You are as productive as the tools you use.
Over the years, I have owned, used and tested hundreds of equipment, hardware and software for creating and brushing up my content. I often get asked about what I personally use and recommend, which is why I thought about sharing all the resources that have helped me remain productive and consistent with my content.
This page lists everything that I use (or have used) and loved enough to easily recommend anyone. You don’t need all of them, only a handful to begin your content creation journey.
I constantly update these resources as and when needed, so make sure you check back often!
Before Anything Else
The first step in becoming a content creator is to master your craft. There is no better platform that helps you do that than Skillshare. Also, once you know enough to create content, you can learn the nitty gritties of it too. I have some classes on Project Management but you can get started with whatever you want to learn here
Software
Wondershare Filmora
Video editing software. Very intuitive and easy to use. Does everything I need it to. I use the paid version
Audacity
Audio editing software. Helpful for podcast or if you record audio separately for videos. Open source and free
Microsoft Office
No brainer. Everyone needs to have Office or at least the free Google alternatives. I paid for it because Microsoft deserves it
OBS Studio
Screen recording, screencasting, live streaming to other platforms, you name it and OBS studio does it. Open source and free
Open Camera
This is a free android app that I use to record videos. This enables your phone to record audio using an external mic
Canva
This is a website and not a software. This is perhaps the best online graphics designing tool out there
Computer & Accessories
Laptop
Apple 2023 MacBook Pro (14-inch, Apple M3 chip with 8‑core CPU and 10‑core GPU, 8GB Unified Memory, 512GB) - Space Grey
I am a fan of desktops but all of us need some mobility and that's where this comes in
Monitor 1
Samsung 27 inch (68.5 cm) Curved LED Backlit Computer Monitor - Full HD, VA Panel with VGA, HDMI, Audio Ports - LC27F390FHWXXL (Black)
To me the best thing about a curved monitor is the immersive experience. You gotta use it to believe it. It makes up for a good primary monitor
Monitor 2
Dell 24 inch Monitor-S2421H in-Plane Switching (IPS), in built Speakers, Flicker-Free Screen with Comfort View, Full HD (1080p) 1920 x 1080 at 75 Hz with AMD Free Sync
I am a dual monitor person. Once you start using two screens you won't go back. It allows maximum productivity and very little windows switching. Get a 24 inch second monitor and trust me you won't regret it
Webcam
Logitech C930-E Full HD 1080p/30fps Video Calling, Light Correction, Autofocus, 4X Zoom, Privacy Shade Business Webcam Works with Skype, Chrome, Black (960-000971)
This has proven to be the best purchase for cranking out those livestreams, zoom collabs and even quick content pieces where you might need to share your screen too. If you are a video creator, a Full HD webcam is a must have
Keyboard and Mouse
Logitech MK850 Multi-Device Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo, 2.4GHz Wireless & Bluetooth, Curved Keyframe , 12 Programmable Keys, 3-Year Battery Life, PC/Mac
The combo comes with a unifying USB saving you a slot. The arm rest on the keyboard is fantastic and the mouse too is ergonomic
Mechanical Keyboard
Keychron K6 65% Compact Wireless Mechanical Keyboard for Mac, Hot-swappable White Backlight, Bluetooth, Multitasking, Type-C Wired Gaming Keyboard for Windows with Gateron Brown Switch
If you understand the value of a good keyboard you will gravitate towards the mechanical ones. I use a Keychron blue switch as its easy on the fingers and I love the clicky sound. If you are a gamer you should go with the red switch version
Mouse
Logitech G502 Hero High Performance Wired USB Gaming Mouse, Hero 25K Sensor, 25,600 DPI, RGB, Adjustable Weights, 11 Programmable Buttons, On-Board Memory, PC/Mac - Black
I was looking for a wired mouse to avoid lags. This one does an excellent job
Pen Drive
SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Go Type C Pendrive for Mobile 64GB, 5Y - SDDDC3-064G-I35
Your phone has a Type C port and your computer/laptop has the usual Type A port. This pen drive has both! This is the fastest and most reliable way to transfer data between the two
USB-C Hub
Dell Mobile USB-C DA300 to HDMI/VGA/Ethernet/USB 4K Adapter Compatible with Latitude 7390 7389 XPS 13 9370 13 9365 XPS 9575 9570.
