car passing as good. Just call me Anthony "Two Mics" Roberson.;)

I found adjusting the wing vents helps with wind hitting at my mouth. I do not use any audio editing at all. Interesting part is that the audio signature for my voice is just a tad above the ambient sound while riding.
 
R-Rated said:
I use the Purple Panda at the end of the boom of the coms mic. Just call me Anthony "Two Mics" Roberson.;)

I found adjusting the wing vents helps with wind hitting at my mouth. I do not use any audio editing at all. Interesting part is that the audio signature for my voice is just a tad above the ambient sound while riding.
Click to expand...
Very interesting... I really used to work hard to get "full-face" audio with a half helmet. Now I just use my magic to determine how clean the audio ends up being.

At one point I taped my purple panda to my comms mic, but the audio was worse on my Harley than on my non-faired bikes.

This is just a great example of "not everything works for every person" - we have the same kind of fairing, helmet, mic, and still we get different results.

-John
 
Drakhen99 said:
Very interesting... I really used to work hard to get "full-face" audio with a half helmet. Now I just use my magic to determine how clean the audio ends up being.

At one point I taped my purple panda to my comms mic, but the audio was worse on my Harley than on my non-faired bikes.

This is just a great example of "not everything works for every person" - we have the same kind of fairing, helmet, mic, and still we get different results.

-John
Click to expand...
Yes, there is no magic combo. What worked a few years ago does not work now. Tech keeps changing for good and sometimes for bad.

Now, if we can just record straight from what our eye sees then we would have true first person POV from inside the helmet!
 
R-Rated said:
Yes, there is no magic combo. What worked a few years ago does not work now. Tech keeps changing for good and sometimes for bad.

Now, if we can just record straight from what our eye sees then we would have true first person POV from inside the helmet!
Click to expand...
LOL, that POV you're looking for is a pair of camera-equipped glasses, which exist. I just forget the brand name. I remember the reviews saying they weren't very good, though.

-John
 
Lots of good info in this thread. I have a playlist on my channel going over the cameras I use and how I have them set up, but I wear an open face helmet so my setup doesn't apply to most other riders.

The most important part of starting out is to simply get started. Buy one decent used camera at an affordable price, download some free editing software (like DaVinci Resolve), and start motovlogging, experimenting, and learning. You will change a lot of things early on as you learn new stuff and tweak your setup, everyone does and almost nobody starts out with everything dialed in to perfection.
 
Moto Mengy said:
Lots of good info in this thread. I have a playlist on my channel going over the cameras I use and how I have them set up, but I wear an open face helmet so my setup doesn't apply to most other riders.

The most important part of starting out is to simply get started. Buy one decent used camera at an affordable price, download some free editing software (like DaVinci Resolve), and start motovlogging, experimenting, and learning. You will change a lot of things early on as you learn new stuff and tweak your setup, everyone does and almost nobody starts out with everything dialed in to perfection.
Click to expand...
That last statement is 100% the truth! I am STILL evolving my editing, recording, basically all aspects of my videos... and it's over 2 years later!

At least I stopped buying cameras this year ...

-John
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Top Posters Past 30 days

Winners Video

Website Supported by Ipswich SEO

Latest posts

Back
Top