I am often short of ports. This Type C to multi-ports converter is a life savior
USB 3.0 Hub
Anker 4-Port USB 3.0 Hub, Ultra-Slim Data USB A Hub with 2 ft Extended Cable [Charging Not Supported], for MacBook, Mac Pro, Mac Mini, iMac, Surface Pro, XPS, PC, Flash Drive, Mobile HDD
You can never not need more USB ports. A word of caution though, don't depend on this for USB devices that require comparatively higher power like permanently keeping an external hard drive connected or the printer
Router
TP-Link Archer AC1200 Archer C6 Wi-Fi Speed Up to 867 Mbps/5 GHz + 300 Mbps/2.4 GHz, 5 Gigabit Ports, 4 External Antennas, MU-MIMO, Dual Band, WiFi Coverage with Access Point Mode, Wireless Router
Although not directly related to content creation but just wanted to throw this one in because I don't want you to cheap out on router and have sub-standard internet experience
Ethernet cable
CableCreation 35 Feet CAT 5e Ethernet Patch Cable, RJ45 Computer Network Cord, Cat 5e Patch Cord LAN Cable UTP 24AWG+100% Copper Wire, 10.67m, Blue Color
Wifi is great but the good old LAN connection is much more reliable. The only point to remember here is to go for at least CAT5E cable as it supports higher speeds and isn't as expensive as CAT 6 or 7
Mouse Pad
DailyObjects Orb Mouse Pad | Extended for Laptop, for PC, and Wireless Mouse | Large Vegan Leather Finish for Home, Office, Gaming - Black
For most of us this is no big deal but for the enthusiasts this is one way to display a bit of personality. I go with a simple black one from Daily Objects
Monitor 3
HP M24f 23.8-Inch(60.45cm) Eye Safe Certified Full HD 1920 x 1080 Pixels IPS 3-Sided Micro-Edge LED Monitor, 75Hz, AMD Free Sync with 1xVGA, 1xHDMI 1.4 Ports, 300 nits Silver
I switched to dual monitors from HP because I wanted both of my monitors to be the same. I have 2 of these IPS 24" FHD monitors that are perfect for productivity and dual monitor setup
External HDD 1
Seagate Expansion 1TB External HDD - 6.35 cm (2.5 Inch) USB 3.0 for Windows and Mac with 3 yr Data Recovery Services, Portable Hard Drive (STKM1000400)
Everyone needs some mobility with data and that is where this external HDD comes into the picture
External HDD 2
Seagate One Touch 5TB External HDD with Password Protection – Silver, for Windows and Mac, with 3 yr Data Recovery Services, and 4 Months Adobe CC Photography (STKZ5000401)
While you might think the more convenient way to backup data is cloud but it gets crazy expensive when you have TBs of data, hence the need for a second HDD
CPU & Internals
Processor
Intel Core i5-4570 Quad-Core Desktop Processor 3.2 GHZ 6MB Cache- BX80646I54570
You can go higher if you like. i5 meets my needs and if you are creator, I suggest i5 be the baseline
CPU Tower
Dell Inspiron 3020 Tower Desktop Computer - 13th Gen Intel Core i5-13400 10-Core up to 4.60 GHz Processor, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 256GB NVMe SSD + 1TB HDD, Intel UHD Graphics 730, DVD+RW, Windows 11 Home
I am not a gamer and don't really need 'RGB empowered' cabinet. If you go with an off-the-shelf tower PC, make sure there is enough space for scalability
RAM
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 3200MHz.
Less than 16 GB can work too but a minimum 8 GB is a must
Motherboard
GIGABYTE AMD B550 AORUS PRO V2 Motherboard with 12+2 Phases Digital Twin Power Design, Fins-Array Heatsink Type-C Dual PCIe 4.0/3.0 x4 M.2 with Dual Thermal Guards, Front and Rear USB.
Make sure you have USB-C ports as well as HDMI/VGA ports to support dual monitors
GPU
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1650 OC Low Profile 4G Graphics Card, 2X Windforce Fans, 4GB 128-Bit GDDR5, Gv-N1650OC-4GL Video Card
Look for GPUs that are plug and play and easily installable
SMPS
Cooler Master MWE 550 Bronze V2 230v, 80 Plus Bronze Certified, Non-Modular Power Supply – Black
Ensures power requirement for new age multi-core processors and Graphics card are properly met
SSD
Seagate FireCuda 530 500GB Internal Solid State Drive - M.2 PCIe Gen4 ×4 NVMe 1.4, Transfer speeds up to 7000MB/s, 3D TLC NAND, 640 TBW, 1.8M MTBF, and 3-Year Rescue Services (ZP500GM3A013), Orange
500GB SSD can accommodate the OS and all required software, all this while maintaining the super high read and write speeds. Go with M.2
HDD
Seagate Store Barracuda Internal Hard Drive 2TB SATA 6Gb/s 256MB Cache 3.5-Inch - Frustration Free Packaging (ST2000DM008)
2 TB HDD for all your media and large files. 1 TB should be the bare minimum if you are going with a chunkier external HDD
Video
Phone
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 5G (Phantom Black, 12GB, 256GB Storage)
Here's the thing, I don't know how to use a DSLR camera. The S23 Ultra has a really good camera that can record the videos for YouTube
Phone Stand
AmazonBasics Adjustable Cell Phone Stand for iPhone and Android | Silver
Good for placing your phone when its idle but it can also be quickly adjusted to shoot small videos when you don't want to setup your tripod
Tripod 1
AmazonBasics 60-Inch Lightweight Tripod with Bag
This is a large tripod, pretty stable and compact. Very easy to set up unless you are a pro and know much more about tripods than I do
Tripod 2
AmazonBasics Lightweight Mini Tripod | Maximum Height 19 cm | Maximum Load Up to 500 gm | For Mobiles and Compact Cameras | Black Color
A smaller tripod that is travel friendly. Needs to be setup on the table top and should be used only for mounting mobile phones
Phone Mount 1
ARKON Smartphone Grip Tripod Adapter (MG1420)
The tripod alone isn't enough. You need a mount on top of it. The mount depends on the device you are using to record videos. Since I use a mobile phone, I need a mobile phone mount and this one by Arkon works like a charm
Phone Mount 2
SLOVIC® Tripod Mount Adapter| Tripod Mobile Holder|Tripod Phone Mount(Made in India)| Smartphone Clip Clipper 360 Degree for Taking Magic Video Shots & Pictures.
The backup mount. Also comes in handy if I need a two angle setup
Audio
Mic 1
Blue Yeti USB Microphone for Recording, Streaming, Gaming, Podcasting on PC and Mac, Condenser Mic for Laptop or Computer with Blue VO!CE Effects, Adjustable Stand, Plug and Play - Silver
This is a YouTubers' darling. It is a USB mic and can be plugged directly into the PC or Laptop. It looks great and is built like a tank but I would caution against using this if you are creating from your home as this catches all ambient noise
Mic 2
Samson Q2U USB/XLR Dynamic Microphone Recording and Podcasting Pack (Includes Mic Clip, Desktop Stand, Windscreen and Cables)
My most favorite, most used and most beloved! I love the output it produces. This too is a USB mic
Mic 3
Rode VideoMic Me Directional Microphone for iPhones and iPad
If you are creating from phone then this is a great solution. It plugs directly into your phone's 3.5 mm headphone jack and although they claim support only for Apple devices, it works perfectly on Android devices too. You would need the Open Camera app that I mentioned above
Headphones with Mic
Jabra 40 Stereo Wired Headset - Black
When you don't have to be on video and plan to talk through a presentation or screenshare, you don't even have to setup your external mic. This headphone with mic covers such use cases neatly
Wired Over Ear Headphones
RØDE NTH 100 Professional Wired Over Ear Headphones (Black)
Rode's renowned reputation for microphone excellence led me to choose their NTH 100 model when I needed headphones with a microphone.
Mic for Headphones
RØDE Headset Microphone (NTH-MIC)
The only problem with NTH 100 headphones is that it doesn't come with a built-in microphone. So this NTH-MIC seamlessly attaches to the NTH 100 headphones, transforming them into a powerful tool for content creation.
Truly Wireless Earbuds
OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro Truly Wireless Bluetooth in Ear Earbuds with Upto 49Db Active Noise Cancellation,12.4Mm Dynamic Drivers,10Mins for 11Hrs Fast Charging with Upto 44Hrs Music Playback
Best used when doing a collab with someone over zoom or skype. I use them as output and a separate mic as input
Bluetooth Headphones
boAt Rockerz 510 Wireless Bluetooth On Ear Headphones with Mic (Raging Red)
I use these to monitor my voice while recording the podcast. These come with a 3.5 mm cable that can plug into the headphones and the mic
USB-C to 3.5 mm jack
Amozo - Type C to 3.5 mm Audio Jack Connector, Noise Cancelling Headphones Jack Converter Audio Adapter for OnePlus 9 / 8T 9 8/8Pro / 7T / 7/7 Pro / 1+6T NORD 2 CE, Pixel 4 3 2 XL, Samsung S21, S20 FE, Samsung M52, MI A2
I have recommended the VideoMic Me microphone above but it is possible that your phone does not have a 3.5 mm jack, in that case you need the USB-C to 3.5 mm jack connector
USB-C to USB-A
AmazonBasics L6LUC022-CS-R USB Type-C to USB 3.1 Gen1 Female Adapter - White
The Blue Yeti and Samson Q2U are both USB microphones and in case you want to connect them to your mobile phone you need the USB-C to USB-A connector
Everything Else
I must clarify that you don’t really need all this right from Day 1. This is the stuff that I have accumulated over the years based on their specific use cases. Since you have come this far, I would also like to share some of the items that complete the entire setup
I don’t want to irritate my desktop with unexpected and untimely electricity power cuts so I use the power back up solution from APC,
– APC Power-Saving Back-UPS Pro 1000
– Back-UPS Pro External Battery Pack
There is always a risk of running out of electric sockets in a desktop setup. I use a GM Cuba 3341 Power Strip to solve this
My CPU is placed below the desk and it needs an elevation. This is where the monitor stand comes into play
I spend long hours in front of the screen and anything that can help lower the strain on the eyes is welcome. I use Titan’s Computer Glasses for this
The dual monitor setup needs a larger desk and it also doesn’t allow for a laptop to fit in. So I have two desks
I keep two chairs, one for each desk,
Note that some of the links on this page are affiliate links. I only ever endorse products that I have personally used and benefitted from. Thank you for your support!